Lawn Care Without Pesticides: How to Have a Safe, Healthy Lawn
by Beth Fiteni, MSEL • Long Island, NY

With dreams of warm spring days approaching, it’s a great time to head outdoors and enjoy nature in your own back yard. Every homeowner wants a green lawn, but many people have become aware of the harm caused by chemical pesticides typically used to achieve that aesthetic. The good news is that you can have a healthy lawn the natural way. Many new “green” products are available and gone are the days when
synthetic pesticides were the only option.

Organic lawn care is based on a set of strategies that work with nature to create ecological balance, rather than interfering with natural processes that keep pests in check. Did you know that one teaspoon of organic soil supports the life of literally
billions of microbes? These microbes make soil nutrients more available to plant roots, control fungal diseases, and help break down thatch, a common problem on chemically treated lawns. That’s because when we apply pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers, we kill off these beneficial soil friends. Even earthworms do our lawn an important service by aerating the soil and fertilizing it with their castings.

Going organic doesn’t mean just doing nothing; it is a bit of effort, but it’s worth it for your health and the health of the planet. Many lawn pesticides have well-documented adverse health effects such
as neurological disruption, reproductive damage, and even cancer risks. Some pesticide residues leach into groundwater. Children are especially vulnerable to the health risks, because they play on lawns, and also because of their size. Even a small amount of a chemical can cause long term damage, because their developing bodies are less able to filter out toxins. Birds, fish, and beneficial insects such as ladybugs can also be harmed by pesticides in the yard. Birds help us control insects so we want to attract them to the lawn, not reduce them. Here’s how you get started:

Good Maintenance Practices

Start by using the right grass seed for this region; tall fescue blend is usually best. A fundamental part of proper maintenance is mowing high (at about 3") so that grass can grow a deeper, stronger root system and will shade out weed seeds. Leave the clippings to naturally return nitrogen to the soil. Water infrequently but deeply, to encourage deep root growth. Light watering encourages roots to grow shallow, and watering too often can encourage fungal disease. Soils rich in organic matter are better able to hold water.

Promoting Soil Life

Compost is key to any organic lawn, because it adds the essential ingredients of micro-organisms and organic matter. It is available inexpensively through town composting programs. A second key is organic fertilizer. The importance of organic versus conventional fertilizers is that they release nitrogen slowly — chemical fertilizers quickly release more than is necessary, so much runs off. Look for bags with low “N-P-K” ratios such as 8-2-4, which refer to the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Soil Amendments

Soil amendments such as rock dust add trace elements to your soil. Kelp extract adds vitamins, plant growth hormones, and minerals that boost plant vitality and helps your lawn fend off mid-summer stresses. Always balance pH —use a pelletized, calcitic lime to reduce soil acidity. Testing your soil can help you save money on products your soil may not need, and inexpensive pH test kits can be purchased at local garden stores.

Organic Pest Control

Got pesky weeds? Well, there’s hope — corn gluten is an effective natural weed seed killer when applied very early in the spring (just as the forsythia buds start to bloom), and can be spread in a regular spreader. (Wait about 6 weeks before putting down grass seeds after applying corn gluten.) It also contains nitrogen which feeds your turf. Weed patches can be pulled and then covered with a mixture of grass seed and compost so that new turf will out-compete returning weeds.

Some other innovative products that help rid your yard of pests include garlic oil, which repels nuisance mosquitoes when sprayed around the perimeter of the yard. Several brands of garlic formulations are available in stores. You may smell it for about a day, but the mosquitoes will smell it for two to four weeks! Vegetable based horticultural oils help control soft-bodied pests, and hot pepper wax repels a variety of insects from your flowers and vegetables. Sounds like we can make an Italian salad out of your yard!

So, now you are an organic lawn expert. Even if you hire a landscaper, you can now speak knowledgably and ask important questions. For any homeowner not convinced that they can do it themselves, a list of local organic landscapers is available through neighborhood-network.org.

Beth Fiteni is the Program Director for Neighborhood Network. Call 631-963-5454 to obtain more information about organic lawn care or a list of organic landscapers.