Maintaining an organic lawn can be a lot of work, but there are some ways to make the job easier. There are many reasons why you should go organic in your Lawn Care Belleville IL regime. Here is how to maintain an organic lawn.
Step 1 – Prepare the Soil
To have a lawn that looks good, you need first to prepare the soil. Use a lawn aerator before seeding or overseeding your lawn. You can rent this machine at almost any equipment rental store. A lawn aerator lets air and water reach the roots of grass plants for better growing conditions. It also removes cores of soil from lawns allowing seeds to get the ground more quickly. Using an aerator will also decrease thatch compacted dirt on top of your lawn, reducing all growth potential by blocking out sunlight, water, and air.
The best time to use an aerator is in October, after all, the danger of frost has passed, but it can be used throughout the year. Aerating lawns in the fall is very beneficial for lawn health and will help lawns get through winter with minimal issues.
Step 2 – Fertilizing lawns.
Lawn fertilizer is not 100% necessary for lawn health, but it will help maintain its appearance if used correctly. Many people use lawn fertilizers because lawn fertilizers come in different varieties designed to treat specific lawn issues. For example, some lawn fertilizers are designed to increase the green color of lawns, while others are designed to control weeds. Lawn fertilizers can be very beneficial when used correctly. It’s also important to note that unless your soil is impoverished, you shouldn’t need more than two applications of fertilizer per year – one in March or April and another in September or October.
Step 3 – Weeding
Weed seeds are probably the most terrible things you can introduce to your lawn. Weeds will often increase and ruin the appearance of your lawn within a short period. There are many different types of weed seeds, but most lawn weeds germinate in the spring. Take the time to pull out any weed carefully you find before it becomes too much of a problem. The best way to pull out lawn weeds is by hand – never try to use a weed whacker or lawn mower because these tools can damage your lawn’s roots and cause significant problems down the road.
Step 4 – Aerating
Aerating lawns is an excellent way for homeowners with dense soil conditions to improve their lawns from year to year. Lawn aeration is an easy process involving core lawn aerators making small holes all over lawns, allowing air, water, and fertilizer to reach lawn roots more efficiently. Scheduling lawn aeration treatments in the fall is essential when lawns are beginning to slow down for winter.
Step 5 – Feeding
There are lawn fertilizers that will help lawns get through the fall and winter months. These lawn fertilizers are high in potassium, which lawn roots need to function properly all year long. It is only essential to feed lawns during their active growing season; therefore, spring and summer lawn feedings should be skipped. A good rule of thumb is to only fertilize lawns four times per year at most, with spring feeding being the most important feeding of the year.
Step 6 – Dethatching
Dethatching lawns can seem like an awful job; however, it’s very beneficial for lawn root growth. Lawn dethatching improves lawn grass seed germination by removing thatch layers that can prevent necessary seed-to-soil contact. Lawn dethatching also allows lawn fertilizer to get to lawn grass roots faster and more efficiently, which helps lawn grass seed germination in the spring. Dethatching is best done in spring, right before lawn fertilizing.
Step 7 – Mowing lawns at the correct height
When mowing lawns at the correct height, lawn specimens appear healthy and grow longer; therefore, they require less frequent mowings. If lawn grasses are cut too short, they will wilt, produce a brown cast due to lack of chlorophyll (plant green pigment) production, and increase water loss from leaves that occur when lawn grass blades are not shaded by taller blades growing above them.
All of these steps will help your lawn stay beautiful and save you time, effort, and money.