Get GreenSense™ All organic Gardening  products at Morgreen's.  We carry an extensive selection of this excellent product.

The Organic Manual, by J. Howard Garrett.

Gardening with Native Plants of the South, by Sally Wasowski.

Organic Gardening Lawn Care Guide

Why organic?

Organic gardening does not include the use of petroleum based fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Organic gardening does not deplete the soil or spoil the water.

Apply Greensense Lawn &. Garden Microbial Treatment. One quart covers 6000 square feet.  When applying this, make sure you agitate the bottle and use low pressure; about one foot of spray. Also, put out on an overcast day or at dusk, as the hot sun can kill the microbes. These microbes will go into the soil and make nutrients readily available.  They will also make thousands of small tunnels that will help loosen soil compaction. Loose soils will help improve percolation and root growth, which will decrease weed production. The organic fertilizer will help feed the microbes.

For weed control: Apply Com Gluten Meal at a rate of 20 lbs. per 1000 square feet. Apply with a drop spreader water in deeply and then allow to dry out completely. Over watering of the lawn will compromise CGM's effectiveness. Do not worry about over applying this product, it will not burn.

Finale can be sprayed directly on Poa Anna (Wild Fescue) while the Bermuda is still dormant. It has no residual in the- soil.

Lava sand would be good to put out now at a rate of one 40 lb. bag per 500 square feet. Lava sand helps retain moisture because it is porous and reduces the watering requirements for hot summer weather.  It also helps serrate or loosen the heavy clay soils as it works its way down, therefore improving soil areation.

For weed control: By now a lot of the cool season weeds should be dying off due to warm temperatures. If you do still have weeds, we would recommend mowing more often and using a bagger to collect the weed seeds. Put these clippings in your compost pile. Also by mowing the grass at a lower height you can force the grass to grow vertically and crowd out the weeds. Steadily raise the mower as the growing season progresses.

Use Greensense 20% Vinegar solution with 1/4 cup of surfactant per gallon. Use an all plastic sprayer and apply carefully to the weed on a warm sunny day. Vinegar is non-selective so apply only to the weeds you want to remove.

Apply 6-2-4 at a reduced rate of 10 lbs. per 1000 square feet. This would be a good time to apply Greensense Humate at a rate of 10 lbs. per 1000 square feet. Humate is loaded with natural trace minerals and organic acids that improve the plant’s ability to take in vital nutrients, improve the effect of fertilizers, enhance root development, and reduce heat and drought stress. Humate also promotes thatch decomposition.  If your yard is not green enough for you, instead of Ammonium Nitrate, apply Texas Green Sand  which is an excellent source of Iron. Use 10-20 lbs. per 1000 square feet.

We would highly recommend another application of Greensense Lawn & Garden microbial Treatment at the rate of one quart per 6000 sq. ft. This will make all the fertilizers and soil amendments more available to the plant life. 

For weed control: Apply Corn Gluten Meal at a reduced rate of 10 lbs. per square feet for crabgrass and summer weeds that may still be germinating. You can mix the CGM & Humate together in the same spreader. If you are putting out Green Sand you can throw it in the spreader also. The 20% Vinegar can be mixed with one cup of Citrus Oil to one gallon of Vinegar to increase its effectiveness. Apply as described above.

Remember to keep your 6-2-4 applications about 4-6 weeks apart, now apply it again at 10 lbs. per 1000 square feet. Apply another application of Lava Sand at a rate of one bag per 500 square feet.

For weed control: Spray 20% Vinegar as needed. Apply Com Gluten Meal at a rate of 20 lbs. per 1000 square feet for control of early spring weeds.

You never know what lurks below the soil surface, flea larvae, grub worms, borer larvae etc. Beneficial nematodes (BN) can control over 200 underground insects. They must be put out when the sunlight is not directly on them. Choose cloudy days or at dusk. They need moist soils to travel in, so additional watering may be required. Nematodes penetrate through body cavities of their prey. The insect they attack must be immobile, because of this they will not compete with your worm population. Flea and tick control becomes an easy task with BN. Apply in early spring, mid July and early fall for an on-going schedule. After a couple of years if your soil is kept moist your BN will reproduce and stay at a manageable proportion.  If you do not want to use BNs, Diatomaceous Earth can control many of the insects described above.

BROWN PATCH AND DOLLAR SPOT

BICARBONATE OF SODA - This product has the sodium removed so you are not putting salts into the soil. Use 2 level tablespoons into a gallon of water. One gallon of mix will cover 460 square feet. Add 1 tsp. of spreader' sticker to aid in adhesion.

CORN MEAL: (not CGM) 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. Apply in a dry form through a drop or broadcast spreader.

Organic Gardening Links