Archived LHEI Article

GO ORGANIC! LAWNS WITH FUTURE!

SANDRA L. LAWSON, MASTER GARDENER

FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE LONGMEADOW HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE

September 6, 2003

Now is the time to repair or re-seed your lawn. Daytime temperatures are warm enough for grass seed to germinate and nighttime temps are cool enough to prevent stress on that new growth. Weed seeds do not germinate in the fall so you can doctor your lawn without competition and little complication!

If you have used a top-downwards approach as in 4-step programs and liquid lawn care services in the past, your lawn will need drug rehab! It will have to go through withdrawal. Why? Because non-organic products such as these depress the natural defenses of your grass and kill the microorganisms that coexist with your grass to keep it disease free. Without natural defenses and microorganisms, lawns can not care for nor heal themselves. They NEED those chemicals to survive!

To break your lawn’s chemical dependency, treat it with a ground-upwards approach by improving soil structure, replenishing organic matter and nutrients, and aeration. These efforts will restore beneficial microorganisms to the soil, encourage the grasses’ natural defenses, utilize your money and labor more effectively and efficiently, and prevent chemical run-off and contamination of ground water.

Tips to move from chemical addiction to organic health:

1.     Have a soil test and amend it according to directions several weeks before reseeding. Grass can not utilize the nutrients in soil or synthetic spray services for which you pay hefty  prices if the pH is incorrect. Nor can microorganisms thrive. Have the pH tested at the Farmers’ Markets [$1] through early October in: Springfield on Tuesdays [Sumner Avenue behind the Goodwill Shops from 1-6 PM] and in Holyoke on Thursdays [High Street in front of City Hall from 1-5 PM]. You can have a complete soil analysis from  UMass Extension Services; call 413-545-2311 or go online at www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest for instructions.  Recommendations to amend your soil will be included; follow these directions to amend exactly. More is not better!

2.   Aerate the soil with a pitchfork, an aerator machine, or shoes with spikes designed for this purpose. The most effective means is with a machine; repeat every few years.

3.     Every fall add ¼” of organic matter [compost, manure, 50-50 peat moss-manure mixture] to the lawn. Add another ¼” in the spring. Spread it and rake it smooth. If you aerate the soil do that first then add the compost.

4.   Always mulch grass clippings into the lawn; they provide free fertilizer. Grass should be kept 3” long; when mowing, never remove more than 1/3 of its height at a time.  That means you may have to mow more often as in the spring or less frequently as in the dog days of August! Don’t mow when wet. 

5.   To re-seed, clear the area of weeds and debris. Scuff up the soil. Choose the best seed [the highest quality that you can afford and the seed that is best adapted for the area in which you want it to grow]. Consider the temperate zone, sun-shade, wear and tear, and disease and drought varieties. 

6.   Once the seed is laid, cover loosely with a little soil and water to keep the soil moist. Spreading straw over the surface helps to retain moisture and prevents seed from blowing or washing away. It also hampers birds feeding on it.  

Reminders:

·        It takes a year for grass to be fully established. Keep an eye on the new plantings. You may need to water more frequently than usual. Watch for wilt; normally you should water 1” per week so the top 6 - 8” are moist. Newer grass, however, will have shallow roots and require more water sooner.

·        Organic matter{OM} is composed of recycled agricultural byproducts. It releases nutrients over time and helps to hold water in the soil. It loosens the soil which contributes to more air and better root growth. Improving the texture of the soil, enhances drought protection. Some brand names of OM include Espoma, Nature’s Best, Earth Gro, Nature, Milorganite. Other forms include bone meal, peat moss, compost, worm castings, manure. These are just as effective!

·        Before purchasing products, look at the list of ingredients. Chemical fertilizers contain urea, ammonium sulfates, methylinedura. These are not organic. Also, inert ingredients do not have to be listed even though they may compose up to 99% of the product. The inert ingredients are often hazardous heavy metals and other undesirable substances. CALPIRG studied synthetic fertilizers from 12 states; all the products contained 22 toxic heavy metals including lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and nickel in addition to dioxin.