Lawns are often preferred over paving for older people, pets and children. Although there is a fashion for concrete paths with plants, lawns provide food and homes for native wildlife too, and are generally more comfortable and pleasant to look at. There are many types of lawns from the ‘postage stamp’ patch of grass to bigger gardens with ‘hidden places’, more interesting than just plonking down turf in a straight line. Garden designers often recommend focal points and curved edges.
Whether you are planting a lawn or redesigning an existing one, dump the lawn chemicals and switch over to organic gardening. Much safer for people and pets (dogs have a much higher rate of bladder cancer from chemicals, even from neigbouring lawns). As your lawn gets used to ‘proper food’, it will thrive organically and save you money too.
Make your garden safe for pets to avoid toxic plants and other items (including some wildflowers for lawn meadows) and keep pets away from freshly-seeded lawns and pine needles. Check ears, ears, paws and inside the mouth after walking through long grass (also take care in long grass, to avoid adders).
tips to wean your lawn off junk food
- Choose a drought-resistant organic grass like rye or red rescue. Although it’s toxic to pets, clover is good for pet-free gardens as it’s loved by bees.
- If you have a small lawn, a good manual mower won’t ‘tear the grass’. In spring, use a rake to remove thatch or just leave it for birds to build nests. Aerating lawns (and raising mower blades) should prevent moss. Remove weeds naturally (with your hands!)
- You can usually leave grass clippings on the lawn. You can also put them in tumbling compost bins (to avoid making conventional compost bins too slimy, with too many ‘greens).
- Use garden shears over strimmers, to help hedgehogs and other garden creatures. If you do use a strimmer, gently sweep grass with a broom first, so creatures have time to escape.
- Most lawns can survive for days without water, and quickly recover without rainfall. If you do water your garden, use a watering can (this one collects rain and includes a ‘frog ladder’ to allow small creatures to escape!) over a hose, to save water. Use water butts with safety locks to avoid open barrels (stagnant water is harmful to pets and attracts mosquitoes).
- To remove ‘dog pee’ brown spots on lawns (females tend to use the same spot), flush immediately with water. Avoid artificial lawns with pets (these cool down slower, and could cause heatstroke).
- Grazers makes non-toxic calcium-based to humanely deter wildlife from eating grass by making it unpalatable (so don’t use for pet rabbits etc). It can also be used for golf courses and bowling greens. Apply just before mowing, then leave 5 to 7 days, before you mow again.
- Natural Grower makes eco-vegan lawn fertilizers (keep pets and children away for 24 hours, to allow liquid to soak into roots). To avoid small particles of organic matter blocking sprayers, they recommend not using a fine filter, or use a watering can with a coarse rose. Feed monthly from March to November.
- Ants usually disappear in cooler weather, and also aerate soil and provide food for birds (by protecting caterpillars due to sticky honeydew they create). They like anything sweet or with protein (coke, crumbs, sandwiches) so don’t leave these foods out. Although they don’t like mint, don’t grow mint near pets, see toxic herbs to avoid near pets.
- Garden moles are a sign of a healthy lawn, their hills make excellent potting soil. Sonic devices rarely work. Lawns that ‘go a little wild’ are less likely visited by moles, who love manicured lawns (they do a kind of ‘breast-stroke’ through softer earth to find worms).
