A couple of months ago I came across an article in Men’s Health called “Your Lethal Lawn.” It was a bit doom-and-gloom about the negative effects of chemicals on our lawns and the people who live on them (if you couldn’t tell from the title), but the point still resonated with me. It sort of reinforced our decision to stop fertilizing and using herbicides /pesticides on our lawn a few years ago so that a certain chihuahua wasn’t romping in chemicals… and tracking them back into our house. And as we grow closer to a time when Clara will be doing the same thing in the yard (and crawling around on the floors inside) we’re still personally set on staying fertilizer & pesticide free in our front and backyards.
The article wasn’t all about scare tactics though. It touched on some practical tips for moving towards a more natural regime for maintaining your lawn. Those suggestions piqued my curiosity because since banishing fertilizer/herbicides/pesticides from our lawn we really haven’t done anything proactive to maintain it and it certainly could use some help (especially after the heat/drought we’ve been “enjoying” here in Virginia). Luckily the article referenced a book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey, which even more luckily was carried at our local library (free books= booyah). You may have actually spotted it in some of our office progress shots from a few weeks back.
So like the captain of the lawn care nerd squad I’ve gone through the whole book from cover to cover, reading more about soil texture, grass anatomy, and watering than I ever thought I’d have the patience to read. It was actually quite fascinating and has me wishing I had the time, energy, and money to overhaul our entire landscape (fortunately the author offers plenty of tips for working with what you’ve got – some of which I hope to try in the coming months).
Many people actually wonder why we have so much grass while considering ourselves to be green, but because we don’t use any fertilizers/pesticides/herbicides and don’t even water our yard unless we’re seeding it (which we haven’t done for 2+ years) it’s actually a pretty eco friendly expanse of green. We even use a reel mower 90% of the time so we don’t even have the gas guzzling guilt to deal with. But anyway, back to the book. When I said I was acting like the captain of the lawn care nerd squad, I meant it. Just look at how many pages I flagged:
Without even attempting to play organic lawn care expert here, I thought I’d at least share some of my “aha” moments and tips from reading The Organic Lawn Care Manual so that you guys might get a flavor for what I found so interesting:
- Do you only visit certain parts of your property to mow? This was a throwaway question but it’s the #1 idea that has stuck in my head. The book asks us to reconsider the needs of our lawn and calls into question the ideal of a golf-course ready expanse of green in front of our homes. Tukey does a good job at not making anyone feel bad if they just love a big, grassy yard but his thought to seed part of his own backyard with wildflowers had me rethinking a few spots on our own property.
- Self-sustaining vs. drug-addicted lawn: I liked his analogy that the goal with a lawn should be to train it to take care of itself, not teach reliance on a cocktail of weed and insect killers, fertilizers and winterizers. A healthy organic lawn is one where the plants are strong enough (and the soil is nutrient rich enough) that it crowds out weeds, survives droughts, and fights off disease on its own. Sign us up.
- It’s about soil first, grass second: Tukey spends a fair amount talking about soil (though in his opinion not enough). He reminds us that without enough healthy soil as a starting point, you’ll constantly be battling your yard. He dives deep into tips of conditioning with compost, compost tea, aeration, etc. but really drives home the point that you should understand your soil (by digging in and examining it, and by conducting a soil test) to see where you may be lacking. I may try the soil test and compost tea thing, btw. Updates to come if/when I do.
- Use water wisely: And even though we don’t water our lawn (thank goodness for all the fall storms that seem to tide it over from year to year after such hot Virginia summers) there’s a whole chapter on watering with great tips like: water between midnight and 9am, so it can soak in before the sun evaporates it (did you know evening watering could over-moisten things and lead to fungus?). Also you should aim for fewer, deeper waterings (which encourage deep root growth) rather than frequent, light waterings (which leave roots more vulnerable on the surface) – though always stop to let water soak in if you see it pooling anywhere. And who knew the best sprinklers where those spinning rotary kinds? We used oscillating ones (with the gradual swaying fan of water) back when we established our yard, but apparently they don’t distribute water as evenly as they should.
