Organic Landscaping
Many people are becoming more interested in using landscape tactics that do not harm the earth. In
addition to being great for the environment, organic landscaping can also provide benefits for
your wallet and for your health.
One of the most alarming things to many people is the fact that some pesticides and fertilizers can
harm their children. When you have children or grandchildren, it seems kind of a waste if they cannot
play on the lawn because there is fertilizer all over it. Likewise, the improper use of pesticides,
or sometimes even the proper use of these chemicals, can result in sickness.
Another benefit of organic gardening can also be felt in the wallet. If you make use of the
resources that you have at hand, you can actually save money with do-it-yourself organic landscaping,
rather than paying money for chemicals to unnaturally enhance your plants.
One of the best ways to practice organic landscape is to make use of native plants. It is much easier
to naturally promote the health of your landscape when the plants you use thrive in your area.
Bringing in exotic plants or non-native plants from areas with very different conditions only results
in frustration and the possible reliance on chemicals to help you take care of them.
If you want to keep a landscape that works with the natural setting, native plants, or plants from
areas with similar conditions, can help you accomplish this.
The lawn is most often the most visible part of a landscape. It seems as though many people thing
it is necessary to use a great deal of chemicals to keep pests from ruining the lawn or to help the
lawn grow well. The truth, however, is that by actively caring for the soil in your lawn as well as
the grass, you can create a healthier lawn.
This can be done in a number of ways that do not involve chemicals that can be harmful to the
environment and to your health.
One of these ways is the use of organic fertilizer. There are compositions of fertilizer made entirely
of organic materials. These fertilizers do cost more up front, but as they are used regularly reduce
long run costs. The decrease the need for chemicals that can become expensive (and if applied wrong
can actually damage you lawn more than help it), and they do not need to be applied as often.
So, the cost often evens out eventually, as you have to apply the synthetic fertilizer much more often.
Another way to take care of the lawn is to use practices that promote healthy soil and better grass
roots. One of these practices is aeration. Aeration relieves soil compaction by punching holes in the
ground. This helps by making the soil easier to go through. This means that the roots have more room
to go deeper, and organisms, like earthworms, that actually help the health of your grass, have more
room to move about and make their homes. This results in naturally healthy grass that withstands pests
better and keeps weeds out on its own.
Top dressing and over seeding are other organic practices that improve the health of the lawn. Top
dressing is the act of taking composted organic matter and mixing it half and half with sand. A thin
layer is then spread over the lawn. This actually improves the lawn rooting, creating healthier, hardier
grass, without fertilizer. Over seeding is a method that makes use of more than the recommended
amount of grass seed — about one and a half times more than the recommended amount. Over seeding
promotes quicker germination and results in a thicker lawn that fights weeds.
Fertilizer, organic or otherwise, is not even necessary if you practice common sense in using
organic gardening techniques. You can even create your own compost and mulch by using grass clippings
from the lawn mower and leftovers from the garden. Raked leaves and pine needles and weeds can also
be used. By leaving them to decompose, you are creating nutrient-rich organic matter than can be
used to, in turn, improve the health of all the plants in your landscape, not just grass.
Organic gardening can be a very rewarding and money saving effort when you do it yourself.
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The resource for beginning gardeners and flower enthusiasts:
incl. indoor and container gardening, landscaping ideas,
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