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The Greener Side of the Fence
With summer heating up, lawns often need a little help staying green. While
many people opt for chemical fertilizers to treat their lawns, Matt of
Columbus, OH, suggests a different route.
“There are many organic fertilizers on the market now, so no excuses for
polluting our watersheds/groundwater. Think about it! If a sudden rainstorm
hits, where does your fertilizer go? If that’s not the case, it still ends
up in the water tables below. Use organic feeders and let your kids and
babies play healthy! Why have a lawn if you are afraid to take your shoes
off when you walk on it? And remember, insecticides in your lawn kill the
good bugs too. Without the good kind of insects, your lawn will just get
worse over the next few years. The next wave of bad bugs will have a ‘field
day’ without a fight. Use organic! And the fish in our rivers will thank
you!”
Here are a couple of good websites with information on how to keep your
lawn green without the use of harmful chemicals:
http://www.extremelygreen.com/fertilizerguide.cfm and
http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/
Got any natural lawn tips to share? Let everyone know.
8 Responses to “The Greener Side of the Fence”
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re those fancy non-plastic bags given away by whole foods - don’t yu think maybe that would be a great marketing/advertising idea - giving zillions away for free and to pay for you would eliminate one or two newspaper or magazine ads….thereby eliminating the damage done by offering too few and folks trampling each other to get one. duh
July 18th, 2007 at 6:55 am
My mom loves her zoysia grass lawn! It doesn’t need any special fertilizers or watering to stay green. In the winter it does turn brown but it’s usually covered with snow or leaves so who cares!
July 19th, 2007 at 10:03 am
I use liquid sea weed on my lawn and it has never been so green and thick. I use it in my herb & flower garden where I also use egg shells, coffee grounds, raw vegie leftovers,and the cut grass from my organic lawn. My dog is allergic to the chemical fertilizers that my neighborhood spreads accross the public sidewalks so I must contain her to her own bubble, my green backyard.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:23 am
When I have an area in my yard that I want to rid of weeds (not in an area where the weeds cohabitate with plants I want to keep), I pour boiling water over the weeds, and it works amazingly well. It takes a few days to see the results, but the only danger is spilling hot water on yourself. A teapot works for directing the water where you want it to go. It is ideal for weeding walkways, etc., and no harmful chemicals are leeched into the environment.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I buy detergent for my dishwasher in bulk, and it comes in a large plastic container with a flap lid. When I have used all the detergent, I put the container beside my kitchen sink and put all my organic scraps (i.e. fruit peels, coffee grinds, etc.) in there. The leftover soap smell helps neutralize any odor, and the attached lid also assists in keeping my kitchen fresh. When the container is full, I take it outside and dump it into my compost pile. When I am finished, I have rich organic compost for my garden (free!), and an empty container that I can use over and over again!
August 16th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
A great trick for killing weeds in driveways and other hardscapes is white vinegar. I use it straight in a spray bottle. It helps to use it on a sunny day, the hotter the better. Sometimes I finish off a couple of the difficult weeds with the boiling water idea which is also great.
August 30th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I’ve noticed how Americans love their lawns. Coming from one of the dryest contenece of the world we are moving away from having grass land/gardens to planting native trees and srubs. For many good reasons, native plants provide, food and shelter to native wildlife as well as being hardy in the drought - so no need to worry about water shortage, brown lawns and buying expensive law feed. Putting a few buckets out to fill up in the rain also helps to give you that extra bit of water for your plants during the dry.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:16 am
i’m surprised how few people know about checking the acidity (it needs to be base, or limey, not acid) of the ground would keep out most weed problems. you can tell even by the types of weeds you have growing on your lawn that the acidity is wrong. all the weed killer in the world will not help you lawn if the acidity is wrong, weeds will simply return. you can apply lime (ground limestone, not the green fruit, hehe) as directed on packages. adding lime and applying compost should be done every couple of years, especially if there is a weed problem.
i think our rotary lawnmower is my favorite solution for our small lawn. it works great, is far less noisy than any motor, and gives out no gas fumes. when everyone is out with their noisy gasoline powered lawn mowers and weedeaters, the fumes make me gag, and the noise pollution ruins our summer day. Gasoline powered mowers also collectively contribute to pollution on hot, dry summer days.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:28 pm