- Be wise when water is scarce: His discussion of droughts was most pertinent to me, so I liked little explanations like a browning lawn is just the grass going dormant and conserving its energy. While your instinct may be to continue to water every 4 to 8 weeks-ish to keep your yard from browning, watering too much before the drought could unnecessarily “wake up” the lawn before the drought is over (and it’s more protected when it’s brown and dormant than “awake”). He also suggest leaving grass a bit longer during droughts because it will create its own protective shade. We always cut our lawn on the highest setting (except at the very end of the season) because we heard it was best, but now we actually know why!
- Imperfection is okay: Perhaps my favorite lesson from the book is that an imperfect lawn is okay (if it’s okay with you). While Tukey does spend a lot of time talking about how to crowd out, cut out, and even burn out weeds – he also makes the point that a plant in our yard is only bad if we say it is. If you can live with a patch of clovers or a few dandelions on your lawn, leave them alone (clovers are actually good for the soil, believe it or not). In fact the first step of his RILE approach to weeding is “Relax” (the others are “Identify,” “Listen” to what it’s saying about your lawn’s health, and “Eradicate” if necessary).
- Mowing can be an art form: Tukey reminds us that cutting any plant is an unnatural activity that the plant has to recover from, so grass is quite amazing in the way that we shave it constantly and it comes back more often than not. He offers a lot of tips like mow in the evening for minimizing wear on your lawn and your equipment. Alternate directions each mowing so you don’t encourage permanent tire-track lines. Oh, and of course never cut more than a third of the blade on any one day or else you could shock it too much.
There’s a bunch of other interesting stuff in there (at least by my standards), including a nice collection of how-to guides. He also covers a lot of options for non-grassy yards like gardens and xeriscaping. And hopefully in the next few months I’ll be able to try out some of the things he suggests in an effort to green up our lawn both literally and figuratively.
Do you guys have any earth-friendly and lawn-friendly tips or tricks to offer? Any organic lawn care suggestions that you care to share? Or have you tried some of these things with much or limited success? Please share because we’d love to learn more – especially me, since I’m clearly a card-carrying member of the grass geek society.
*BONUS FREEBIE! When reader Alee spotted The Organic Lawn Care Manual back in our office post, she was delighted to see her company’s book in our house. When I told her I was planning to blog about what I learned she and Storey Publishing offered to give away FIVE copies of The Organic Lawn Care Manual to you guys! So if you want a shot at one of the free copies, head over to our Facebook page where we’ll be accepting entries today (and announcing the winners on Friday, so be sure to check back). Thanks Alee and Storey Publishing for the bonus freebie!
Michaela @ The Gardener's Eden says
This book is a fantastic resource for gardeners. I’m a huge fan of Storey books and just reviewed one for Barnes & Noble’s ‘Garden Variety’ today. Although I’m always pushing clients and readers to reduce lawn and plant more natives and easily sustainable gardens, if you live in a naturally moist (OK not this year) environment and choose seed wisely, small lawns can be environmentally friendly spaces (and certainly better than pavement if they are organically cared for). Thanks for spreading the good word to those who may not otherwise hear about alternative options. Best, Michaela
Lauren says
Great post — a topic that so needs highlighting. Highly recommend the CBC documentary ‘American Savannah’ on this topic…. it’s probably on YouTube. David Suzuki at his green best! (Details: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2009/americansavannah/)
Jessica @ How Sweet says
My husband has been playing lawn nazi on our yard for the last 1.5 years. I need to give him this info!
Kevin M says
I read the same MH article and have the book on my Amazon wish list. Our grass could use some help, but we’re not about to put any chemicals on it. Sadly, most of our neighborhood does otherwise. About the only thing we do that is recommended is keep the mower set high. We’re also planning on aerating and over-seeding this fall.
