The Grass is Greener When it's Organic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
There are people who don't give a damn about the environment (or don't believe the environmentalists) and just want a perfect lawn. "I don't want those weeds -- that's the bottom line," says a woman who doses her garden with herbicides three times a year and doesn't like the trend of neighbours telling her what she can do on her own property. The alternative, going organic is a lot of work and it is not perfect: "We used to accept a few weeds," says Jay Feldman, director of Beyond Pesticides, a nonprofit group that runs the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns. Now, uniform swaths of green, weedless grass are the standard. The rise of pesticides, says Mr. Feldman, "redefined our aesthetics."
Wall Street Journal reporter Gwendolyn Bounds spent the last year converting to organic gardening and ended up with the greenest, lushest lawn on her block. (instructions below) She describes the conflicts across the nation: "As the organic lawn movement grows, so are tensions in some communities. The latest front is over whether lawn-care methods are the horticultural equivalent of secondhand smoke: a choice that affects the whole community." ::Wall Street Journal
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Holy cr*p, that 'before and after' picture shows two photos that are clearly different times of the year. The bushes and trees in the background of the 'before' picture appear to be dormant, like it's fall or winter. Those kind of mistakes really affect the credibility of your site. Keep 'em out!
LA: the photograph is taken directly from the
wall street journal.
Interesting article. For those with ant problems, I've read that dried molasses, sprinkled or hyrdated and sprayed, works great to repel fire ants. You can buy it in bulk through nurseries, or cheaper through feed stores.
BTW, the before/after pictures at the top of this post is very misleading. Clearly they were taken at different times of the year. Based on the forest in the background, the first appears to be autumn and the second in spring. Not a fair comparison.
While I think this is a great idea and is perfect for many people who just want a plain-ole green lawn, why not take this a step further? Green lawns are not suited to every climate and the more effort you have to invest in it the less likely it seems to be natural. Why not experiment with small patches of wildflowers or other native plants to supplement (or replace) green lawns?
Regardless, I think the best advice offered here is the mowing less frequently -- most mowers (at least the ones we use around here) are noisy and pollutant-heavy. But there is a larger issue here that many counties have ordinances that would actually prevent a more native look -- the beautiful wild (tall) grasses that grow here in Wisconsin are probably considered "eyesores" by those who make ordinances. Or even something as simple as mowing less frequently.
Perhaps its time to poke a little at what makes a yard a yard and what is "acceptable" to the public eye.
Aeration is key. Poke the bare areas of your lawn with a pitchfork and wiggle it a bit. That really brings air and water to the rootlets. Also great for getting out aggressions! I also rake up pine needles, which are very acidic.
And elbow grease. I got one of those groundhog weed puller things at Home Depot. Pulled every dandelion I could over the span of a week in the spring. All gone, none left, enjoy summer.
Make delicious dandelion green salads!
If your still using a gas mower, you arn't as green as you can be. Reel mowers take no more energy on your part to use (although they may be a bit slower), and cut the lawn, as opposed to shredding it. Or at least use an electric one.
Was with you up to the mowing part. Can you still call the lawn organic if you're blowing exhaust from a two-stroke engine across it every weekend? Then again, I think mowing a lawn is just a flat-out waste of time -- I really couldn't care less whether my neighbors think it looks good. Why not just go with a no-mow variety of grass?
instead of geass try planting exclusivly clover. Clover smells nice and does not have to be watered, mowed or fertillized . It will remain green even in th hottest weather. I'm going to plant clover on my place next year, after we finish building the house.
why water lawns at all!!! Almost nobody waters the grass down here in SW France - it would be considered incredibly wasteful! The grass is green and lush in spring, dries down to brownish patches in the summer and comes back again in the autumn - it's a natural cycle... Though of course you probably read about the 70 year old women in Utah arrested by the police for not watering her lawn?!?!?! What gives there?
2-stoke mower? Haven't seen one of those in years, who uses them anymore? Even a 4-stroke that's only a year old without the new style catalytic converter is a dirt bomb, but it is infinitely cleaner than some ancient 2-stroke.
You do have to mow before grass goes to seed or your lawn gets all out of whack.
With this basic method, for the past few years, I only have to mow every 2-weeks at the height of the growing season. That is much less frequent than the typical lawn. Here is the guy who originally came up with all this:
http://www.richsoil.com/lawn/index.jsp
I learned about that link here, maybe 2 years ago?
How dare you post this article.
Right in the steps the last steps clearly state he replanted his lawn.
This makes this whole article false. Please read before you post something.
"A smooth green lawn..... ecologically is a desert. lawns have little to offer insects and other wildlife, constant mowing and sprinkling use up valuable fuel and water resources....go native and uncut for a summer, this will be a place for many wild creatures to find a home.." New Country Gardens, A plant lovers Paradise, authors, Elspeth Thompson, Melanie Eclare ISBN 1-84172-878-0, published by Ryland Peters,
"A smooth green lawn..... ecologically is a desert. lawns have little to offer insects and other wildlife, constant mowing and sprinkling use up valuable fuel and water resources....go native and uncut for a summer, this will be a place for many wild creatures to find a home.." New Country Gardens, A plant lovers Paradise, authors, Elspeth Thompson, Melanie Eclare ISBN 1-84172-878-0, published by Ryland Peters,
Hey Tom, yea I noticed that too. But it does not detract from the basic information on how to keep a low impact lawn. Starting from scratch makes it easier to maintain. Getting an old lawn up to the task is a bit more difficult. I know, because I had to bring mine up to snuff.
Still, the best guide is the one I mentioned before:
http://www.richsoil.com/lawn/index.jsp
Hmmmm....if the point is that organic lawns don't work, than the before picture is not humbug. Of course, I see poison lawns that are quite beautiful, but they're carefully maintained. IF organic lawns require less maintenance to stay beautufil than non-organic lawns, these pictures are not misleading at all.