Green Your Lawn in a Few Easy Steps

By now you've probably thought about the merits of eating organic produce and other foods, but you may not have stopped to think about how you care for the thousands of plants that surround your home. Organic lawn care is finally coming into the mainstream, with major manufacturers like Miracle Grow offering an organic alternative to traditional chemical pesticide and fertilizer. We talked to Paul Tukey, founder of Safe Lawns and author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, about how to go green.

Paul says that it's hard for many consumers to let go of the ease and reliable results of many traditional lawn care practices, but consider this: The products you use on your lawn affect your health, your children's health and your pets' health, in addition to the environment. (In fact, in Canada legislation was passed that bans the sale of traditional pesticides that are still readily available throughout the U.S.)

The first step is thinking differently about fertilizers and lawn care. Any fertilizer that you would typically buy is called plant food, meaning that plants absorb it directly. When you buy organic plant food, it doesn't feed the lawn directly, it's more like soil food. Microorganisms in the soil must consume the organic fertilizer before the fertilizer will green up the plants. "Chemicals are like a bolt of lightening," says Paul. "Organic product requires a kinder, gentler approach and a deeper understanding of how nature works." So be patient, you need to transition your chemical-dependent lawn back to life.

The best way to speed up the transition is to add the organisms into the soil. Paul recommends adding a ½ inch layer of compost over your lawn in the spring and the fall. He's also a big fan of compost tea, which is exactly what it sounds like: an infusion of compost steeped in water. Gardens Alive sells everything you'll need to try this method at home but many organic lawn care companies can provide this service for you. The organic matter in the compost will become a part of your soil, and with every passing year your lawn will get healthier and hardier. For more information, watch these tutorials.

Paul promises that an organic lawn will eventually become self-sustaining and won't require fertilizer or pesticides. He also notes that organic lawns need to be mowed 50 percent less and watered 75 to 100 percent less than a traditional lawn.

When shopping for organic products, look for a label that says OMRI. This group certifies organic products through a rigorous testing process. "Consumers these days have to be good students of the language," says Paul. "If a product says its organic, most of the time it is. If it says that it is 'organic based,' it's probably not."