Question for those who are anti-artificial lawn/garden chemicals

[Anonymous]

We have lived in our house for 3 years, and had only lived in apartments/townhomes before that. We generally try to avoid chemicals at home--use free and clear detergent, clean with vinegar, try to avoid BPAs, that type of thing.

We haven't put any chemicals on our front/back lawns since we moved here and our grass is less grass and more clover now It doesn't look all that great.

Does anyone have a "natural" solution to this problem, or is there something I'm missing? We play in our front/back yards a ton. How bad is it to treat the front lawn and just not have the kids play out front for a few weeks? Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Anonymous]

Sorry I can't be of more help - our lawn is 50% clover, too. By the way, I don't avoid chemicals because I my DCs but because the chemicals run off into our water ways and pollute them. I love the Bay and crabs and the beach, so I'll suck it up with our clover lawn.

[Anonymous]

Not really much you can do. We tilled our entire lawn up, removed as many weeds as possible, seeded, used organic fertilizer and while the % of grass vs. weeds has improved, we still have a lot of weeds. At least you can mow the clover and it's green.

[Anonymous]

All-grass lawns are artificial and impossible to maintain without chemicals.

In fact, landscapers used to include clover in lawn seeding because it helps fix the nitrogen in the soil. It's actively beneficial.

I just mow the clover along with the grass. It's green and pretty. So what if I don't have an artificially beautiful lawn? I'm trying to bring natural back, baby

[Anonymous]

clover is great! the only reason people consider clover bad was when broadleaf weed killer was invented it "accidentally" also killed clover.

If you want more grass, here are some tips:

- hand thin out the clover
- mow high (3 inches minimum for fescue grasses)
- Keep mower blade sharp. I sharpen mine twice per season
- Change mowing direction every time
- Aerate each fall in early October, overseed at that time
- Hand pull noxious weeds
- And remember, a lawn of 15-20% "weeds" is considered perfect for an organic lawn.

[Anonymous]

Do you know if the grass that was planted in your yard is appropriate to the local climate?

[Anonymous]

I like clover because it feels nicer on bare feet than grass.

[Anonymous]

Great suggestions, PP! Nature abhors a monoculture. The "perfect"-looking lawn is only possible with artificial synthetic chemicals. So we embrace the natural look with clover, etc. As a kid I remember the wild strawberries that grew in our lawn and how much we loved looking for them!

[Anonymous]

We live in a SFH with a big yard (2 acres) and we do not use any chemicals on it. Yes, our yard is full of weeds and clover. But you really can't tell unless you look really closely, and we keep it mowed once a week and well-edged. I think it looks nice, and I would much rather have a nice, healthy lawn that attracts birds and wildlife and that I feel free to walk on with bare feet than an artificial toxic lawn that is teeming with chemicals. A lawn is not supposed to look like a golf course. It's not supposed to reek of chemical. It's supposed to be natural and nurturing. I could care less what my neighbors think of my lawn. From a distance, it looks green and well maintained. I think at some point we will re-seed some of the bald areas with organic grass seed and water a lot, but otherwise we have no plans to change our lawn care.

[Anonymous]

You could apply corn gluten (natural! non-toxic!) to give more nitrogen to the grass and prevent weed seeds from germinating. Late Feb./early March is the best time for that. Reseed in the fall. Don't worry about clover.

[Anonymous]

Keep it cut short and it really doesn't look that bad, IMO. We also have tons of clover and don't use weed killer/pesticides.

[Anonymous]

Just put in some other ground cover. Grass isn't indigenous to the US so it takes a lot of effort/chemicals/water to keep it.

Signed President of the Anti-Grass League.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just put in some other ground cover. Grass isn't indigenous to the US so it takes a lot of effort/chemicals/water to keep it.

Signed President of the Anti-Grass League.

Plenty of plants we grow (organically) aren't indiginous to our lands. Grasses actually are - hence the term grasslands. But taking out grass to plant another ground cover would be just as environmentally stupid as using only scotts products. But to each their own.

I echo PP who said that keeping the lawn mowed and EDGED nicely was a key to it looking good. I find the edging to be an especially good way of making a yard look great.