The debate rages on. Should you pay a “lawn care” company to spray potentially harmful chemicals on my lawn to control weeds and keep it green, or take a simpler, natural approach? Some think that chemicals are the only way to have a great looking lawn, but by the time you finish reading you will see that by taking an organic approach to lawn care, you can save money and the environment at the same time!

Most people enjoy having a nice looking, well maintained lawn that is free of weeds. They want it to appear healthy, green, and vibrant, and that’s entirely understandable. A beautiful lawn brings peace and beauty to your little corner of the world. The problem is that most people think they need to apply pesticides to accomplish this. They have been duped by the chemically-inclined lawn companies into believing that it’s the only way to have a great looking lawn. In fact, if you are relying on synthetic chemicals and fertilizer to make your look good, you are actually paying more money to degrade the health of your lawn! Hard to believe, but true. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens.

Your lawn is a small ecosystem in itself. When you apply synthetic chemicals to the lawn you are disrupting the natural cycle, and you begin to create an illusion of health that you must continue to pay to maintain. By maintaining your lawn in a more natural manner, you not only improve the real health of your lawn, you also reduce the amount of pesticides released into the environment. Not all of the pesticides you or your lawn company apply stay in your yard. In fact, most of these pesticides are washed out by rain or irrigation directly into our groundwater, rivers, and oceans. This excessive release of pesticides into the environment produces wide ranging negative effects on plants, animals, aquifers, and reservoirs. Have you seen the little signs they place in a lawn after a chemical application warning people and pets to keep off? They are there for a reason! You, your children, and pets all walk through the grass. You get these pesticides on you feet and bring them in the house. Your dog rolls around in and eats the grass, then brings the chemicals in your home as well. The long term detrimental effect of pesticides on your health is thoroughly documented, yet for some reason ignored by many. The only benefit there is to applying chemicals to your lawn is the aforementioned illusion of a healthy, green, weed-free lawn. In reality, the lawn is chemically dependent in the truest sense. If you stop your chemical treatment abruptly you would see a dramatic decline in the health of your lawn.

The reason for this is simple. When you apply pesticides to your lawn, not only do you kill the weeds in the lawn, you kill the beneficial microbes in the soil and on the grass itself. The lawn needs these microbes to break down organic matter such as grass clippings, and to defend itself from harmful fungi, mold, and other disease. Without these beneficial microbes, your lawn cannot break down this detritus and instead it accumulates in the lawn. This is why so many chemically dependant lawns need thatching once or twice a year to remove organic build-up. Otherwise, the clippings and other organic debris will accumulate, causing dead spots in the lawn, which are ugly and must be addressed. These same microbes also protect the lawn from disease causing organisms such as mold and fungus. A lack of these microbes makes your lawn much more susceptible to disease. To fix the problem you then call your lawn care company, who applies more pesticides and chemicals, and the unnatural maintenance cycle created by these lawn service companies continues.

Most chemically inclined lawn care companies will also apply your fertilizer for you, anywhere from 4-8 times per year. Usually this fertilizer is very high in nitrogen, which your lawn utilizes for blade growth. This is what causes your lawn to grow a foot high each week. The lawn therefore puts most of its energy into blade growth and less into root growth. This weakens the lawn by keeping the roots close to the surface. They can’t tap deep into the soil for water and are more susceptible to drought and high temperatures. Can you now see how you have been tricked into thinking you need these chemicals to maintain your lawn? Hopefully you will, and you will decide to break out of this expensive and synthetic lawn care regime. It’s easier than you think to do so, and it will save you money and help the environment as well.

The alternative to chemicals and pesticides is simply a return to nature. Make your mind up to change to a more natural approach and you will see the benefits almost immediately. First, you will notice that you are paying less to care for your lawn, and you will also see that it is less hassle and more enjoyable to go natural. Also, you will have the added peace of mind that comes with doing what is best for your health and the environment. There is a trade-off to a natural approach that we’ll look at next.

The main trade-off to going natural is that there will be a few more weeds in your lawn. This is unavoidable. Just accept it, it’s the natural order of things! To keep the weeds under control you have a few environmentally friendlier options than chemicals. One of the best things you can do is to mow your lawn at your mower’s highest setting. Cut it high and often, and you tip the scales in favor of the grass by decreasing the amount of sunlight that reaches the lower growing weed seedlings and sprouts, making it easier for the lawn to crowd out the weeds and instead flourish. It also helps prevent the weeds from going to seed and reproducing. Leave the clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them, your lawn gets more than 25% of the nutrients it needs just from decomposing grass clipping alone.

Yearly seeding is an essential part of organic lawn care if you want to have the least amount of weeds. You can seed your lawn with a slit-seeding machine, or with a broadcast/drop spreader soon after aeration. The more grass that is growing, the harder it is for weeds to get a foothold in your lawn. Don’t underestimate the importance of over-seeding, it’s one of the best things you can do to any lawn, especially a natural one! Make sure to use grass seed appropriate for you lawn and climate.

Another organic weed control method is the application of organic corn gluten meal (CGM) in the spring to kill the weed seedlings as they sprout. CGM works by dehydrating the seedlings and therefore killing them. It is 100% organic and safe, but should not be applied at the same time you are trying to grow new grass, as it will kill the grass seedlings as well. It will not harm mature grass, the environment, or you and your pets, and is also a great fertilizer on its own, so use it!

Proper watering is another procedure that is overlooked by misinformed people, who have been taught that the more you water the better it is for your lawn. In fact, over-watering is very detrimental. By over-watering, the grass has no reason to send roots deeper into the soil for water because it gets all it needs right there close to the surface. As a result, you lawn will be very stressed in times of heat and drought, and become more susceptible to disease, moss, and mold. You should only water about once a week with about 1-2 inches of water. Place a cup in your watering area to measure how much water you are putting down.

Applying the right amount of fertilizer each season is also very important. “But with my chemical lawn company my lawn is bright green and grows a foot a week! Isn’t that healthy?” The answer is no, it’s just not normal! A really healthy lawn will be a deeper shade of green (depending on the type of grass it is) and should grow at about 3-5 inches a week during optimal growing conditions. It is also denser, and more drought and disease resistant than a chemically dependent lawn. You should apply a balanced, low nitrogen fertilizer once or twice a year, in the spring and fall. A healthy lawn will gain most other nutrients from the breakdown of grass clippings and other organic matter, while a chemically dependant lawn cannot utilize the nutrients due to a lack of microbes and beneficial fungi.

If your lawn is small you may also consider removing weeds by hand. This is not fun but it is more effective than pesticides, especially on the dreaded dandelion, because 80-90% of weeds removed properly by hand do not come back! This approach is not for everybody but it works. It really isn’t necessary if you mow high and often, water and fertilize properly, and seed your lawn every year.

As you can see, caring for your lawn in a more natural manner will save you money, and help the environment. If you can live with just a few more weeds in your yard (and a few extra bucks in your wallet), then you can cancel your next chemical application and get back to nature!