Story from the Boston Globe
After six months free from the whir of a four-stroke engine, we'll soon hear that herald of spring, the lawnmower. With it comes thoughts of lawn-care programs, watering regimens, and glances over the fence to see if the grass really is greener.These days, thanks to the growing demand and interest in all things organic, homeowners are rethinking their lawns. Eco-sensitive natural lawn care is, increasingly, in. Conventional chemicals are out. But it's not just that a natural lawn is better for the environment, kids, and pets. In the long run, it's also cheaper, according to Paul Tukey, a spokesman for SafeLawns.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes natural lawn care.
Turns out, a natural lawn maintenance program creates a lush lawn that is more drought resistant, meaning that owners save money by watering less, and mowing frequency also drops by about 50 percent, he added.
"Even if the organic fertilizer in the first transition year might cost you a little more, when you add up the mowing and water savings plus the gas and electricity to run the pumps and motors, you actually do begin to save money," Tukey said. But here's the real question: How does it look? The short answer is pretty good - if you're willing to wait a season or two.
"It's not a miracle, it's a transition," says Peter Mahoney of Mahoney's Garden Centers and the new Mahoney's Safe Lawns and Landscapes natural lawn maintenance company. The 50-year-old family-run garden center recently joined the Safe Lawns franchise system to provide organic lawn care services in Winchester, Woburn, and Tewksbury.
The goal is to develop a dense lawn and that will take some time to create, especially if the lawn has been treated by conventional means for many years.
"It's a gradual improvement," Mahoney said. "It's about developing a thick lawn, because in a thick lawn you're not going to have the weeds, pests, and diseases."
THE TURF BATTLE
The drive for the perfectly weed-free American lawn can be traced back to 1967, Tukey said, when the Masters Golf Tournament was first broadcast in color, and Augusta National Golf Club sparkled like an emerald on televisions nationwide. Before what has been termed "the Augusta Syndrome," American lawns were peppered with "weeds" and homeowners expected it to be that way.
Of course some of those so-called weeds weren't so bad. Clover actually benefits the grass it knocks elbows with, as it fixes nitrogen from the air and makes it available to the plants around it. And true weeds, Tukey added, are Mother Nature's messengers telling us about the soil.
"The only real way to get rid of those weeds," he said, "is to get rid of the soil conditions that make those weeds want to grow, and to modify the soil so that grass does want to grow."
Scientists are doing their part to help homeowners use organic lawn care without having to rely on conventional chemicals. Grass strains such as "low-grow" and "no-grow" mixes have been developed that are naturally shorter, thicker, and more drought resistant.
Michael Sullivan, former professor of turf grass science at the University of Rhode Island and the current director of that state's Department of Environmental Management, says these low-growing grasses get the job done, although they do recover less quickly from the damage doled out by an active family.
Sullivan adds that homeowners can find lots of "green" lawn seed options now. "You don't even have to turn to current science," he said. The first step is the right plant for your need. Sullivan promotes the concept of prescriptive vegetation, or planting based on the lawn's use. Grasses such as fine-leafed fescues naturally require less water and fewer nutrients, and have deeper root systems than perennial rye grass and bluegrass. Fine-leafed fescues, then, would be a good choice for homeowners looking to trim water and fertilizer use.
LAWN CARE BASICS
Before transitioning to a natural or organic lawn care regimen, homeowners need to know some basics. You'll also need patience. Depending on the initial condition of the lawn, the transition from a conventional to a proper organic lawn can take from one to three or more years. Lawns with a healthy soil profile and a solid base of loam of four- to seven-inches deep, can transition to an organic lawn with little change in its appearance in just one growing season.
1. To start with, the soil in an organic system has to be alive to work properly. Repeated applications of chemical fertilizers kill the microorganisms that live in the soil and break down organic matter into the nutrients grass plants require. A lawn's microbial population must be reestablished. Compost and compost tea, which naturally contain these microorganisms, can help replenish those population levels.
2. A soil test is necessary to determine your soil's pH and its subsequent nutrient requirements. Also, determine what type of soil you have (Loam? Hardpan clay?) and how much of it. If you have to improve your soil conditions, you can begin a full-scale renovation right away, or slowly transition your soil profile by raking in one-half inch of compost through the entire lawn twice the first year. This added compost will increase the soil's water holding capacity and add nutrients.
3. Water your lawn deeply (one inch of water) and infrequently (once per week). This encourages roots to grow deep into the ground.
4. Grass clippings are good for the lawn. An Ohio State University study showed that 50 percent of your lawn's fertilizer is returned to the soil when grass clippings are left to biodegrade back into the soil, Tukey said. If you haven't mowed your lawn in a while, it's fine to remove those unsightly clumps and place into a compost pile.
5. Maintain your lawn's height at 3 inches. This is slightly shaggier than today's conventional 2 to 2 1/2 inch lawn. The taller grass shades the soil beneath. In early spring, this shade prevents the seeds of crabgrass and other weeds from germinating. Also, a 3 inch or taller lawn in summer prevents the lawn from drying as quickly as a shorter lawn.
LESS IS MORE
Bruce Wenning, a horticulturist at the Country Club in Chestnut Hill, former Massachusetts Audubon grounds manager, and a board member of the Ecological Landscape Association, suggests homeowners keep their transition to an organic lawn as simple as possible.
"I've known people to put a lot of organic compounds on a lawn, mimicking what a chemical lawn services company would do," Wenning says. "You're not getting any better lawn [with the additional amendments] in my opinion, so beware being sold too many organic products the first year."
What if you're interested in going greener, but you're not quite ready to go all natural when it comes to your lawn? Wenning said you can ease into it.
"Some may want to take the organic approach, but just can't stand the weeds" already present in their lawn, he said. In that case, it's possible in early spring to apply a conventional pre-emergent weed killer to suppress new weed growth, and to proceed organically from that point.
"It's not really organic, but an integrated approach where you have the choice to use the chemical if you'd like," Wenning said. Think of it as a baby step toward a truly organic lawn.
