Organic Lawn 101
Download the printer-friendly PDF factsheet Organic Lawn 101

A pesticide-free lawn is a safe place for children to play.

You don’t need a fancy lawn service or a pesticide arsenal to have a lush green lawn. In fact, fall is the best time to give your lawn the care and feeding it takes to go organic. If you thought you couldn’t have both a green lawn and a clean environment, this action alert might just change your mind. Read on to learn the basic steps to a lush, organic lawn.

Follow this basic four-step formula this fall to build a healthy, green lawn that you will enjoy all year – without the chemical cocktail.

1. Mow High. Foster deep roots and shade out weeds by mowing your lawn high – 3 to 3.5 inches. Make sure those mower blades are sharp!

2. Aerate. Aerating the soil reduces compaction, a major cause of weeds. Leave the corings behind after you aerate, and then apply fertilizer so that it can reach the root zone.

3. Fertilize Gently. Just after aeration is the best time to apply fertilizer – but go easy! Use an organic fertilizer like compost, and use it sparingly. Excess nitrogen and phosphorous run off into local waterways when it rains, causing major water quality problems. Getting a soil test first from your county cooperative extension office tells you exactly how much fertilizer you’ll need.

4. Overseed. Overseed your lawn with an appropriate species (centipede and zoysia are strongly recommended for North Carolina’s warm climate). This is a great way to start converting your lawn if you currently have a cool-season grass such as fescue.

Learn more about fall lawn care from the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns.

Check out these books on natural lawn care:

* Managing Healthy Sports Fields: A Guide to Using Organic Materials for Low-Maintenance and Chemical-Free Playing Fields. Sachs, 2004. Wiley Publishers.

* Lawns (Rodale’s Organic Gardening Basics). 2000. Rodale Press.

* Lawns: Natural and Organic. Williamson, 2006. Lone Pine Publishing.

Concerned about toxic lawn pesticides in your community? Want to take action?

* Check out the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns.

* Check out the Toxics Action Center's Refuse to Use ChemLawn campaign.

* Contact Toxic Free NC for ideas and advice on working for safer pest management in your community.