Lawn Love
Your lawn loves you. Do you love it back? Your lawn lets you walk on it, play ball on it, picnic on it, and just take plain old advantage of it. What do you do for your lawn? Do you show it any love? There are so many ways to care for your lawn but this tip is all about fall organic lawn care.
The best way to care for your lawn organically is to have a thick stand of turf. This means to seed and overseed and overseed again. Adding new seed to an existing lawn reduces bare patches. Bare patches set your lawn up for failure. The bare patches are where bully weeds take over. They show no mercy once they take hold. The best way to avoid these bullies is to add new grass seed to the bald spots. The greatest organic weed control is thick grass.
Keep your lawn mowed high all season long except for that very last mow of the year. If your keep your lawnmower set to a minimum of 3 inches, you are mowing as “organically” as possible. A lawn that is left high can withstand drought much better than a short lawn and also keeps weeds suppressed. The last mow of the year is an exception to this rule. This is one of the only times I recommend mowing the lawn shorter. A 2-inch height would be perfect. You do not want your fall lawn going into the winter in need of a haircut. Keeping it shorter for the last mow, reduces the chances of winter diseases such as snow mold.
Organic fall fertilization shows your lawn tons of love. I cannot stress enough the importance of fertilizing not only at the end of the summer but late into the fall. At the end of the summer, your lawn needs some recovery time. Fertilizer helps it to do this. I mentioned the last mow before. This is also a very important time to put down a fall lawn fertilizer. Once your lawn stops actively growing up top, it still grows down below. This is where the fertilizer comes into play. It pushes root growth and stores what it cannot use in its root system to use immediately in the spring.
A great way to think organically is to think about the soil. In particular, the soil pH is key. If your pH is off, then your lawn just won’t be happy no matter how much fertilizer or seed you throw at it. Test your pH. Pick up a DIY pH kit, bring your soil to me to test at Van Wilgen’s, or bring it to the Ct Ag Station. If your pH is low/acidic, you need to apply lime. Lawns need a pH between 6.8 to 7.2 to feel their best. Any other number and lawns shut down. Let’s keep our lawn naturally happy with Limestone.
Is your soil compact? If you want your lawn to thrive, it needs room to stretch its’ roots and absorb water. If your soil is like brown pavement, your lawn will always struggle. Aerate your lawn every 2 years. While you are at it, throw down a little more seed. Oh, did I say seed already?! I know I sound like a broken record sometimes but I just want the best for you and your lawn.
So, show your lawns some organic love this fall. I promise the love they return by providing you and your family oxygen and leisure space will be well worth it.
Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help.
SHOPPING LIST:
*Van Wilgen’s Grass Seed
*Espoma’s Organic All Season Lawn Food
*Espoma’s Organic Fall Lawn Food
*Milorganite
*pH Testing Kit
*Soil Doctor Lawn Lime
