Landscaping Directory International

By Larry Evans

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 fertilisers 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 fertiliser 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 fertiliser. 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 fertiliser 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 fertiliser. 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.

Fertiliser, 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.

About the Author: Visit http://www.landscapingguru.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=62153&ca=Gardening