Technology Makes Landscaping Easier Than Ever
Ways Organic Lawn Care Benefits The Soil
Jose Wheeler
Organic lawn care isn't just better for the kids and pets who may run and roll around on your lawn. Using more natural, less chemical-based practices for lawn care can also be better for the Earth in general, but for the earth in your yard in particular.
Here are some of the top ways that organic lawn care can help you care for the soil in your yard.
1. Fewer chemicals
Organic lawn care often uses more natural soil amendments such as compost or aged manure to help your plants grow. Choosing these less chemical-based products can help provide a complete profile of nutrients for your plants. Whereas a chemical fertilizer may provide mainly the top three macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus), a compost or manure product can provide micronutrients as well.
This less chemical-based approach doesn't just add micronutrients to the soil, though. Using fewer chemical treatments (such as pesticides and herbicides) can also help avoid killing beneficial microbes and insects that help keep your grass healthy.
2. Added organic material
Another way that choosing organic options like compost over chemicals can help your soil is by adding more organic material (also called humus) to your soil. What this means is that compost or manure, when it breaks down, can help add an improved structure and texture to the soil.
This structure helps soil hold water better if you have sandy soil, but can also help with drainage if you have poorly-drained soil. In either case, adding organic treatments like compost can help your soil structure, making your lawn a better place for grass to grow.
3. More beneficial fungi
Some of the fungi and microbes that organic treatments may support include very important ones that attach to the roots of your grass. These fungi actually help grass roots absorb nutrients like phosphorus and potassium as well as micronutrients such as calcium, copper, and iron. This more efficient nutrient uptake helps your grass thrive.
4. Better biodiversity
If you choose the most natural approach to organic lawn care, you may take a more tolerant approach to weeds as well. This can be great for biodiversity and is especially beneficial with nitrogen-fixing weeds, such as clover. Clover (and other legumes), in conjunction with beneficial bacteria that live on their roots, can absorb nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil, making the nitrogen available for your grass to use. This is just one example of how biodiversity is great for your lawn and your soil.
These are some of the top ways that caring for your lawn organically can actually make the soil in your yard healthier and better able to support your lawn grass. Contact an organic lawn care company today to learn more.
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When I was young, I loved helping my mother in the garden. Our yard was filled with plants and flowers that she kept in immaculate condition. Once I was an adult and bought my first home, I learned that there was much more to landscaping a yard than I ever imagined! After a little trial and error planting a few flowers in my yard that died quickly, I realized the technology that is available to aspiring gardeners makes trial and error a thing of the past. After I found out what my "hardiness zone" was, I realized I was planting flowers made for much cooler climates, and I played around with software that let me design my yard very easily! I learned a lot throughout the experience, so I thought I would share my tips with everyone who needs them. Come back often to check out my new tips!