Organic Lawn
My Husband and I moved to our small Colorado farm last fall after living nearly 25 years without the responsibility of a lawn.
We have always enjoyed going to parks with our dog to hang out and play in the grass. So we feel blessed to have a large grassy area of our own now. The only problem is that we don’t know much about caring for a lawn.
So starting with the knowledge that good soil is crucial to growing healthy organic plants and that lawns need watering and mowing, I did a few internet searches and found these websites:
• Everything.com
• The CSU Extension Office
• RichSoil.com
This is what I learned:
• Turf generally needs 1 - 1 ½ inches of water per week.
• Water deeply and infrequently – which means watering once per week to a soil depth of 6 inches. If the soil is very sandy or heavy clay then split the amount and water twice per week.
• The best time to water is when it is cooler, more humid and less windy. Sunrise, between 8 and 9am or between 10pm and Midnight are typically the best times to water.
• If you walk across your lawn and the footprints remain, then the lawn is thirsty.
• Shallow and too frequent watering promotes weed growth such as dandelions.
• Dandelions are also a sign of alkaline soil.
• Grass can only get nitrogen through the soil. So, if clover is present then the soil is poor in nitrogen.
• Grass should have at least 6 hours of sunshine per day.
• Mowing to a height of 2 -3 inches is best. Shorter grass can result in decreased drought tolerance.
• Sharp mower blades make cleaner cuts which reduces risk of disease.
• Sharpen mower blades about every 4th mowing
• Leaving grass clippings on the lawn does not typically contribute to thatch but thatch should not be thicker than ½ inch.
• Aerating is good for a lawn
• Add an inch of compost in the fall.
• All areas of the lawn and soil are not the same so check different areas for health and moisture.
• When weeding, always start in the same place. So the weeds to not have an opportunity to take over the previously weeded area.
With my new-found knowledge, I took a walk around our lawn and observed the following:
• Thin areas.
• Dog spots.
• Some areas have a lot of thatch.
• Weeds, dandelions, clover and broad grasses.
• The grass is a thin, very dark green blade that has invaded the strawberry patch.
• We don’t know how the sellers maintained the lawn.
• The lawn seems to be holding moisture well.
What this means for us:
We have been directing our dog to a specific location in the corner of our lot which will help to prevent the dead spots in the future, but the existing ones will need to be reseeded.
I think the grass is a Blue Grass variety, but I may take a sample to a garden store or County Extension Office to get a more educated opinion before we buy any seed.
We will power rake and aerate the lawn which should allow more oxygen and water to reach the roots of the grass. Then we will re-seed the thin, bald and weedy spots and finally cover the entire lawn with manure. The organic matter should help to neutralize the soil as well as increase the Nitrogen content. I’m also hoping it will discourage the birds from eating all of the fresh grass seed.
Since we have 11 alpacas, we will use alpaca manure on our lawn.
Often times, farms and stables will let you have their manure if you load and haul it yourself. My sister and brother-in-law live near a horse stable and swear that free manure is the best manure. They just compost it before they put it on any green plants.
Once all of this work is done, we will embark upon a methodic weeding regimen and most likely aerate and spread manure again in the fall.
I’m hoping that next spring we have fewer weeds along with a lush green lawn that is perfect for lounging on.
Kathryn Ray and her husband returned to Colorado in 2009 to follow their dream of living a more rural life. At home, Kathryn is a breeder and shearer of alpacas and aspiring textile producer. At work, she is an IT project manager and business process developer. Kathryn writes at Kathryn’s Brain. http://kathrynsbrain.blogspot.com/
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