Green is beautiful, right? Wrong – if we’re talking about a perfectly manicured lawn that has been fed herbicides, fungicides and insecticides to keep it looking “natural.” What was once the accepted way of keeping your yard weed and bug-free is not longer tolerated in many communities. The reason: the toxic ingredients in pesticides can be carried on the wind or seep into the groundwater and cause potential blood diseases, disorders and birth defects in humans and wildlife. They can cause accidental injury or death to fish, birds, mammals and beneficial insects.
So if you can’t use pesticides, how can you keep your lawn looking green and healthy? Here are the top five tips to help you have a beautiful yard this summer:
1. Spread grass seed
So if you can’t use pesticides, how can you keep your lawn looking green and healthy? Here are the top five tips to help you have a beautiful yard this summer:
1. Spread grass seed
In the spring and fall each year, spread some drought-tolerant grass seed over your lawn. The best way to keep weeds to a minimum is to crowd them out with a thick lawn
2. Pull the weeds
Use a knife or a special tool designed to dig out weeds by the root and work at it by hand. While this may take a lot of work the first year, each year there will be fewer and fewer weeds to dig out as your lawn gets healthier.
3. Mow high
Keep the lawn mower blade at a 7.5 cm (3 in) height and the shade from the taller grass will prevent weed seeds from sprouting. This will also improve the soil moisture.
4. Leave grass clippings on lawn
This step will help your lawn in two ways: by returning nutrients to the soil and by adding moisture to the lawn. You not only save yourself time and back-breaking labour, but you can cut down on your need for fertilizer by 30%.
5. Aerate
Rent an aerator or hire a lawn care company to remove small plugs of earth from your lawn. This will help air and water to get to the roots and encourage earthworms to keep the ground aerated. It will also discourage some weeds that love compacted soil.
6. Fertilize
If it hasn’t rained, water the roots (2-3 cm or 1 inch deep) only once a week in the early morning. Use a rain gauge to help measure the so you can be sure the moisture is going deep enough.
When you achieve the beautiful lush green lawn by natural means, you also help to achieve a healthier environment. And if you use an electric or battery-operated mower, you can also cut carbon emissions. Green can be beautiful and environmentally friendly!
