If you want to change
from synthetic chemicals to a less toxic, more natural lawn care
method, here are some suggestions.
Prevention:
The most important way
to prevent weeds is to create a healthy lawn. By having a healthy
lawn you will eliminate the need for most time-consuming weed control
methods. Don't stop reading if your lawn is not healthy; it can
be restored. See Restoring Established
Lawns below.
Consider Accepting
A Few Weeds:
Dandelions are useful.
The flowers are a cheerful sign of spring. They attract ladybugs.
The roots break up hard packed soils. The greens are good to eat
when boiled. The leaves and dried roots make a good herb tea.
Clover has
been a desireable part of lawns for many years, because it stays green
during dry summers long after grass has turned brown. That means less
watering. In addition, its roots harbor an organism that fixes nitrogen,
adding to soil fertility.
The Perfect
Lawn:
If you love
lawns, especially "perfect" lawns, consider having and tending
by hand a small weed free lawn and leaving the surrounding area more
natural. You might plant native plants or groundcovers, or naturalize
the remaining lawn with wildflowers. Then mow the natural area often
enough to prevent weeds from going to seed. To naturalize a lawn with
wildflowers, see http://www.pesticide.org/Siteprep.pdf
Weed Removal:
If you have
more weeds than you like, here are some things you can do:
The
National Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), which
is located in Eugene, Oregon, recommends a variety of tools designed
for removing dandelions and other weeds without backache. Go to page
9 at http://www.pesticide.org/dandelions.pdf
to see pictures and a brief description of each of these tools.
Both Newport
Rental Service And Alsea Bay Power Products rent out a variety of
gardening tools, ranging from little handheld pruners, to tractor
mowers, to flame weeders. Check out our Coastal
Resources page for their addresses and phone numbers.
One experienced gardener
among us uses these methods: Dig small weeds with a table knife and
large weeds with a garden fork. To kill the remaining taproots, she
pours boiling water or a tablespoon of granular nitrogen fertilizer
into the hole, or gives a squirt of Safer's Superfast weed killer
made from coconut oil. She also overseeds the blank spots with grass
seed to prevent weeds.
Hate weeding?
Kneeling not your strong point? Consider hiring this out.
Least Toxic
Lawn Applications:
Corn gluten
meal is a weed inhibitor that can be applied to lawns to prevent dandelion
and other broad-leaved weeds seeds from germinating. See Resources
page for availability.
Beware
of Weed-and-Feed Products:
Any weed-and-feed
product contains synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, usually very
powerful ones such as dicamba, mecoprop, or 2,4-D, an ingredient in
Agent Orange. These products can harm your pets and children, get
tracked into the house and remain in the carpet for years, get washed
into nearby lakes and streams, and kill the organisms beneficial to
the health of your lawn.
Restoring
Established Lawns:
An existing
lawn can be restored to health (if the soil is not shallow hardpan,
and the lawn has less than 50 percent weeds) by mechanical aeration,
thatch removal, overseeding, and topdressing with compost. This process
may take place over several years. For details see http://www.pesticide.org/RestLawn.pdf
Mow frequently
to maintain a healthy lawn. Never cut off more than the top 1/3 of
the grass blades at one time. Mow higher in dry weather, and always
leave the clippings. If they clump, mow over them again to disperse,
or spread with a rake. Mowing higher makes the grass less susceptible
to drought and lessens light for weed growth, allowing fewer dandelions
to germinate.
Water deeply
and less frequently. Use only slow release fertilizers when necessary,
and topdress with compost. Overseed bare spots quickly, so weeds don't
get established.
For more natural
lawn care hints, see http://www.pesticide.org/lawns.pdf
And
just for fun, click here for a little Lawn
Humor!
