I switched over to organic lawn care about 8 years ago. I’m glad that I made the switch, and for the most part, I'm happy with my lawn. But, I have to admit that it isn’t picture perfect. Part of the reason is that I focus most of my time and attention on my garden beds, and then really just don’t have enough energy to fuss with my lawn. I’m satisfied if it’s green, even if some of the green is weeds.
However, this spring I noticed that the north side of my property was being taken over by clover. So, I decided to research the best way to get rid of it. My first thought was some kind of chemical weed killer. Then I came across a book that I found to be very helpful: The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey.
The author spent many years as a lawn care professional. After suffering from some medical problems related to the use of lawn chemicals, he decided to eliminate chemicals and find organic alternatives to lawn care.The book explains how to evaluate your lawn’s current condition and how to make the transition from chemicals to organics. There are instructions on how to start a lawn from scratch as well as how to renovate an existing lawn. The author is a proponent of compost tea, and gives step-by-step instructions (with photos) on how to make your own brew. There is a very detailed description of common weeds and what they are trying to tell you about your soil (in my case, the clover is an indication that my soil lacks nitrogen).
Overall, I found this book to be well written and would recommend it to anyone interested in organic lawn care.
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