David F says
So we just bought a house here in Williamsburg after apartment living in Socal, so this whole lawn care thing is completely foreign to me. Our yard is nothing but crabgrass and weeds… where should I start? With both a dog and an infant, I don’t want to use roundup on the whole thing, as several family members have suggested! I’ll be putting this book on the top of my amazon wishlist (as well as entering the fb drawing), but that’s my main question right now…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey David F,
If it’s literally only crabgrass and weeds, Tukey might recommend starting from scratch – basically digging up the whole thing, adding organic soil (if needed) and reseeding this fall. But depending on the size of your yard, that could be a big task. A smaller starting point would be to dig up the weeds and unwanted grass and reseed the area later this month, then water frequently to help it grow. I’m actually going to be trying this on an area of yard that has become dandelion central this summer so perhaps we can learn together!
-John
Jen says
This is funny to me – I’ve never thought about an organic yard, because we’ve never used chemicals. Growing up, we mowed our lawn, and that was it. We had a garden and weeded it, but that was it. Never thought of it as organic – that was just the way it was! We never raked our leaves or yard clipping and put them in bags – we mowed over them and they broke down into the soil.
Now I live in a neighborhood with very small yards, and some people do add chemicals, but we just pull out our non-gas, non-electric lawn mower and pull our weeds. I guess our yard could look better, but it’s easy and safe …
eric at My First Garage says
Kudos on using a Reel (Push) mower.
Bethany says
Great post! Grass is so boring, anyway. I’ve been writing about butterfly plants over at my blog and it’s made me want to rent a sod cutter again and cut up even more of my lawn so I can create something with a little bit more biodiversity.
Mary Lou says
What’s even better than a lush, green lawn? For me, it is NO lawn. I’ve taken out my lawn and have drought tolerant plants that conserve water. Lavender, sage, with paths through the garden.
I know that NO lawn is not the answer for everyone. After all, there are kids and pets and golf to consider! Yet the more sustainable we can all become, the better off our world will be.
I applaud the waterwise an eco recommendation/ideas in the book. It appears to be well written and illustrated. So….no book for me but thanks for the blog!
Sarah J. says
as a farmers daughter, i know that there is a time and place for some chemicals and the average american lawn contains so much more than is healthy. i’m so excited to check out this book and figure out how to care for my own lawn better (more than just letting it do it’s own thing, like we are now).
p.s. i actually spent yesterday searching my lawn for dandelions to make homemade dandelion tea. :) seriously.
Erin says
Great post!!
I’ve spent two summers using chemicals because I thought it was the best way to try to get my lawn in shape. It looked great this spring, but now after this dry spell we’ve had this summer it looks worse than ever!!
So, I like the idea of going to an organic lawn and foregoing the awful chemicals…it’s not like they are permanently helping my lawn anyway.
Thanks for posting!!
Cait @ Hernando House says
Our mantra at the moment is “as long as it’s flat and green, it’s ok”, and just letting our grass/whatever do its own thing. I want to add some wildflowers and other plants that don’t need mowing soon, though.
Leslie says
Ok, maybe I am dumb but I really don’t understand how having a lawn is bad for the enviroment? Can someone explain that to me? Our yard is mostly grass but we don’t use chemicals or water- just cut the grass. Whatever we are doing it must be right cause our grass is really green & has thickened up like crazy. Just curious because I am making an effort to be more “green” and I just didn’t understand this.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Leslie,
It’s usually the chemicals and the excess water usage that has lawns labeled as a bit wasteful and un-green (over drought tolerant plants and other shrubs that need less help). Also a gas mower creates emissions so many people recommend replacing a yard with something that you don’t have to mow. But since you’re not using water or chemicals you’re definitely subscribing to the less-waste-and-more-eco way of doing things in at least two out of three ways. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
lynn says
Lawns are also of almost zero benefit to wildlife. They can’t live off it, use it or anything. Gardens are so much better. Lawns are better than concrete surfaces, but not by much, rain water still runs off pretty fast. Oranmental grass and other plants do better to help stop run offs that pollute and degrade the watersheds.
Elizabeth says
I know here in Florida that there are extension offices supported by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) in each county and they are invaulable resources for location specific information about all lawn and landscaping related issues. Down here they will even do soil testing…for free I think. I’m sure Virginia has something similar…you should be sure to check it out.
