Landscaping The Organic Way

People are becoming more interested in using landscape techniques that won't harm the earth. Organic landscaping, in addition to being great for the environment, provides benefits for your wallet and your health. Pesticides and fertilizers can harm our children and animals. It's an alarming thought, but illness can result not only from the improper use of pesticides, but also from the so-called proper use of these chemicals.

In addition to our health, another benefit of organic gardening can also be felt in the wallet. By making use of the resources that you already have on hand; you can save money with do-it-yourself organic landscaping, rather than paying money for chemicals to unnaturally enhance your plants.

Native Plants

One of the best ways to practice organic landscape is to make use of native plants. 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. It is so much easier to naturally promote the health of your landscape when the plants you use thrive in your area. 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.

Healthy Lawns

The most visible part of a landscape is usually the lawn. It seems as though many people think it is necessary to use a great deal of chemicals to keep pests from ruining the lawn or to help the lawn grow well. However, the truth of the matter is that by actively caring for the soil in your lawn as well as the grass, you can create a healthier lawn. A healthy lawn can be created in a number of ways that do not involve chemicals that may be harmful to the environment and to your health.

Organic Fertilizers

The composition of organic fertilizer is made entirely of organic materials. Although initially more expensive, if used regularly, the long-term costs will be reduced. They decrease the need for chemicals that can become expensive (and if applied wrong can actually damage your lawn more than help it), and they do not need to be applied as often. So, eventually the cost evens out because synthetic fertilizers have to be applied more frequently.

Aeration

The use of aeration is another way to take care of the lawn that promotes healthy soil and better grass roots. Aerating your lawn relieves soil compaction by punching holes in the ground and helps make 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 lawn, have more room to move about and make their homes. This will result in a naturally healthy lawn that can withstand pests and keeps weeds out on its own.

Over Seeding And Top Dressing

Other organic practices that improve the health of the lawn are over seeding and top dressing. Over seeding 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 it results in a thicker lawn that really fights the weeds! 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.

Common Sense Gardening

If you practice common sense in using gardening techniques, fertilizer (organic or otherwise) may not even be necessary. Create your own compost and mulch by using grass clippings from the lawn mower and leftovers from the garden, remembering to also use raked leaves, pine needles and weeds. When you leave this to decompose, you create nutrient-rich organic matter that can be used to, in turn, improve the health of all the plants in your landscape, not just grass. When you do it yourself, organic gardening can be a very rewarding and money saving effort.