Natural Green Lawn

I hope you guys have figured out by now that our main goal in having a natural green lawn is to have a thick lawn. That is because a thick turf structure will pretty much resist anything that attacks it – including weeds, insects, disease/fungus and weather conditions.

Now, I know what you are thinking “Yeah, but that takes a lot of work and time to get my lawn so thick that it can resist weeds and such.”

And you’d be right to some extent, but the truth is that it’s not really THAT much work. I mean, seriously guys, how much time do you really spend in your lawn anyway? No matter what you do, you have to cut it every week right? But if you cut it the way I tell you to, you can work to get it thicker anyway.

Cut Tall – Yes, Cut Tall

So tip #1 in getting your lawn thicker: Cut tall all year and mulch the clippings. And when I say “cut tall” I mean 3.5 or 4″ tall. Put that mower all the way to the top. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the look. And mulch those clippings so you return natural nutrients to the soil.

Feed The Soil – Feed The Lawn

Fertilizer is not lawn food. I know that I say “feed your lawn” but that is really a generic reference. In reality, fertilizer puts nutrients into the soil that support the growth of the lawn. When we use natural/organic fertilizers, we are actually building the soil first, and in turn, strengthening the lawn.

The healthier the soil, the thicker the lawn – simple.

This is why I recommend fertilizing with Milorganite and Ringer lawn fertilizers, as well as mulching lawn clippings. If you need an initial boost for our lawn, you can follow the next tip. (get my lawn care book too).

Learn To Grow Grass Seed

If you are making the commitment to have a natural lawn, then you also need to learn to grow grass seed. We want to get the lawn thicker and adding fresh grass seed every year is a necessity. You want to add in the seed after you perform our next step…

Aerate In Spring And Fall

Aeration is the process whereby a machine is taken across he lawn and plugs are pulled up and deposited on top. Aerating does quite a few things including: breaking down thatch, relieving compaction in the soil, increasing soil bio activity and helping air, water and nutrients get into the root zone. You can rent an aerator or hire out this task but you gotta do it in SPRING and in the FALL without FAIL!

These are the basics. I know you think this is a lot, but really, it’s about 15 hours a year (not including the mowing). And trust me, it’s worth it to spend 15 hours each year performing these simple tasks. The results will come slowly over time, but your patience and persistence will pay off.

 

I have been using Milorganite for several years now for my own lawn, and also for customer properties and I can tell you that it works well and brings great results.

Milorganite is pretty much processed sewer sludge. Yeah, it’s human poop… a bio-solid organic fertilizer. Some of you won’t like that… but when you get it in the bag, it is just dark gray granulars with a slight musky scent – no worse than any other garden odor.

So let’s get away from what Milorganite “is” and get to what Milorganite “does” – cuz that is what really matters.

Milorganite Contains Nitrogen

Nitrogen is the primary element that supports healthy turf growth and color. If you want a “green lawn,” then nitrogen is your friend. The good news with Milorgnite is that it won’t over-push the to growth of the grass. What I mean is that too much nitrogen will actually make your lawn grow too fast and cause it to thin out over time. I usually see this happen when synthetic fertilizers are used on a lawn in excess of labeling recommendations.

however, with Milorganite, you don’t run the risk of applying too much nitrogen, and in turn, there is no chance of burning the lawn either.

Milorganite Contains Iron Too

Iron is a micro-nutrient that directly supports plant photosynthesis. As you will recall from your high school science class, photosynthesis is the process whereby plants (including grass!) make their own food. The food the plants make (sugars) go to making more and more leaves and roots and so on.

Iron is important, but it has to be in a state that it can be utilized. Oftentimes iron gets bound up in soil and is useless to grass plants. however, the iron in Milorganite is “chelated” which basically means it is immediately available to the plant. Bonus!

Of course, for me and you, we want iron in our lawns because it makes the grass a nice deep-blue-green color that will set us apart!

So if you are looking for a top notch natural fertilizer product that will produce excellent results, I HIGHLY recommend Milorganite. I use it on my lawn, and just love the results.