I have been to several weekend seminars sponsored by the extension office and even got a free rain barrel from one! I need to go back for the composting seminar and free bin.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tips! We definitely plan to call our extension office to persue a soil test and we also made our rain barrel through a county extension office initiative (which you can read about here). There are definitely some good resources out there!
xo,
s
Nikki G says
Love the post! Although, since I know you guys have a fairly new, paver porch, I’m curious what you do for weed control on it? We have a ton of pavers at our house that were put in place before we bought the house. We’ve been using Roundup to help keep the weeds at bay, but I’m curious if you’ve found a better alternative… Or if you’re just diligent about pulling the weeds up by hand every couple of weeks?
Thanks for any help! LOVE your blog :)
YoungHouseLove says
We just pick any errant weeds by hand (pulling at the base so we get the root up too). We don’t have many (our stones are really densely packed which helps) so it’s not too hard. We’d rather use our hands over Roundup since it’s full of pesticides that are bad for babies and dogs (pesticides were even recently linked to Lukemia in children- yikes!). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
I’ve read that boiling water can be used to kill weeds between patio stones. Just be careful!
Lisa says
I totally suggest for Texans (or anyone else who deals with the heat) to check out Howard Garrett’s Complete Gardening Manual. It’s a great source for your lawn, flowers, veggie garden and pest control.
Our lawn is awesome after following his suggestions. We are the only ones with a somewhat green lawn in 100+ heat right now. An organic lawn is much more self sustaining.
Martha says
What a timely post! I just about had an emotional break down last night/ this morning over our inability to keep the weeds at bay. This morning when I was waiting for my car pool to arrive I started pulling a few weeds and then looked up at the expanse of weeds. I own a kingdom of weeds!
I will definitley check out this book. :-)
Annie says
You should check out my friend’s company – http://www.txwormranch.com/. She recently started treating our yard for us. No more fertilizing! Now I just have to work on organic pest control…
CW says
I am definitely on the no-lawn bandwagon. They are just too much hassle for me. There are good reasons to have them, but I think there are also great reasons not to have them. It’s a personal choice. For me, the lawn is nothing but hassle and waste: a waste of resources (water, gas for the mower) and time–mowing is such a drag. And with all that space, I could be growing something useful like vegetables.
Melissa K says
Awww, Facebook only? Being a teacher and all, it’s just easier not to have one, IMO, so I guess I’ll just have to see if my library has a copy. We’re renting until our house in a city far, far away sells, so I can’t justify a purchase of something like this right now, but I’m definitely interested in organic lawn care. I’m still trying to convince my husband to get me a reel mower, too. I’m home all summer and would love to pitch in when it comes to cutting the grass, but our gas mower scares me, so he mows during our precious weekend time together.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa K,
We always have a weekly giveaway right here on the blog (we even have a World Market gift card freebie going on now) but this book giveaway was just a little last-minute extra one, so we decided to stick it over on Facebook for fun. So sorry to you and others who don’t have an FB account!
xo,
s
Life in Rehab says
As we’re about to get back outside and work on the truck-gullied lawn, we’ve been discussing greener options than our usual chemical fest grass fixing sprees, so this post was perfectly timed. Thanks as always, guys.
caitlin says
im not going to lie, i loved this post :) but that may also be due to the fact that I work mostly with plants, specifically trees. I dont think you guys have any trees in your lawn area any more, but if you or your readers do, one lawn tip is to keep the grass away from the trees! Instead, spread a nice wide mulch ring around them. Grass roots take up the water and nutrients trees need real quickly and inhibit the root growth of trees. Trees with a nice ring of mulch around them grow more and healthier roots. Just don’t volcano mulch! You don’t want all the mulch actually touching the tree trunk because the mircoorganisms that break the mulch down and make tree roots awesome don’t know the difference between the pile of wood chips and the trunk of the living tree. They’ll start rotting it!
So uh, there is my bit of yard advice… that doesn’t have a lot to do with grass.
