| Lose the Bag! Grasscycle!
Fertilizing your lawn and
garden can be much less expensive and less toxic by using natural products. Grasscycling lawn clippings (leaving them on the lawn), saves time (no more
bagging), saves money (grasscycling reduces the amount of fertilizer needed by
15-20%), encourages a healthier lawn (clippings contain valuable nitrogen),
saves valuable landfill space, and saves energy (hauling to the landfill). Over fertilizing in general is not healthy for your lawn plus
much of the fertilizer may be washed away by over watering. By leaving the lawn
clippings on the lawn, you reintroduce organics and nutrients back into the
soil. You might see some traces of grass clippings right after you
mow but within a few hours they dry up like they were never even there.
You may still have to fertilize when you use the grasscycling technique but
you can increase the intervals between feedings and reduce the amount of
fertilizer that you use by 10 - 20%. Why not try some organic
fertilizers such as bat guano, poultry or steer manure? Or if you're
really adventurous, create your own blend of fertilizer made up of natural
ingredients such as bone and blood meal, greensand, kelp powder and compost
or manure. Natural fertilizers dispense nutrients slowly and over a
longer period, strengthening root systems and leaving your lawn looking
great.
For more information on pest control, gardening, and
composting check out the San Joaquin County Master Gardener website.
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