Now that the growing season is in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about lawn care. An organic lawn free of hazardous chemicals is something that many homeowners aspire to but often feel is too expensive and laborious to maintain. Organic lawn care doesn’t necessarily mean spending money on fancy, overpriced products. You can care for your lawn organically using a variety of simple methods.

Organic Corn Gluten Meal

Corn, one of the most common grains in use, has the surprising ability to act as an herbicide. Corn gluten meal is a by-product of corn starch and corn syrup manufacturing processes. This harmless and natural substance is known as a pre-emergent herbicide, which means that it prevents seed germination and kills young seedlings. This product is inexpensive, easy to use and won’t harm established plants. Furthermore, corn gluten meal contains a lot of nitrogen, making it an excellent fertilizer. Sprinkling a generous helping of it on your lawn in the spring can help it look lush and radiant.

Organic Compost Tea

Organic compost tea is an effective plant fertilizer and soil health builder that can be used on your lawn, flower beds, trees, shrubs, and garden. Compost tea is derived from naturally occurring plant and animal by-products. Its ingredients are safe for the environment, children, and pets. Organic compost tea should be applied every 4 to 6 weeks and is an essential part of an organic lawn care program. The most effective way to apply compost tea is with a commercial spray rig, but it can be applied with a backpack sprayer that has a large enough nozzle.

Less Watering

Are you tired of the time and money that go into watering your lawn all summer? If so, try adding a hefty amount of organic matter to your lawn. Soil amendments that are most suited to this purpose are peat moss, mushroom compost and leaf mulch. Adding as little as five percent more organic matter to the soil can increase its water-holding capacity by up to four times! Best of all, you can cut back considerably on the amount of water you use for your lawn.

Better Mowing

You might want to consider trading in your noisy, smelly gas mower for one of the reel varieties. Although they’re old fashioned and inefficient by today’s standards, these quaint mowers are much better for your grass. A reel mower cuts the grass cleanly, like a pair of scissors. The blade of a gas mower rips the tips off of the grass, leaving it frayed, brown and ugly. It also greatly increases the chances of your grass contracting a disease.