Alexandra says
I LOVE the idea of planting wildflowers but happen to know of an ironic story to go with it. My parents neighbors have a perfectly manicured lawn. One year they decided to go with all native Texas flowers and just a few months later they had the most beautiful assortment of wildflowers in every color. One day a notice came in the mail from their home owners association saying that they did not appreciate that they had let their “weeds” grow to be so tall, and if the area was not cut within 5 days they would be forced to pay the cost of having someone else do it.
So while wildflowers are charming, watch out for rules about weeds, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Kara says
I live in the “Mid Cities” between Dallas and Ft. Worth and a recent story on the news was about a guy who planted his front yard in wild flowers and after a long battle with the city and his HOA and mounting fines, he is going to loose his house (If you don’t pay your fines the HOA can foreclose) It is more important here to have a nice yard than flowers and such. Having said that, you can still do a few little things to help. We do use weed and feed at the beginning of the year, mowing in different directions will “mow” out weeds although I am a weed puller, my husband makes a fertilizer that he makes that includes a little dishwashing liquid and beer along with a few other things, one of them reduces fungus. I have always used the watering technique you described and it works!
Unplanned Cooking says
I consider myself green but for some reason don’t put much thought in our yard. We don’t use chemicals (typically – every now and then some root will take hold and it seems the only way to free it) but this post made me think about the dangers of doing even that.
Vonda says
I posted below, albeit I edited a little this time, in a past post (your broken lawn mower one) but here it is again on further eco lawn ideas – b/c you know, I just can’t talk about that grass enough! And your information today gives me hope that our brown lawn (but only in our hot, sunny spots) is not dead but just dormant!
Here’s an eco-friendly consideration next time you need to overseed — a grass seed from a nursery called Wildflower Farm out of Canada (though they have a warehouse here in NY). You can read about its qualities from the link below, but in short it only needs cutting very few times a season (due to being a slow-growing seed), doesn’t need watering (because it has a deeper root system than other grasses), doesn’t require fertilizers (even starter fertilizer is a no-no & it even suggests if you’re addicted to them to use nothing more than a weed n feed in Spring). ALL IN ALL, read less water usage, no chemical runoff from fertilizers (or tracking inside from you and Burger) and less emissions from a mower! We use it here in Richmond, though this is the lowest zone it will grown in (Zone 7). Very soft to walk on too! Here’s the website to the nursery: http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=home
Oh, and knowing how you like to keep it all budgeted – it’s a bit expensive when you add in the shipping, but I think it evens out when you consider you don’t buy the fertilizers that other lawns need throughout the year.
Mike at The Big Stick says
Wildflowers are a great option. Planting a native grass stand is another. They use minimal water, support local wildlife and look pretty cool. In a bit of shameless self-promotion you might check out my blog post here:
http://progressconservative.com/2010/07/13/native-grass-project/
We planted about 1000 square feet of native grasses and wildflowers this summer. It’s been a very interesting project so far. KY has a lot of the same natives as VA.
flyingbird says
Love to read about organic lawn care tips & sources–we’re on that bandwagon too because of our little guy running around on the grass and also because we have a well and need to keep the groundwater clean. I read somewhere that over 90% of the chemical fertilizers aren’t even used by the grass…so it’s good to think about environmental consequences of leaching.
(I hope you might keep some giveaways open on the website instead of Facebook, for those of us oddballs who don’t do FB accounts)
YoungHouseLove says
Of course! We always have a weekly giveaway right here on the blog (we even have a World Market gift card freebie going on now) but this book giveaway was just a little last-minute extra one, so we decided to stick it over on Facebook for fun. So sorry to you and others who don’t have an FB account!
xo,
s
Kari says
I stopped using any kind of -cides years ago, when I was living in the PNW, where organic seems to be ubiquitous. Hand-weeding, over time, can get and keep weeds in control. I recommend a japanese weeding knife to get a handle on the hand weeding. It can take out anything, including deep roots and makes the whole process of weeding much more enjoyable. I tend to take it out and do a small section of my yard everyday to keep on top of things. I let clover do its thing, and mostly concentrate on the dandelions and the plantains, which tend to want to take over a patch of grass.
