The Big Blog Of Gardening

I know that some of you out there will vigorously disagree with me, but really, you don’t need to use chemical fertilizers and weed killers on your lawn. I haven’t used chemicals on my lawn in years and it looks EXACTLY as green as my neighbors’ lawns, who use fertilizer and weed killer every spring and fall. I would venture a guess to say my lawn and the soil it grows in is healthier than theirs.

When I first moved into the property I now own, the lawn and garden hadn’t been taken care of for a few years. I’m told that the previous owners were excellent gardeners and grew lots of flowers and vegetables and worked their lawn vigorously. But now the lawn had become brown, full of dirt patches and weedy, due to the owners’ declining health.

A little research and examination showed me that the lawn was full of grubworms (Japanese Beetle larvae), who’d been feasting on the untended lawn for quite awhile. In addition, sticking a shovel into the lawn was difficult – the earth was hard as a rock, mostly compacted clay, probably the result of excessive chemical fertlizer applications. Weeds were also a major problem.

This is eating your lawn

I began with the grubworms.  These little creatures live just under the turf, in the general proximity to where the adult Beetles mate. They burrow deeper as the weather gets colder, and if they survive the winter, they start feasting on the roots of the grass in the spring and in July emerge as adult Japanese Beetles to start the process all over again. If your lawn is healthy, it can handle a small amount of grubs. But this lawn was devastated.

Back then, I didn’t have a completely organic approach and I used a chemical grub killer to fix the problem fast. This didn’t work too well, as the entire neighborhood became infested with Japanese Beetles that summer and the leaves of every fruit tree and rose bush were decimated. After researching an organic alternative, the following Spring I applied Milky Spore, which you can buy here, and I’ve seen very few grubs or Japanese Beetles since – definitely not enough to be of any concern.

Feeling good about the imminent demise of the grubworms, I moved on to the lawn itself. As I tried to re-seed the brown spots and dirt patches, I discovered that the soil lacked fertility. It was very difficult to get grass seed to germinate in these areas – I tried many types – and when I did get it to grow, it died off in the summer heat, even with vigorous watering. Obviously, something was wrong below the surface. So I went on a mission of completely re-planting the lawn and adding soil amendments, working on just one section each year to keep things manageable. In each section, I turned the turf over, broke it up, loosened the soil below it, and added top soil and lots of composted manure. Then I seeded the new dirt and covered it with burlap, using U-shaped pins to hold the burlap in place, watering it as needed.

After two years of performing this task each spring and fall, the lawn was better but still struggling, so I bought a manual aerator like this one and walked it across the entire lawn, pulling thousands of plugs out and letting them decompose where they lay (this becomes excellent compost and helps to break down the thatch layer). I also added composted manure to the entire lawn and seeded it once again. Coincidentally this also addressed the weed problem, since the grass had an easier time growing and staying put once I improved the soil, and more grass equals less weeds. The manual aerator I used is great if your lawn is smaller than 1/2 acre. If you have a larger lawn, you’ll probably want to rent a mechanical aerator to save time and your back. The spike aerators you see online are of little use, as are things like “aerating shoes”. The only aerator that really works is one that removes 1/4″-1/2″ plugs from the soil. Read more about it here and here.

I should also add that when mowing the lawn, I use a composting blade (those grass clippings are a fabulous source of nitrogen) and only cut it about 1/4″ when it’s 3 inches tall, to maintain a nice, thick grass.

I’m now at the point where the lawn is in pretty good shape and remarkably better than when I moved in. It’s not yet perfect, but it’s getting there. A couple more seasons of aerating, spreading composted manure and seeding, and it should be where I want it. Yes, it’s been lots of hard work, but it’s worth it, knowing that kids and pets can play in the yard safely without risk of chemical exposure. I’m also not contributing to the increasing problem of fertlizer runoff in rain storms, boosting the nitrogen levels in our creeks, rivers and streams. Here’s a great article about that problem in Scientific American.

Using chemicals on your lawn or garden fixes symptoms, but doesn’t fix the underlying problem, ever. It also destroys sensitive biological elements in the soil which plants depend on, and upsets the soil ecosystem, which creates opportunities for pests or disease to thrive. Once again, always feed the soil, not the plant .

So try NOT fertilizing this year. Instead, aerate your lawn, spread composted manure and seed it. Your lawn, the earth and your local waterways will be the better for it.