This question is asked for someone at my office. He has a large lawn and no longer wants to use chemicals on it. What natural products can he use to fertilize, etc. He says his lawn is about 7500 sf.

We use Basic H on our trees but I do not know if that would work for lawns.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), January 08, 2002

Answers

Milorganite

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_mn@yahoo.com), January 08, 2002.

See www.richsoil.com/lawn

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), January 08, 2002.

Why?

-- Jason in Southern Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), January 08, 2002.

Depends what he wants to accomplish.

Lawn doesn't need fertilizer if you recycle the clippings back into the lawn - multcher mower.

There are some fertilizers available based on soybeans, this is getting common.

For weeds, mowing & hoing will be the way.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 08, 2002.

Compost is good. A mulching mower is good too. Light sprinklings of composted manure are also good, but then you will have to mow more.

If your co-worker is one of the lawn-proud and still wants to go natural, have him visit Gardens Alive!. They have several natural formulas for lawn fertilizing as well as things such as chelated iron, which will green up a yellowish lawn without producing excessive growth (to have to mow again). They even have a weed- reducing formula that uses corn gluten meal to suppress the weeds.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), January 08, 2002.

Thank you for the suggestions. I will forward them to him.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), January 08, 2002.

What is basic H? Can you buy it in the UK?

Alison

-- Alison Homa (alisonhoma@hotmail.com), January 08, 2002.

The Jerry Baker web site might help also when he is sure of his goals.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 08, 2002.

Alison, I have no idea if you can buy it in the UK, but Basic H is made by Shaklee, and is kinda an all purpose, totally safe soap, which can be used as a wormer ( I used it for years, works by manipulating the Ph of the digestive system, as I understand), general insecticide, and so forth.

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), January 08, 2002.

10 years in the landscape mant buisness and the best I found is by gardens alive, www.gardensalive.com.Great cataloge with pictures on pest and diseases [ free] with organic solutions.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), January 10, 2002.

I agree with Jason - why?!? It seems in the spring all my wife & I do is mow. You think I'm going to add fertilizer to make it grow faster? No way! Of course with our yard being about 2 acres, all on hillside, doesn't help either. So if anyone out their loves to mow, and doesn't get enough mowing time on their own lawn, come on over!

-- Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania (kirklbb@penn.com), January 13, 2002.

I thank all of you who responded. As usual, everyone has been wonderfully helpful.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), January 14, 2002.