Summer, my favorite season of the year is almost here. For me about the only down side of summer is yard work, that never ending (not to mention expensive) cycle of watering, fertilizing, weeding and then to reward your success you get to spend time you could be spending swimming or in the mountains mowing your lawn so that you can start all over again.
Fortunately for me a few years back, driven primarily by a desire not to contribute to the accumulation of toxic chemicals in the groundwater and environment and by extension our own bodies as well as the bodies of our children and grandchildren, I began looking into organic lawn and yard care. Surprisingly, I discovered that with just a little research and application it was possible not only to do without toxic chemicals but to save money and effort in the process. Sadly, just about everywhere I have lived, too few of my neighbors were willing to try to wean themselves away from chemicals, whether it be weedkillers (herbicides), insecticides, or even chemical fertilizers and weed and feed products.
That is not to say I don't understand the reluctance of my neighbors (and no doubt the vast majority of homeowners) to give up their chemicals. Sometimes there is the pressure of a home owners association (although some enlightened HOAs are now encouraging homeowners to go organic). Other times just the peer pressure of other neighbors who might see you doing something different to your lawn and/or yard than they are doing with theirs and express concern for appearance and/or property values. Lastly there is just the fear factor of trying something you have never tried before and the comfort in doing things the way that you have always done them.
On the other hand there are the facts that things and situations do change, whether we want them to or not. The population of the world is increasing rapidly not only putting strains on the limited water supply but increasing the total toxic load as more and more homeowners use "just a few" poisons in pursuit of the perfect lawn. In 1996 I moved from Denver to Seattle (my California born and raised ex-wife had a heart condition that made it difficult for her to breathe at Denver's altitude) before moving back in 2005. In 1996 the estimated population of the Denver Metro area was 1.1 million. On my return in 2005 it was 2.9 million, almost triple in less than 10 years.
In 2002, a Bill Moyers PBS special (
http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript117_full.html ) asked the question "are we poisoning our children?" The apparent answer, sadly unsurprising to me, was yes. For that reason alone I was ablew to withstand the peer pressure of trying something I had never tried before on my lawn.
If you do decide to give organic lawn and/or yard care a shot, there are a number of websites that and other sources that can provide guidance. The extension services of many state universities are often a good source. There is an article on the Do-It-Yourself.com website entitled "Organic Lawn Care Basics: It's easier than you think"
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/organicbasics
While I would never contend that my own expertise on the issue matches any of these sources, from my experience I have concluded that the absolute essentials of organic lawn care come down to just a few guidelines and substitution of organic fertilizers and weed and feed for chemical products. It is important, however, to fully follow the guidelines for organic lawn care to be successful.
If you have not yet planted your lawn consider planting a drought resistant grass such as fescue or Bermuda instead of the typical Kentucky bluegrass. It is significantly easier to employ organic lawncare using a drought resistant and/or native grass, both because its requirements for water are significantly less and because it is more resistant to weeds, insects and disease. High Country Gardens provides a number of drought resistant grass alternatives including Buffalo grass
http://www.highcountrygardens.com//low-water-lawns?gclid=COuo6dTq05kCFQ9JagodgnhNXw and Colorado horticulturalist Sherry Fuller has written an article linked to About.com entitled "Choosing the right drought-tolerant lawn can save water," that examines the pros and cons of a half dozen drought resistant alternatives to Kentucky Bluegrass.
No matter what kind of grass you have in your lawn, however, the first and certainly one of the most important guidelines for organic lawncare is to allow the grass to grow at least 3 to 4 inches tall so that the bases of the grass and the areas between blades of grass are in the shade. If sun reaches either of these areas weed seeds in the soil are much more likely to germinate. Therefore, set your lawnmower to the highest possible setting.
Speaking of lawn mowing, while it is not absolutely necessary for organic gardening, consider using a hand powered lawn mower, especially if your yard is small enough to make that practical. The gasoline consumption and the air pollution produced by gas-powered mowers is widely underestimated. In a Seattle suburb it was estimated that 40% of summertime air pollution was produced by power mowers.
Correctly watering your lawn will reduce your lawn's need for water and allow it to grow longer, hence holding off weeds. The best way to water is to remember that a single good thorough soaking is worth three spot waterings. Soaking the lawn causes the lawn's roots to grow longer and therefore utilize the water is receives more efficiently. Spot watering that just "settles the dust" causes roots to grow shallow and therefore need more water. Also, as the Denver Water Board has told us over and over again, it is best to water either early in the morning or in the evening. Of the two watering in the evening accomplishes more than morning waterings unless the lawn is appearing stressed.
In the spring, when the time comes to apply a weed and feed product consider the organic alternative to chemical weed and feed products, corn gluten. Corn gluten is a byproduct of the "wet milling" process of making corn based ethanol. A patent for the use of corn gluten as a pre-emergent weed killer was obtained in 1991. The most useful educational website for corn gluten was created by the Horticulture Department of Iowa State University
http://www.hort.iastate.edu/gluten/?Apparently some of the components of corn gluten have been found to have an even greater potential for suppressing early weeds, although these components are considerably less stable than corn gluten itself.
When I lived in Issaquah, Washington about 20 miles east of Seattle, I swore by corn gluten for my weed and feed. Fortunately for me there was a local store called the Issaquah Grange Supply Store where you could buy 50 pound bags of corn gluten for about $25. Corn gluten available over the internet costs about twice that amount, so it wouldn't hurt to look around locally to see if there are local stores that carry it. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any yet in the Denver area. If someone knows of one please post a comment to let my readers know where it might be found. Until then here are some links (and apparent links) to corn gluten and corn gluten products available on the internet:
If, in spite of your best efforts, some weeds do manage to get through (and of course there are always weeds that grow in opportunistic areas such as sidewalk cracks), there are effective organic alternatives to toxic weed killers as well. While there are organic weedkillers on the market, you can make a homemade organic weedkiller for very little money using just four simple ingredients, vinegar, salt, corn oil and a couple of tablets of Niacin. Over 90% of the weedkiller should be vinegar. Apply the solution generously on the weeds, especially on sunny days.
Lastly, maybe it would be better to do either lessen the size of or completely eliminate your lawn. You might think about planting a vegetable garden or use the technique pioneered by the Denver Water Board in 1981 (for some strange reason they claim that the word itself is proprietary so I will not use except where absolutely necessary in links. The basic idea is to landscape using drought resistant plants. Besides needing less water, these plants are more resistant to weeds, insects and disease.
Visitors to Phoenix and other desert towns in Arizona may have noticed front "lawns" that include cactus and other native plants. Denver gets a bit more (not much more) precipitation so that your choice of plants is somewhat larger and if done well, these "lawns" can be quite beautiful. For a great picture of a "lawn" before and "after" see the Denver Water Board's page on the subject
http://www.denverwater.org/cons_xeriscape/xeriscape/xeriscape_index.html
The Botanic Gardens has a beautiful "water smart" garden on display.
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This summer save money, water and the environment with organic lawn care
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