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Organic Lawn Care 101
an interview with Russ Rea, owner of Spectrum Grower Supply Inc.
Everyone wants a beautifully lush lawn, the thicker and greener
the better. Now is a great time to join the growing movement
towards organic lawn care, developing a green thumb with a
heart. Russell Rea of Spectrum Grower Supply Inc. shares the
following suggestions to start you on your way.
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Cut high:
Tall grass is healthier. The sensitive growing point for grass
is near the soil. The sensitive growing point for most weeds
is near the top of the plant. So when you mow, it's as if you
are giving your grass a haircut and cutting the heads off of
the weeds. Rule of thumb: Mow when your turf is 4 inches high.
Also, raise your mower deck to three inches, tall grass stays
greener and shades the soil – making it harder for weeds to
germinate. If you have a weed infestation, consider mowing
twice as frequently as normal.
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Water infrequently:
This will force your grass roots to go deep into the soil,
deeper than most weed roots. As the top few inches of soil
becomes dry, the weeds and weed seedlings up there die while
the grass still enjoys water from a little deeper. Water half
an inch, wait 90 minutes and then water another half an inch.
Do this about once a month.
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Fertilize:
If your lawn is already lush and beautiful, you can make it
organic just by throwing out your fertilizer! Most synthetic
fertilizers are loaded with nitrogen (indicated by the first
of three numbers on the package). Natural organic fertilizers
are products such as manures, dried blood, bone meal, sludge,
or other plant or animal products. They contain natural fungi
and bacteria for healthy soil. Organic fertilizers generally
contain between 3% and 8% nitrogen. Look carefully at labels
if a “natural fertilizer” claims to have nitrogen levels over
8%.
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Get to know your soil:
Test for ph and nitrogen levels. Grass loves high nitrogen
levels, so try to stay around 8%. Go for as high nitrogen as
you can find in a natural fertilizer, towards 8%. If you have
a sandy base, put down manure first. The bacteria and fungi in
the manure will help rejuvenate the lawn. Rake in the manure
and mix with existing dirt, and then put the organic slow
release, and then seed. The grass will take root quickly,
crowding out the weeds.
There are many good products available to help homeowners
develop the lawn of their dreams, including Amino GT, available
through Spectrum Grower Supply.
Our
customers are having great success using Tsunami Plant Wash on
other plants in their gardens. Tsunami Plant Wash is colloidal
micelle cleanser, a vegetable extract that cleans at the
molecular level. Safe for humans and pets, it interrupts the
infestation cycle at the egg stage as well as removing dirt and
grime. In particular, we’ve had great success using this product
on juniper and cedar that have turned brown, and once again
become green. Even healthy plants grow like crazy when cleaned
at the molecular level, as they may be undergoing hidden
biological stress.
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About the author:
For
more information on organic lawn and plant care, feel free to
contact Russell Rea at Spectrum Grower Supply
Inc:
16858 Mount Wolfe Road
Bolton Ontario, L7E 5R7
ph# 905-880-3719
fax# 905-880-9814
email:
rina@spectrumgrowersupply.com
website address:
www.spectrumgrowersupply.com
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