When in Doubt Compost

June 29, 2010

Soil is the backbone of your garden and lawn. Nothing else really matters. If your soil is enriched with decomposed organic matter, your plants will be naturally fed by nutrients released by soil microbes working underground. One of the best ways to add organic matter to your soil is with compost.

Compost improves your soil texture and structure, supplies and helps retain nutrients, provides moisture and aeration, helps control weeds, and reduces the need to buy fertilizers. Compost will improve any type of soil.

-If you add organic matter to sandy soils, you won’t have to water as frequently.

-If you add organic matter to silty soil, the soil will be less slippery and allow more air to the roots.

-If you add organic matter to clay soils, your soil will become easier to work and will allow root systems to develop and water to soak in more readily.

In the Garden

Instead of digging in fresh compost, just add a layer to the top of your soil  and walk away. Do this at least twice a year-in the fall and in early spring-and add a fresh layer of mulch on top.

In the Lawn

Just spread compost on top of the lawn by dumping small piles and spreading the compost with a rake to a depth of a 1/2 inch. You can also use a spreader and simply spread the compost on top of the lawn.

If you can commit to top dressing your soil with compost  twice a year your lawn and garden will thrive.

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Stay away from “Weed and Feed” Products

June 17, 2010

“Weed and feed” products are synthetic fertilizers mixed with herbicides. They are used by almost everyone and the general public does not know of the harm they are doing to their pets, children, water ways, and soil. “Weed and Feed” products kill the microrganisms living in the soil that break down organic matter, provide nutrients to plants, and hunt and destroy harmful insects like grubs. I just finished reading “Joy in your Garden A Seasonal Guide to Gardening” by Joy Bossi and Karen Bastow and she stated her feelings about “weed and feed” products.

“Stay away from the “weed and feed” type products. Getting the “weed” part to actually hit the leaves of the weeds and stay there is iffy at best. Much more effective is the attack-one-weed-at-a-time approach. At least, that way you are less likely to be exposing every blade of grass, every passing kitty, and every child’s foot to chemical poison.”

Joy Bossi is a Utah native and a gardening expert. She is well known in Utah for her radio program “Joy in the Garden”.

I completely agree with Joy. Typically about 98% of the herbicides in “weed and feed” do not hit their target pest, weeds. Herbicides are designed to kill and more and more research is shedding light on the dangers of herbicides. Stay away from these products and ask your “lawn care” company if they are mixing herbicides in with their fertilizers. If the answer is yes stay clear. Kids should be able to play in the lawn without being exposed to harmful chemicals. It is not worth the risk!

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