Do you have lawn envy?

Are you suffering from lawn envy?   Is that perfect green oasis that you envisioned for your lawn, a far cry from reality?

Lawns are the central landscape feature of many homes.  It's where our children and pets play, where we share meals on the deck with family and friends, and it is the first thing you see when you drive up to your home.  Your lawn, flower gardens, trees, shrubs and landscape features lovingly surround and nestle your home. 

A well kept lawn and yard not only adds to your home's curb appeal but instills a sense of pride when you come home from a busy day and walk up to your front door and enter the comfort of your home.

Generally, conventional lawns are made up of turf grasses that require regular lawn maintenance.  Yes, you know what we are referring to, that weekly mowing, regular watering and scheduling fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide applications.  Certain lawn care practices, such as the application of chemical fertilizer, and pesticides, can adversely impact the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment and reduce soil fertility. 

We'd like to help you get rid of lawn envy with some handy tips and product solutions manufactured with naturally occurring ingredients that are not harmful to plants, animals, humans and have no adverse effect on the environment. 

Here are some tips to turn that vision of a green oasis into reality:

Early Spring / Prep

• Topdressing can be beneficial to most lawns. A good topdressing consists of peat moss, composted manure mixed with sand or topsoil or a combination of all three. Apply a thin layer over the entire surface of the lawn.
• When filling in bare spots, loosen soil in the affected area and apply compost or top soil. Spread grass seed over the affected area and use a tamper or roller to push seeds into the soil. Apply a natural soil conditioner to promote healthy plant growth such as our Defender - Plant Protector and Soil Conditioner.
• Apply herbicides in late fall and early spring.  This will provide adequate control throughout the summer. Pre-emergence herbicides applied too early in the spring may expose the herbicide to soil microbes that may break it down.  Conversely, applying too late may miss the early germinating weed seeds.  Earth Smart offers a Natural Herbicide Additive:  Clout, which is designed to promote healthy plant growth and reduce the plant stress resulting from herbicide intake. A mixture of Clout and herbicide is more efficacious than the herbicide alone.  

Spring/Summer:  Maintenance

• Prevent or significantly reduce lawn disease by implementing a proper lawn maintenance program that addresses fertilization, drainage, watering and mowing.  Typically, lawns thrive in well drained soils with high biomass levels and high organic matter. Excessive watering and fertilization (especially excessive nitrogen applications) can be problematic to most lawns.  
• An inch of water once a week is about right for most lawns. This may vary with environmental conditions, soil composition and time of year.
• Growth fertilizers, with high nitrogen content and relatively low phosphorus and potassium content, promote shoot growth but are virtually ineffective in supporting root development and plant health.  To promote root development and sustain plant health, use a natural fertilizer or soil conditioner containing trace elements such as iron, magnesium and zinc.
• Complete fertilizers provide nutrients in a formulation that satisfies most lawn requirements. If you plan to do three or fewer fertilizer applications per year, then use a complete fertilizer.  Our Earth Smart Organic Lawn Fertilizer is super concentrated.  We recommend 2 applications per season for an above average lawn and 3 to 4 applications per season for a very high quality lawn.

Fall

• Compaction is prevalent in clay soils but can occur in any soil that is subjected to high traffic. When irrigation water fails to percolate into the soil, it may be time to aerate.  Aeration reduces soil compaction and enables oxygen, water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil encouraging healthy root growth. Aeration is required only in compacted soil and should be carried out in the fall. Aerating in the spring can cause weed seeds to germinate. When aeration is complete, apply a thin layer of organic matter such as composted manure, peat moss mixed with sand or topsoil, or a combination of all three to the entire lawn surface.

Good to Know:

• Contrary to popular belief, grass clippings, left on the lawn, do not cause lawn thatch. Grass clippings actually benefit the lawn by adding nitrogen,  phosphorous, potassium and organic matter.
• Typically, the appearance of mushrooms on a lawn points toward healthy soil. Though unsightly, mushrooms pose no threat to a lawn.
• Natural fertilizers, formulated with sea plants, macro and micro nutrients, carbohydrates, amino acids, enzymes, microbes, etc., stimulate soil biomass and promote healthy root and shoot growth. 
• Chemical fertilizers do not provide essential  nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth. Chemical fertilizers can actually kill soil biomass and inhibit plant growth. Fertilize at the right time of the year using complete fertilizers that satisfy the nutrient needs of the grass.
• Unnecessary lime applications can result in serious lawn damage.  Typically, lime raises soil pH and, under certain soil conditions, this swing in pH can result in an iron deficiency and other potential problems. A soil pH in the range of 7.0 is ideal for most turf grass. When in doubt, conduct a soil analysis and add lime based on the results of this analysis. Simply put, a healthy vigorous lawn that is responding to normal fertilizer applications does not require the addition of lime.

We offer a wide array of lawn care products produced with naturally occurring ingredients to help turn your lawn into the envy of the neighborhood. View our entire collection here.

Please contact us for more information via email at info@earth-smart-solutions.com or call us at 1-866-444-7174.