Sandy says
I love y’all’s blog — and I check it every day. However, in the category of “feedback”: I much prefer the decor posts to these “living green” posts. I know, they’re good for me, like a big, heaping pile of spinach. I just don’t find them as interesting. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sandy,
Thanks for the feedback! We find that different readers love different posts so we just write about what interests us and try to work in a good mix of everything from decor and home improvement to being green, gardening, and even cleaning and organizing. Hope that explains why we do what we do!
xo,
s
Beatrice says
Seriously…You guys have great Freebies!!
Eva says
love this post! We’ve never done chemicals and like when summer scorches our lawn because it means less mowing!
Just a tip for those that want to keep pop up weeds at bay over pavers or stone areas- Salt. Be libral with sprinkling salt all over the area. That will kill growing plants and make the soil environment unpleasant so nothing will grow for a while. Hence why invading armys used to salt the fields of their enemy nations. (hi, giant history dork right here)
The Bella Life says
Wow! I’m sold. Where do I sign up?
I love the point you made about your dog walking through the grass and dragging chemicals back inside. My dogs are constantly walking in and out of the house, so just the thought makes me cringe.
My husband’s birthday is coming up next week and he loves taking care of the yard. I poke fun of the way he walks from tree to tree and bush to bush looking for new “growth”. The above book would make the perfect brithday gift for him.
Cheerio,
Camberley
Kate says
I laughed when I read today’s post and could feel your enthusiasm for this topic. Years ago, I studied horticulture in college. I’ve since moved on to a new career in a different field that I love and save the gardening and lawn care for the weekends. Of all the subjects I’ve studied though, my favorite (and geekiest by far) was soil science. Organic gardening is easy and fun when you learn all of those tricks. We live with the lawn weeds. We also barely need to water any of our plants because we plant drought-tolerant, native plants that are happy with the compost diet they feed from and grow in. I say make yourself a lawn-nerd teeshirt to wear outside and hold your head high.
Miranda says
A related article showed up on the front page of the Personal Journal section in the Wall Street Journal today -“Gardening Without a Sprinkler”. It can be found here for those interested:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575433403900683476.html?mod=WSJ_HomeAndGarden_LEADTopNews
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks to everyone sharing links and tips! We definitely appreciate all the suggestions and will keep everyone posted if we put any into practice!
xo,
s
Nicole says
I am so jealous! We have had hardly any rain this summer and 100+ temps…not good for the grass. Let’s just say the whole city has brown grass. So sad!
Jerry says
I really enjoyed this post as I am currently attempting to have a drug free lawn also for the very same reasons – kids and dogs. A majority of my grass is centipede so it is very low maintenance as far as the fertilizer but going insecticide free is going to be challenging. I live in North Carolina and the ticks, ants, and various other bugs are difficult to get under control. I look forward to seeing how this works out for you.
Carol N. says
My husband has been hand-picking out weeds from our yard for years and now my mom and I do it automatically if we go outside to walk or bring in the mail. It really does only take a short time every day to keep it under control for the most part.
Mandy says
When we moved into our house, it was dandelion and crab grass city. My husband spent a few days digging them up with a shovel, and we reseeded only where needed. We have done nothing else pesticide wise to our grass, and it looks really good. I’m glad to know that watering it is not necessary once it takes root, and that it being brown is a good thing. Since we have been having bouts of rain in MD, our grass is nice and green again…at least for now.
Andrea says
Thank you for the invaluable information for our grass. With two young boys and two dogs I am always interested in ways of keeping them safe! Another safety issue for us is the the two copperheads that my husband found in our yard. We have a very small creek that runs through our property so it may be there is not much that we can do about snakes. Although, after speaking with a local wildlife removal specialist we found out that we needed to get rid of the food chain to get rid of the snakes-basically yard pest control. What are some of your ‘green’ solutions for yard pest control? Sorry if you covered this on another post!
