Look it's easy - you have been completely marketed, inundated and brain washed to live a certain way. As you stroll through your local Home Depot and Lowes or even garden center - there it is all around you. From the chemicals are good era of the 50's and 60's the giant firms have brain washed you into using their chemicals when natural sources, healthier and just as effective have already been provided by God.
I'm serious God has given us everything we need. Man made products either fit into the natural order of things or reign havoc on our health and food chain.
I'm not kidding please turn your nose up at Scotts 4 step program. I used it for one year. It treats the blade of grass and decimates the soil. If you want a lawn that looks like a golf course be prepared for the enormous amount of money, time and toxins golf courses dump onto the fairways. Some people have even suggested not living on or near a golf course because of the chemicals causing lymphoma. I don't know but there is an element of common sense that screams caution. I don't run barefoot on a golf course - no sir!
If you can let go of the status symbol that has been sold to you by the advertising and marketing agencies, think independently, and forge your own path you can have a green, lush and healthy lawn. And news flash there is nothing wrong with clover or divergent grasses as you get started. It's easier, less time consuming and won't kill the itty bitty criters who call your backyard home. It also won't leave that dead green nitrogen film over your local lake. That's from polluted run off courtesy of Scott's and other chemical additives like Chem Lawn - yuck, no thank you!
I use Corn Gluten as a pre-emergent in March and October and Alfalfa in between. That's it. I get the spreader out four times a year.
I have a sprinkler system that I operate manually and only water when needed. In other words don't set your sprinkler system to run automatically all the time. Weeds are lazy and love all that watering. Meanwhile grass roots will stretch down into your new, deep, dark, lush, soil and thwart any weeds attempt to take over your lawn.
I raise my lawn mower up as high as it will go because broad leaf and grass compete for sun as well as water. If you mow too short the broad leaf gets more sun and stakes out a claim on your lawn. My neighbor has a dandelion explosion every year and they do not spread into my lawn (right next door).
If you cut off the dandelion three years in a row the seeds lie dormant in the ground but will stir back to life if you dig in the area to make improvements, put in a flower bed or hard scape. so just keep mowing you'll win the broad leaf battle.
Use a mulching mower. Put that good stuff right back into the ground. The mulchers work great, no clumping and no bag to empty every ten minutes.
I also use a citrus based weed killer that works faster than round up and ortho and it is fully endorsed by the EPA. It's called Nature's Avenger. I was so impressed I bought the concentrate and mix it myself. It contains natural citrus oil and kills the weeds growing through drive way cracks and hard scape easily.
You can also use plain old household vinegar to kill weeds but it's got that vinegar stench for a few hours and needs direct sunlight to really work fast. Nature's Avenger does not.
All you need for an organic, healthy, guilt free lawn is Bradefield Organics Corn Gluten and Bradefield Organics Luscious Lawn. The only time I burned my lawn was when I applied it over top of the chemicals my neighbor had already put down and went over one spot a ridiculous amount of times to see if I could burn it.
We live near a lake but we all have run off issues. In addition to the guilt free healthy, plush, organic lawn you get beautiful top soil brown and black not dead and tan from years of chemical applications. You also get birds, birds, birds. An organic lawn has a rich top soil teaming with life and the birds will find your back yard and feast and aerate your soil naturally!
It's a win, win. I live in a deeded community with strict architectural codes and my lawn is one of the best looking on the street. It's virtually indistinguishable from my neighbor who drenches his in chem lawn. He's a lot older and is doing what he thinks is right and has been programed to do (we are not borg)and while he has no clover he also has dead top soil and birds in his feeder only.
There's a place for man made chemicals in this world but drenching our yards with them is completely unnecessary, unhealthy, wrong headed and counter intuitive. I understand farmers have to buy round up resistant seeds because they use so much round up in harvesting their food. Well they get a sickening amount of skin rash and introducing natural predators might serve their aims and ours better.
We have to get our eye back onto health and sustainability. Profit has to move from our number one priority. While you might not feel you can do battle with big agriculture (you can click here) you can at least do your civic duty by going green, literally. If everyone did the big chemical companies would get the picture. In other words you DO make a difference!
Climb out of the box big advertising and "Keeping up with the Joneses" have dropped us in to support their companies above all else, and their earnings and profit. Exercise your political prerogative to live a sensible, sustainable life with your dollars.
Here are the links to a better future - start today!
Bradefield Organics Corn Gluten
Bradefield Organics Lawn Fertilizer
Nature's Avenger Weed Killer
It's all you need....
Keep your money and go barefoot in your yard!
Paul
Author
Journey Home
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
One of many organizations fighting big agriculture
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