Safe, healthy and green lawns
You can have a beautiful lawn without the danger and pollution of pesticides
and chemical fertilizers.
Watering
Infrequent, thorough watering is the key. This produces strong, deep
roots and discourages disease.
Don't water unless the lawn feels dry when
you stick you finger down into the soil. If it rains enough, you may
not need to water for several weeks at a time.
When the soil is dry, give it around an inch of water. The best way to judge this is to put out a straight-sided container (coffee can, etc.) and run the water until there is an inch of water in the container.
Mowing
Mow frequently to avoid cutting off more than 1/3 of the grass blade. This usually means mowing weekly except during the winter. Leave the clippings on the lawn. Clippings are a major part of the lawn's
natural system of feeding the soil. If you don't have a mulching mower and there are unsightly clumps left on the lawn, just go over them a second time with the mower.
Keep the grass tall. Your grass will be healthiest if you set your mower to cut at three inches high. This provides shade that protects the beneficial organisms in the soil and discourages the growth of weeds.
If you pay someone else to mow your lawn, ask him or her to clean the mower and trimmer before mowing your yard. Turf diseases spread by hitching a ride on lawn mowers.
Feeding
If you're using the Urban Worms Organics Program, we've got you covered on feeding. Still, some customers supplement the program with organic fertilizers for more vigorous growth.
If youre doing your own feeding program, be sure to stay organic. Synthetic fertilizers upset the natural system of lawn and soil health and pollute our waters. They often contain pesticides (weed & feed) that are dangerous and destructive to soil life. Use a fertilizer that is labeled organic and specified for use on lawns.
Apply compost tea or compost at least twice a year. If you use compost, use well-decomposed (no big pieces) compost and rake it into the lawn in the spring and fall and whenever else you want to give the lawn a boost.
Helpful
extras: There are several organic additives that will help improve the health of your soil such as, molasses, fish hydrolysate, humic acids, liquid seaweed corn meal and corn gluten. Urban worms includes many of these in our program depending on the season and the condition of your soil.
Weeds, Bugs & Disease
The best way to keep weeds under control is to keep your soil and grass healthy. Follow the guidelines above and your lawn will outgrow the weeds. If you use a weed-killing herbicide, it will also kill many of the beneficial microbes in the soil and start a cycle that will eventually encourage more weeds. Healthy soil and proper watering will keep most bugs in check and discourage disease. Applying cornmeal in the late summer will also help prevent brown patch.