Want to go organic but dont know how

16 years ago

Hello All,

I have a huge yard that I have been maintaining the traditional way. I am guilty as charged for using insecticide and fertilizer. I want to switch to organic but don't know how yet. I live in the Orlando suburbs in a subdivision so my "soil" is what the builder gave me.

I have Bahia in my backyard and St. Augustine in the front.

My lawn care program has to meet the following objectives:

1) Fertilize the grass with something that helps it stay healthy and green, I would say most of my yard is green but some areas are struggling.

2) Keep the fire ants and aphids out

3) Pre-emergent weed control. I guess the only post-emergent weed control is bending over and yanking the weed out.

I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me how I could accomplish these objectives.What products can I use effectively and where can I find them.

Thanks,

Nami

Comments (8)

billhill
16 years ago
Nami, This may be what you are looking for.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Lawn care FAQ
green_jen
16 years ago
I'm still learning a lot but I can tell you that after spreading soybean meal (SBM) for fertilizer for the first time tonight I was very excited. Firstly, I was able to allow my 5-year old to help. And then, I wasn't too worried about how well we washed our hands before dinner.

I was thinking that next spring I should get some of those little flags that warn against children and pets, but instead put "children welcome".
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skoot_cat
16 years ago
First off, Congratulations on your switch. Your at the right place.

Nami, listen to billhill on this one. Read the Organic Lawn care FAQ a few times, then come back with your questions.

Everyone here is very knowledgeable, I know I've learned a lot. I've organically maintained my St.Augustine (S.A.) lawn for three years now, with excellent results.
nami
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks all , there is a wealth of information on organic lawn care.

What do I use for fire ant control?

thanks,
nami
tmelrose
16 years ago
You might look up planetnatural.com. I have their catalog and they have a few items such as Ascend Fire Ant Bait, Safer Fire Ant Bait and Diatomaceous Earth that may help with the fire ants. Maybe even boric acid might work. This company supposed to have mainly organic means of solutions, etc, but you can check it out yourself as I've never tried them. I lived in Texas as a child I remember how mean those fire ants can be. Good luck!
lou_spicewood_tx
16 years ago
You might want to buy a book called Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels. You can get it at Amazon, etc. Google it and you should find several places that sells it. Great book for beginners to understand the whole concept of organic practice (not just grass).
dchall_san_antonio
16 years ago
We have fire ants for the first time in years (and years) this year. I have not gotten around to it but maybe today, now that the rain has subsided for a few hours. I'm going to spray molasses on the yard. Fire ants are protein eating ants and seem to really hate sugar. Apparently (and I'm shooting from the cuff, but based on other insect findings), the sugar gets into their food supply storage and starts "bad stuff" (could be mold or bacteria) growing on the food. They will leave the contaminated food alone and search for another place to live. If your entire yard is sprayed with sugar, they have to go somewhere else.

I'm using molasses because I have a lot of it. Otherwise, sugar water should do the same thing.
sandyzz
16 years ago
Will spraying sugar water work for other types of ants as well. My patio is full of ant hills. Mostly small ants but I have the larger variety in the garden. Many, many anthills in the lawn as well. And yet I seem to have clay soil. I didn't think that it was that sandy.