Want to give your lawn an advantage over heat, drought, weeds and bugs?

Set your mower to one of the highest cut settings, advise the experts from Scotts, a company known for numerous organic gardening products.

Roots will remain deep, and water will reach soil more effectively.

Longer blades of grass also:

• Crowd out weeds
• Capture more rainwater
• Reduce moisture loss from soil
• Make your lawn look greener

And while we’re on the subject, be sure to keep clippings so you can mow and feed your lawn at the same time. Clippings break down quickly, recycling nutrients back into the soil.

If clippings land on your driveway or sidewalk, return them to your lawn so they can feed it naturally.

Image Credit: Camera Lass

Grass is like any other living entity: It requires nutrients and regular meals to grow. 

The following guide from Scotts, a company known for numerous organic gardening products, will help you maintain a healthy lawn.

Fall 

Think of fall as breakfast for your grass: the most important meal of the day. 

Many experts say fall marks the single most important lawn feeding of the year, with one exception: Southern grasses, which benefit from fertilization during the June–July rainy season. 

Feeding right before the winter months gives grass the nutrients it needs to recover from summer damage and increases nitrogen storage for early spring.

Early Spring

Spring feeding is the lunch that strengthens roots, getting them off to a good start before the heavy growing season. 

If you’ve had crabgrass in the past, now’s the time to apply an organic combo: fertilizer and a pre-emergent weed killer.

Late Spring

By late spring, grass is busy growing and using up stored energy. 

If you’re bothered by dandelions and other emerging weeds, use an organic weed and feed combination product that provides your lawn with nutrients and helps control broadleaf weeds. 

If your lawn has only a few weeds, use an organic liquid spot-weed treatment. And if weeds don’t bother you, a dinner of lawn food will continue to maintain grass health.

Summer

 Heat, drought, foot traffic and insects can stress out your grass. Your lawn may appreciate a snack to help protect and strengthen it. 

If weeds or bugs don’t pose problems, you can substitute an application of straight lawn fertilizer for any of the meals on our menu. 

Photo courtesy of Scotts

From heat waves to rainstorms to droughts, climate change has a significant impact on your organic lawn. 

As hundreds of communities endure record-breaking temperatures, homeowners’ lawns are stressed out—brown, weakened and dying. 

There are, however, effective ways to reduce and reverse the toll climate change takes on your yard: 

1. Top Dress. This simple technique can reap huge rewards. This spring, use a rake to spread 1/4” to 1/2” of sphagnum peat moss over your lawn. This will gradually condition your lawn throughout the year, strengthening grass so it can resist weather damage, disease, weeds and thatch. Peat moss slowly releases water and nutrients as grass plants need it, so you won't need to water or fertilize as frequently.
2. Aerate. This season, remove plugs of sod to loosen soil and allow water, air and fertilizer to reach grass plants’ root structure. For smaller yards or concentrated trouble spots in larger yards, use a manual aerating tool to remove plugs from turf. If you have an extremely large yard, consider renting a power aerator.
3. Start from Scratch. Is your lawn so far gone that you need to scrap it and start over? Proper soil preparation can help lay the groundwork—literally—for a healthier, more trouble-resistant lawn. Before you seed or lay sod, dig or rototill 2” of peat moss into the top 6 inches of soil to help provide extra protection from the elements. The next time Mother Nature unleashes weird weather, your lawn will be better equipped to cope. 

For free online brochures and educational videos, visit the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association.