Spring arrives and the smell of freshly mown grass fills the air. Which is your signal to begin the annual rituals of spreading synthetic lawn care products, firing up the mower and having at it against nature.

But you don’t have to continue your annual chemically focused lawn care routine. And you really can help your lawn kick the performance-enhancing drugs. Going with more eco friendly, sustainable methods that will still give you a verdant, emerald green lawn.

Now organic lawn care begins with the grasses you plant. It also involves watering wisely, feeding sustainably, mowing right, while dealing with weeds or pests organically. Let’s briefly learn what each entails and then some.

Going Native When Deciding Which Grass to Plant

Planting indigenous varieties means you can get away with watering, feeding and treating for pests less often – if at all. Since any species of grass suited to thrive in your local conditions is more apt to make it on it’s own naturally. That means you want to stick with grasses adapted to cool seasons across the northern tier, warm season grasses across the southern tier and more transitional strains if you live in-between.

Feeding Your Lawn the Organic Way

After picking an appropriate grass strain you want to attend to your plant’s macro and micro nutritional needs. Spreading compost is a no brainer. Compost teas are another approach. While things like blood meal, liquid fish fertilizer, and various seaweed fertilizers can help fill in the gaps.

To pull that off, you want to get an idea of the soil’s pH. That will tell you want it needs to best support the grass. Because if your soil is anything other than a pH of 6.5 (just slightly acidic) to 7 the grass will have trouble absorbing nutrients. To fix that you’d use either sulfur or limestone depending on whether it’s too alkaline or acidic.

Turf Truth: A green lawn in an integral part of home ownership. Americans have roughly 40 million acres with sod under cultivation. That comes down to an area equal to about the state of Washington covered in grass.

Wise Watering Practices

Grass that has a strong root system doesn’t need to be watered as often. Which is good since too much rain or watering can leach out vital nutrients needed for healthy growth. Yet as you know it’s best, if you have to water, to do so in the morning. That way diseases won’t gain a foot hold plus the least amount of water will be lost to evaporation.

Mowing More Often

When you mow you want to cut off no more than a third of the grass blade – so don’t let it grow too long. Frequent mowing promotes a healthy root structure which can supply the water your grass requires. And you want to use a mulching mower. Think of these clippings as slow release fertilizer. Which can account to up 50% of your lawn’s nitrogen needs. They also tend to reduce water loss.

Eliminating Weeds and Insects Naturally

As you know having a lush stand of grass doesn’t leave much room for weeds. If need be an application of corn gluten can be made to deter weed seed germination. Just so you know this isn’t like spreading a chemical. It can take maybe three years to get 90% control. But corn gluten is a good, earth friendly alternative.

As you can see those five tricks are all that involved. And if you’re devoting more time to your lawn and enjoying it less maybe it’s time to switch gears. Rethinking your approach to lawn care and giving some organic approaches a fair shot. It’s not only better for the environment, it may be a more sustainable approach in the long run to a greener healthier lawn.

As an admitted lawnologist, author Dewey J Capasso has written articles about more than organic lawn care. He’s looked at the latest cordless electric lawn mowers, offered insights about zero turn mowers and the top rated riding lawn mowers plus weighed in on a variety of lawn care topics.