|
 |
|
|
| Organic Pesticides & Lawn |
|
There are many products on the market today that would fall under the category of organic pesticides. While once it was hard to find these solutions, today many retailers carry them.
You can also often purchase these natural pesticides right from the web.
So, what should you consider?
Here are a few examples. |
|
Nematodes. If you want to add organic pesticides to your soil as pest control to help get rid of bugs such as Japanese beetles, cutworms, as well as other grubs, consider these guys. All you need to do is to add them and their paste right to your lawn and they do all of the work for you. This works wonders in getting rid of even the most difficult home landscaping pests.
Bacteria. Although it sounds strange to add bacteria to anything, milky spore is one of many organic pesticides that can actually help you. First off, these bacteria will survive through winter and will kill grubs before they can even become adult size. Although it is a more costly application, one application of milky spores to your lawn can last up to ten years. These organic pesticides help to take care of just about any type of lawn grubs you may have.
Diatomaceous Earth. This product is another of many organic pesticides ideal for killing many types of pests. This natural pesticide is a white powder to be added to your lawn or other garden areas. It will literally cause the pest to dehydrate within a matter of hours. It is an organic pesticide made up of fossilized shells that have been finely ground. It will help with ants, bed bugs, crickets, beetles, slugs, fleas and grasshoppers as well as many more unwanted guests.
You can also find a wide range of organic pesticides that are specific to the pest bothering your lawn or garden. These are designed to work against specific organisms living in your natural lawn. If there is a specific pest that continues to plague your lawn, even after trying the above organic pesticides, you may want to consider looking into a more specific organic pesticide that will work for your stubborn pest.
Fall landscapes signal to us that it is time to prepare for winter weather. It’s not only a time to unpack our winter clothing but also to consider winterizing our lawn and garden. This will permit your endless spring and summer efforts to get through the winter months and come back with vigor when spring returns.
As fall landscapes appear, you want to allow your grass to grow a little taller before you mow. This is a form of weeding, preventing weeds from taking hold and attacking you next season. As autumn's crispness is felt in the air, but well before the first cold front, you should raise the cutting height setting on your mower to the highest setting. If you are practicing natural lawn care, you probably cut at this height all year long, but if you have not, this is the time for everyone to raise the mower blades. The additional height encourages and stimulates new growth in the crowns of the grass. Another important piece of landscaping advice is that if you normally mow using one pattern – perhaps left to right across the grass – change the cutting pattern.
Early fall landscapes require a bit of fertilizer to ensure they are in the best of health over the winter. Summer grasses become dormant during the winter months, so you want to use a fertilizer that contains more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. For those using organic lawn care products, there are organic fertilizers available that have phosphorus and potassium in them.
If you live in the south, you may want to fertilize twice, once in late summer or early autumn and once toward the last days of autumn. Do not over fertilize in either case. Before applying fertilizer, be sure you water your lawn, as well as afterward, to prevent burn and get the lawn and plant nutrients down where the roots can absorb them.
With fall landscapes, cool season grasses begins to grow and these require nutrition as well. Autumn is a great time to spread compost and organic material on your lawn as well as lawn aeration and dethatching to provide good water absorption. Remember, in the early spring, you'll want to do this once again.
Some insects, fungi and weeds love the cooler days the autumn landscapes offer. To prevent infestation of your lawn and garden, weeding is helpful. Concentrate particularly on removing any weedy patches along the street or in the far reaches of your back yard for weed and pest control. Otherwise, you might have an unpleasant surprise when they stay over winter and make an early spring attack.
Fall landscapes are abundant with colorful autumn leaves. Even if you do not have deciduous trees on your own property, leaves will blow from neighboring landscapes. Rake leaves and add them to your compost pile or dispose of them according to city and county ordnances. If you have a large garden area to mulch, you can use the leaves as the base of the mulch, adding more attractive, purchased mulch on top to get the deep layer of mulch required to protect plant roots from the coming cold, freezing temperatures.
If you want fall landscapes that are extra-colorful, consider planting flowers that bloom in the fall months. Begonias, asters, snapdragon, black-eyed Susan, and cyclamen, are great for adding color to the garden design during the last opportunities for blooms before winter. You also want to use your time creating fall landscapes to prepare for a colorful spring. The best time to plan your bulbs is in November, in October for those living in a cold climate zone. The best bulbs to plant include narcissus, anemone, daffodil, dahlia, gladioli, and hyacinth bulbs, as well as tulips.
Mulching fall landscapes helps to add extra protection from the coming frosts. Mulch helps ensure the roots do not freeze, weeds do not get a foothold, and moisture does not leave the plants too dry. You can use organic mulch, such as straw, pine needles, grass clippings, leaves, bark and compost, for natural landscaping, or choose from a variety of non-organic mulches from your lawn and garden shop. A good rule of thumb is to pile on a thick one to three inch layers of mulch before the first potential frost might arrive.
|
|
