Organic Lawn Care Basics: Convert Your Lawn to Organic in 6 Easy Steps
At Try Backyard Farming, we routinely discuss, in depth, ways to maintain your urban and suburban property using permaculture techniques that work along with nature, rather than trying to fight against it.
And much of what we discuss is converting unused lawn sections and boring landscape features into lush areas capable of growing tons of high-quality organic food and medicine.
But the truth is that we absolutely LOVE lawns as well.
The key is to designate and design-in an area for each thing you want to do on your property, and for many of us, the lawn is a big component to the enjoyment of our front and backyards.
Let’s face it, many of us have become slaves to our sprawling lawns which seemingly require endless mowing, weed control and fertilizer, and so we find too much of our precious evening and weekend time devoted to lawn care.
So the thought of maintaining an all-organic lawn on top of that sounds like a nightmare.
But the truth is that by following these 6 easy steps, maintaining an organic lawn our way is actually much easier and requires much less time than traditional methods.
Benefits of an all organic lawn
Let’s face it, no one wants to spray or spread chemicals on our lawns where our children and pets play. But we incorrectly think that it is a necessary evil to maintain a beautiful lawn.
If I were to outline an easier and cheaper lawn regimen than the one you have today and promised that it would look just as beautiful or more beautiful than the lawn you have today would you try it?
Of course you would. So let’s get to it.
Keys to Organic Lawn Care
Step 1: Mow correctly
If you did nothing else but mow correctly, you could achieve a beautiful organic lawn. You could technically skip the rest of the steps, but they are in place to save you even more time and money and to help you cultivate the nicest lawn in your neighborhood.
Correct mowing tips:
Mow high. Trust me on this one. Your lawn mower needs to be set at 3 to 3.5 inches off of the ground.
Have a very high quality, precision, best in class mower. Our preferred brand by far is Cub Cadet. Full disclosure: I am a paid Cub Cadet brand ambassador because the historic yellow and black machine does not disappoint.
The folks at Cub Cadet are turf freaks and have designed so many subtle tricks into their products, it is mind-blowing. More on that later.
Use the mulching feature on the mower to shred the grass clippings and redistribute them into the lawn.
All Cub Cadet mowers do this. This is your primary source of fertilizer and also helps to retain moisture.
Have a sharp blade. A lightening fast precision cut on the grass blade is what gives it that desired look and feel, and it also prevents disease from creeping in.
You wouldn’t prune an apple tree with a dull hatchet. Think about how the stylist cuts your hair…they lift it and cut it swiftly with very sharp scissors. That’s what a precision lawn mower does.
Step 2: Mow Often
You never want to be in a situation where you cut more than a third of the blade of grass off. So when the lawn gets to 4 inches, you need to mow again.
This is why it pays dividends to have a very high quality mower that is fun to operate and that you are proud to own.
Cub cadet offers a range of machines designed for different yards and personalities. My favorite it actually the SC300E which has a front-wheel drive “MySpeed” drive system. See the below video of me operating this little beauty.
The MySpeed handle is so cool because the mower goes as fast as you walk. If you walk faster the mower goes faster and if you slow down, it slows down. There is no adjustment needed.
The speed control is built into the handle bar. Personally, I like to get a little exercise. It comes with an electric start, although some models offer a one-pull start. For $349 it’s a no brainer for the homeowner with a small to medium sized yard.
Or go big and get the SC700E 4-wheel drive walk behind (yes, 4 wheel drive, and you can engage the front and real wheel drive trains separately or in any combination you wish!).
It’s only $499! It’s the best residential walk behind mower I have ever seen (read:lawn nerd).
Of course for larger yards or different personalities, they also offer exquisite riding mowers that allow you to literally reach under the deck and pull out the blade to sharpen it.
You can also get cool attachments like pull-able wheelbarrows and snow plows. They also have a fascinating steering wheel zero-turn mower with cushioned seat! These larger mowers have Bluetooth!
And it you are willing to pay a little bit more, you can get the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life. The XR3 robotic mower. Take a look at this video and if you aren’t salivating, something must be wrong with you.
Anyway…so far it may sound like the organic lawn isn’t cheaper or easier as promised, since a high-quality mower is involved and we will probably have to mow more often. Keep reading…
Step 3: Stop Weeding, Fertilizing, Watering, and Applying Pest Control
You will not need a spreader, sprinklers, weed&feed, bug killer, etc. Congratulations.
As to watering, healthy tall organic grass sends roots deep into the soil, which because of your mulching practice, is becoming more fertile year after year.
We have an article on improving your soil fertility, but mulch is the key. Mulching retains water.
Dry spells, when it doesn’t rain for a week or two, encourage organic grass plants to send roots even deeper. Let it happen.
As to weeds, they can’t compete in a tall grass environment. They will slowly die off. Weeds like scalped lawns. Weeds like chemical-dependent lawns.
As to pests, Let them do their thing. Nature has a way of counterbalancing things. Birds eat bugs, etc. This is a tenant of permaculture. Only when you step in and try to “over garden” do things get out of whack with regard to pests, bugs, etc.
Step 4: Never Rake Leaves Again
That whole thing in the fall is over. Mow your leaves into the lawn with the mulching feature of your high-quality mower. More fertilizer.
We have a whole article on this so I’ll stop there, but raking is over.
Step 5: Enjoy your lawn
Don’t be alarmed when friends want to take their shoes and socks off and play in your lawn. Enjoy it knowing that it is 100% organic. Spread the word.
Step 6: There is no Step 6
But there are extra tips and tricks if you want to go above and beyond. Plants like grass love natural fertilizer. Buy or get for free some moldy hay from a farmer and lay it out in the lawn and mow/mulch it up with your high quality mower. You’ll be amazed.
Top dress the lawn with compost or composted manure. Mow/mulch it in. See our articles on compost.
Avoid soil compaction. My grandparents used to have parties and allow people to park on the lawn. Maybe don’t do that. You should be able to go into the lawn and easily stick a fork into it.
If you can’t, then the best course of action is to continue to follow these steps, and your lawn will come around. Mulch and mow high, and don’t sweat it. Please share this article if you found it to be helpful, and we love your comments!
Check out these videos from our visit to the Cub Cadet Headquarters in Valley City, Ohio.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cub Cadet. The opinions and text are all mine.
Thanks for reading, and please share this article if you found it helpful.
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