What's there not to like about organic lawn care? It's relatively cheap. It's better for the environment and it takes less work than your traditional well-manicured Grass Seed Mat.
Americans take their lawns seriously. Lawns used to be for the wealthy who hired a staff to maintain the grounds of their estates. Now they are for everyone. The great equalizer was the invention of the push mower in the 1870's by Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana. (Before that, a common and labor-intensive way to trim lawns was to use scythes.) Today, U.S. homeowners spend more than $17 billion on outdoor home improvements, including lawn care.
While many of us spend a lot to get our Grass Seed Mat mowed, fertilized and sprayed with chemicals to deter weeds and troublesome insects, it doesn't have to be so.
The good news is that going organic makes good sense when it comes to lawn care. It takes less effort and makes for a lawn that's safer for you, your family and your pets.
It's the Height, Not the Mowing
One of the major principles behind organic lawn care is the height of your grass. Higher is better. Many home owners mistakenly believe that they must keep their lawns mowed as low to the ground as possible to keep the grass healthy, to keep away weeds and to lengthen the time between mowings. It's the crew-cut approach to lawn care.
The actual opposite is true. Tall blades of Grass Seed Mat have more surface area exposed to the sun, which enables them to photosynthesize more sugars and starches for root growth. The healthier your grass roots are, the more water and nutrients they can absorb, which, in turn, makes for healthier grass blades. Keeping your Grass Seed Mat higher works as well or better than herbicides at suppressing crabgrass, according to research done at the University of Maryland. (It may also curb low-growing weeds like dandelions or common purslane since the taller grass will starve them of sunshine.)
To achieving towering blades of Grass Seed Mat, set your mower to its maximum, which means it will cut at 2.5 to 3 inches. Also keep your mower's blade sharp, which will make for a clean cut and will avoid tearing or otherwise damaging the blades of grass as they are mowed. Finally, avoid mowing wet grass since that can also damage your lawn.