Your are probably wondering what a sour lawn is. Let me explain. Lawns that have been in existence for some time often become lazy. This is due primarily to the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and the pollutants found in the air. Over time, your lawn becomes lazy and rather than relying predominantly on photosynthesis for the production of food, it relies on what it finds around its roots.
Add to this the condition of the soil. In a healthy lawn, the grass and soil are thriving ecosystems, full of exciting life. There are worms, beneficial bugs, and micro-organisms that can be counted in their millions. These all work together to keep the soil, and consequently your lawn, healthy and working as an ecosystem. The use of products like pesticides and herbicides, in particular, effectively kill off this ecosystem. This leaves the lawn dull, lazy and often unable to ward off predatory bugs when they do arrive. This then is a sour lawn.
Unfortunately, sweetening your lawn is not an overnight process. It can take several months to return the soil, and then your lawn, to its very best – but it can be done. The work required to sweeten that lawn does not have to be laborious. Follow these steps and by next spring your lawn will be sweet and you will instantly notice a big difference in the color, the vigor and its ability to ward of any predatory diseases or bugs.
1 – Collect clippings – Until the end of fall, collect all grass clippings, don’t let them mulch down into the soil. You’re just adding sour clippings back into the mix. Don’t add those clippings to compost either – remove them altogether. Through fall, remove all leaf litter as soon as possible – don’t let it collect for long periods.
2 – Mow your lawn a little longer. You want the grass to grow and use up all the nutrients that are still in the soil. Cut by a third each time, but let it grow that little bit longer.
3 – Don’t add anything to your lawn - no fertilizer, no pesticides, and no herbicides. Use natural methods if you do have problems. Soapy water is often as good as any commercial product.
4 – Aerate your soil in early August. You don’t need a heavy or deep aeration, you just need to open the soil up a little. A lawn care tool like the Double-Headed Grass Stitcher is ideal for small to medium lawns. For large lawns, you may need a professional aeration machine.
5 – Water and plenty of it. During August, give your lawn at least an inch of water each week. Get an old tin can like a cat food or tuna fish can that is at least an inch deep and several inches wide. Bury so the top is level with the crown of your lawn. Each time you water, keep going until that can is one inch full. Do that once a week during August – this will help to flush out any chemicals in the soil.
6 – Fertilize – towards the end of fall, fertilize using only natural fertilizers such as well sifted compost. The key to success is to ensure you spread that compost evenly over the lawn avoiding too much in one section and not enough in another.
It will take a little effort, but the results will be worthwhile. In early spring, as soon as the ground loses its winter chill, run a grass seeding tool over your lawn and lightly reseed with quality lawn seed designed for your area. This will add the finishing touch to a now sweetened lawn. What is most important, you will have restored your lawns ecosystem to some sort of normality – this will continue to re-sweeten your lawn for years to come, especially if you avoid commercially prepared chemicals.
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The Grass Stitcher is a well crafted tool but it can get in the way when not in use. One of the easiest and safest ways to store it is by hanging it on a wall. This keeps the unit off the floor, away from dust, dirt and of course feet. The last thing you want to do is to stub your bare foot on one of the spikes.
