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By: Scott Walker on Fri Apr 18, 2008

This summer season the conscientious gardener fearful of the negative impact of chemicals on lawns and the environment will want a healthier, holistic approach to lawn care and lawn maintenance with none of the kinks of years past. Eco-friendly lawn care isn’t as difficult as it might seem, but it does require that we change the way we’ve approached landscaping, home lawn care and horticulture. Don’t fret, though - affordable lawn care and green lawn care aren’t mutually exclusive concepts!


Use Pesticides Sparingly, if at all
Every summer season, tens of thousands of people are treated due to pesticide exposure, but the packaging of many commercially available pesticides fail to even mention the substantial risks of their products, both for individual exposure, and to the environment itself. If you have to spray, make sure that you protect yourself. Cover as much of your skin as you can: wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, and gloves, and keep any pets or humans away from the area that you spray.

Dispose of Chemicals Safely
Take any and all of your old pesticides to a hazardous waste disposal facility. If you’ve decided to go green, it’s contradictory to dispose of your old pesticides and chemicals by pouring them into the ground or down the drain!

Preserve Water
Buy a rain barrel to collect rain. You can buy rain barrels that hold as much as 60 gallons, which can be used to water your garden or lawn in dry spells.

Pesticide Alternatives
Non-toxic liquid soap, the kind for use domestically, will kill most aphids, mites, whiteflies, wasps and sawflies. Mix a 2 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water in a spray bottle, and spray on prone plants.

Herbicide Alternatives
In place of commercial and possibly toxic herbicides, use a plant-based vinegar. Stronger vinegars for herbicide use can be found at most lawn care and farm supply stores.

Use corn gluten on crab grass. It’s a safe and effective pre-germination herbicide and is readily available at most lawn care stores. As a guideline, use 10 pounds for every 500 feet of lawn.

Weeds, Grass & Soil
The best way to ensure that your lawn isn’t over-run with weeds is to make sure that it’s healthy. A healthy lawn, with well-tended and well-fed grass will resist the unwanted incursion of weeds far better than a neglected one. The key to keeping your grass healthy is to make sure the soil is. The four necessary elements of healthy soil are clay, silt, sand and organic mixture. Pesticides will sterilize your soil, and might kill off pests, but will leave your lawn unhealthy, weaker, more vulnerable in the future to pests, and dependent on pesticides.

Pull weeds when the ground is moist and learn to distinguish between different weeds. Some weeds are easily taken care of, while some, such as dandelions, have deep root systems which may lay dormant and must be extensively excavated.

Keep your grass high, and mow often with sharp blades. The grass will develop healthy defenses against . Break up thatch – thatch is a word describing the dead plant matter that lies on top of the soil and below the tip of the grass. Thatch can suck up moisture, and prevent it from reaching the lawn’s root system.

Aerate your lawn, and make sure there’s proper drainage. Add native plants to your lawn. Leave lawn clippings – this allows nutrients to return to the soil. If you want to fix atmospheric nitrogen in your soil, you can seed the lawn with dutch clover. It does attract bees, but it will. Alternately, mow leaves into your lawn to recycle the nutrients.

Follow these tips and consult with your neighbors (or the Village Green Preservation Society) about other environmentally-friendly lawn care tips and any day now, you'll be enjoying your greenest summer ever!


Scott Walker should not be confused with the singer Scott Walker, of the Walker Brothers, of "Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel" or "Plague Songs," but he is moody.