Organic Lawn 2

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Organic Lawn Design - Part 2

Learn About Organic Design And Care For Your Eco-Friendly Lawn

Organic Lawn Mole Control

Moles are attracted to grubs that feed off the roots of our grass. How do you know is you have grubs? Here are a few clues. Ever notice moths skimming over the surface of your lawn, especially in the morning? Those moths are the grubs in the mature stage. Have brown rings in your lawn? Grub damage for sure.

Mole Damage

Mole Damage - Handle It In True Organic Lawn Fashion


Grubs are the primary food for moles and moles will carve up your land with an incredible vigor if you have grubs. The way most people handle grub control is by the use of products that have Diazinon as the poisoning ingredient - look at the package.
DON'T BUY THIS POISON!. It will get rid of your moles and your grub problem but it will also kill all of your song birds and weaken the immune systems of you and your family members in the process. Use the safe, organic method on your organic lawn.

"Milky Spore": This stuff is magic. It's totally organic, I mean you could almost eat this stuff (don't try it though). Here is what you do... If you have any of the above conditions, or if you have any mole activity do this:

Spread Milky Spore on your lawn with their tube applicator which is just a cardboard tube that dispenses a measured amount of the compound on the lawn when you tap it on the ground. They usually recommend you place it in a 36" square pattern of dots on your lawn. Just take big paces and at each pace, slam it onto the grass.

How it works: The milky spore is a naturally occurring bacteria that happens to paralyze the digestive tract of the grub and kills them. As the grubs die the bacteria spreads millions of spores and eventually covers all areas of your lawn.
Again, don't expect instant results and be patient. It takes several (like 6) weeks to a few months to work. If you have severe mole problems, spread it on in the early spring for results by mid-summer, with total control by the next growing season.
It appears to be more expensive than the poison, but it's not. Once it's applied properly, it will last from 6 to 10 full years and possibly longer. I use it all the time and haven't had a mole or grub in my lawn for 30 years. Now That's a true organ lawn!

Having Problems With Weeds?
Again, most people typically go to their local garden center or super-store and pick up that good-old bag of "weed and feed". Look at the package --- Yuck! Are you really spreading that stuff on your lawn where your kids play, eat grass blades, dogs and cats roll on that stuff? The secret is easy.
Hit weeds hard in the spring and do it naturally with a natural pre-merge that I have found. It is called Corn Gluten and is available at any well-stocked nursery center, farm and garden center, or even some of the big box stores.
Some of the commercially available pre-merge is also Corn Gluten - again read the ingredients to be sure. Another plus of this stuff is that it is a fertilizer for your organic lawn and landscape beds as well.

Another thing about weeds is that they need sun to grow. Ever notice that you hardly have any weeds in the shady part of your yard, but in the sun - Wow! This would be another reason for having a long, thick organic lawn. The longer blades of grass also shade the weed seed from germinating.

Lawn Mower

Cut Down Your Mowing Time For An Organic Lawn

Keep Your Lawn Mowing To A Minimum.

I don't know about you, but the fun of getting out and mowing your yard that first few times in the spring wears off pretty quickly and the enthusiasm that the kids have to help wears off even quicker. Therefore, the easy-mow lawn is a plan you may want to implement. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

If you plan on re-designing your lawn, design it in such a way so there is little or no grass trimming at any beds, structures etc.. Also, design sweeping curves that allow you to mow without stopping and minimizing your turning. Don't laugh now because it really works. I have 25,000 square feet of manicured lawn and I can cut it in 23 minutes.

Ok I DO have a 48 mower deck but that is even the more reason to minimize square corners, tight turns and trimming up against buildings, beds etc. Another side benefit? I use a lot less gas, not to mention the time and energy spent by me. Heck, I'd rather play golf, go fishing, walk or ride my bike than spend 2 hours on my lawn. Thing is - my lawn looks fabulous!

How to change your square lawn into this sweeping organic lawn of beauty, with lots of curves, beds and landscaping? That is something we will discuss in the landscape bed design. We will cover installation of a bed in an existing lawn area and all the steps necessary to do it.

So now we know we have to have lots of curves and no square corners. What about the trees in the lawn and structures? Whether it's a single tree, or multiple trees close together, place a landscape bed around the tree(s), being careful of the radius so you can follow the bed and allow a slight overhang, of the mower deck over the bed to eliminate trimming.

Utilize the same design method with structures, including your home foundation. Place beds surrounding your home in a sweeping and rolling pattern so you can easily mow and trim at the same time.

Lawn Edging

Lawn Edging Gives A Nice Crisp Edge To Your Landscape

Another Organic Lawn Tip - To Edge or Not to Edge.

Should you have a lawn edge that separates your lawn area from your landscape beds? That is a personal preference. There are many options available from the Diamond flexible plastic edging to aluminum sheets, poured concrete and pavers.

I didn't use an edge at all. What I do is use a small rear-tine Troy-Bilt Roto-Tiller and till around the entire lawn edge. When I'm done, it gives the lawn a very nice crisp look because the Troy-Bilt cuts the turf almost like a knife and the resulting tilled "path" consists of dark, fluffy-looking soil that is nicely contrasted with the emerald lawn and mulched planting beds. I treat the lawn about 4 times a year and it only takes me about 1/2 hour each time.

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