Garden

Organic Lawn Care

As organic gardeners, it's important to practice organic lawn care so we do not introduce pesticides to our compost. Here are a few ways to keep your grass healthy and the clippings organic so you can use the clippings in your organic garden.

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Credit: Lafayette College

A sign says it all at Lafayette’s organic garden near Metzgar Fields on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township.

A sign says it all at Lafayette’s organic garden near Metzgar Fields on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township.

To be honest, I usually leave grass clippings on the lawn; they break down and add valuable nitrogen to the lawn, keeping it green. (Contrary to popular belief, leaving grass clippings on the lawn does not increase thatch, a layer of debris at soil level that reduces light, air and water penetration. In fact, the decaying grass helps break up thatch.) But I will admit that leaving the clippings in place can sometimes look unsightly, and that is why many people rake them up and put them in the compost. As organic gardeners, it’s important to practice organic lawn care so we do not introduce pesticides to our compost.

Here are a few ways to keep your grass healthy and the clippings organic (so you can use the clippings in your organic garden):

  1. Use only organic lawn food. Feed the lawn as soon as it is actively growing, right after the first cut. Apply a fall feed in mid-September.
  2. Apply lime to sweeten the soil and reduce favourable conditions for moss. You can apply in spring and fall, using the application rate on the bag.
  3. Aerate your lawn every two years. This will reduce soil compaction and increase air and water flow. After aerating, fill the holes with sand.
  4. De-thatch every two years, or as needed. 5. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage roots to go deep into the soil.
  5. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage roots to go deep into the soil.
  6. Once a year, apply beneficial nematodes to control European chafer and leather jackets.
  7. In summer, set your mower blades higher to leave the grass slightly longer than normal; the extra length will shade and cool the roots, reducing water requirements and keeping the grass greener.
  8. Rake in a 5-cm (2-in.) layer of fine, screened compost in mid-spring. This will keep beneficial organisms and earthworms happy and productive.
  9. When seeding, use a top-quality blend with as many different grass types as available. It will give a nice colour, as well as be more disease and pest resistant.
  10. Water grass in the morning, never in the evening, to reduce the chance of mildew. Consider watering every two weeks with a compost tea; it works wonders on lawns.