Always looking forward to new posts from you…
Thanks,
Andrea
Andrea
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Andrea,
Thanks for the tip about getting rid of the snakes’ food chain as our neighbor just found a copperhead in their yard last week too. We actually don’t have any green solution for yard pest control ourselves, but this book does have a chapter on it (I’ll admit I skimmed that one). I’ll let you guys know if we find anything that works great.
-John
Lauren says
I’m definitely going to look into getting that book! Our yard can become a dandelion field at the beginning of summer and I have been searching for other options to get rid of them. I also think it’s funny that the ad on the bottom of your post about having a “green” lawn is for Scotts Lawn Service!
Tia says
Are people really complaining about a giveaway??? People never cease to amaze me. I admire you guys for always responding to everyone so nicely! That is really a gift.
I’m happy to be a city-dweller currently with no yard, but I still think these tips are great and I’ll be passing them along to my lawn-loving (and green-loving) friends.
Dan says
Great Eco-Friendly, cheap fertilizer.
Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) can be bought at any pharmacy, Wal-Mart, epothecary, Target, etc. It is a great “natural” way to fertilize plants, grasses, trees, etc. Most come with directions right on the bag. So…you can soak in that warm espom salt bath after applying epsom salt to your yard.
Weed Tip- Best time to pull weeds is right after a heavy rain. The soil is loose and the weeds pop right out, root and all.
Also, I read some people are starting to use a small torch (like for soldering pipe)as an alternative to the devil -Round-Up. Down with you Monsanto. Applications are best suited for driveways, patios, etc. where those weeds pop through the cracks. You are in turn burning the organic matter creating nutrients for the soil or ehh, more weeds?
Michelle says
Great post and some good tips.
Although I will give a little warning about tip 1. When I lived in Mississippi there was a field behind our yard that grew with wild flowers. It was very “green” however it was also a perfect home for mice, which then traveled over to our house. It took us a long time to get rid of them too. So, while it’s a good idea to maybe let some of your yard grow up a bit… I would be careful about what other things it might bring.
Shana says
We overseeded our front and back lawns with white and red clover. It looks great – I think the little flowers are pretty and they tell us when it’s time to mow – basically when it flowers a few days later it’s time. It’s drought resistant (the roots are much deeper than grass) and native to our area.
Now we live in Toronto’s Corso Italia neighbourhood – home to a mostly retired and Italian or Portuguese community who are insanely house proud. Our neighbours all have perfect golf green lawns and do a lot of sidewalk watering. They were all pretty horrified when they noticed our clover flowers. I’m sure the fact that I’m not out there digging out all the “weeds” by hand is scandalous but I don’t care! I never have to water my lawn and the watershed and my water bill thank me!
Try overseeding with clover – it’s super soft and lovely on bare feet and baby hands and knees!
Katie says
Thanks for the great post! My little one is a few months older then Clara, but I’ve been thinking similar thoughts about my yard and how I don’t want him playing in chemicals once he starts walking and we’re out in the yard lots of days. I entered the book giveaway, but then looked up and found our library has lots of copies, so I’ll go pick up one tomorrow (and hope there isn’t a run on them due to this post!). Thanks again!
Jenny says
I live with my parents right now, so I don’t take care of any lawn, but my parents don’t water the lawn either. It was really really hot here for a few weeks, and I thought that was the end of the lawn. It was a brown desert. But then we got some heavy rain, which even left puddles on the lawn at first, and now it’s back “in shape”. It’s super lush and green and healthy looking and it’s time to mow again (for the first time in weeks). I think my parents use a scarifier (?) once or twice a year to remove moss and dead grass, then throw some grass seeds everywhere and water it, and that keeps it looking good.
Alisa says
I’m hoping this book gives some suggestions over our two biggest yard issues: ant hills that cover almost 90% of the “lawn” and an almost completely shaded yard. We moved into our house a year ago and the yard had been neglected for who knows how long so we have maybe a 5sq ft of grass on our 1/3 of an acre lot. I’d love to get it back in shape, so I’ll have to check out my library. Thanks for the post!
Michele says
Book me! Please. I tried to Book myself on FB, but I couldn’t get a comment window to open for me. Crazy