Natural Lawn Care

Most soils in the Puget Sound area become acidic due to the amount of rain we receive. We apply lime to raise the soil’s pH, reducing the acidity. This helps your lawn absorb nutrients and grow better. Lime also adds calcium and magnesium, which are important nutrients. A healthier lawn will be more resilient against weeds, moss and problem insects.

Aeration does wonders to improve lawn health. It reduces soil compaction, improves oxygen content, stimulates root growth, improves the uptake of fertilizer and water, reduces water runoff and puddles, and enhances the lawn’s tolerance for heat and drought stress.

We generally combine aeration with overseeding to fill in thin spots. This thickens the lawn, so weeds and moss have a difficult time getting established.

Corn gluten is a versatile product that helps summer-dormant and drought-stressed lawns. Corn gluten is an all-natural fertilizer made from a by-product of the corn milling process. When used properly, it can quickly bring back a drought-stressed lawn. It also makes lawns thick, green and healthy; adds organic matter; and can help suppress weed seeds.

As your lawn grows, it uses nutrients from the soil, depleting its organic materials. Topdressing lawns places a thin layer of fine compost over the entire surface of the lawn, adding just 1/4 to 1/2 inch of material.

Adding organic material to lawns offers many benefits, from improved soil biology to giving seed a better medium to germinate into and help moderate water fluctuations. Many residential lawns in the Pacific Northwest are grown in very little topsoil on top of compacted glacial till. Additions of organic matter help build the soil profile and break down subsurface compaction while introducing vital nutrients to your turf.

Moss is a very successful plant in our region due to heavy moisture and our compacted, heavy clay soils. At client request, we will apply iron to the moss in early spring. Iron naturally burns the moss but doesn’t harm the lawn.

The moss then has to be removed from the lawn by raking. In heavily mossed areas, the bare soil will need to be reseeded and topdressed with compost. We do not do moss removal but will reseed and topdress if needed.

Moss loves to grow in shade and in low-acid or soggy soils. These are tough conditions in which to grow grass. In Harmony offers services to:

• Correct drainage problems
• Improve fertility
• Prune your trees to allow more sunlight to reach shady spots
• Work with you to replace the lawn in wet or shady areas with plants that thrive in those environments, such as trees and shrubs, ground covers or raised vegetable beds

Moss control treatments will not be successful if you allow your lawn to go dormant in the summer. If your lawn gets too dry, it can get thin and weak. This provides ideal conditions for moss and weeds to invade in the fall when the rains return. Good watering practices are key to a healthy lawn. Proper mowing practices are also important to help the lawn thrive.

Weeds are the toughest pests to control organically. When the environment is favorable for good plant growth, weeds also excel. A thick, vigorous stand of grass plants offers the best defense against weeds, inhibiting weed seed germination.

We believe we are partners with our clients in building healthy landscapes. Keeping the lawn healthy is the most important step in preventing the need for herbicides and other pesticides.

We cannot maintain a healthy lawn if our clients don’t do their part. This means mowing properly. It also means watering the lawn regularly and deeply over the course of the growing season.

We spot treat weeds with herbicides only when requested by our clients. We will not use herbicides on lawns that have been allowed to grow thin and weak due to lack of water. We do not use weed-and-feed products, which are toxic to humans and the environment.

Unfortunately, there are no organic products currently on the market to kill broadleaf weeds. We recommend some tolerance of flowering plants and weeds. It is very difficult to grow a monoculture such as a lawn without resorting to herbicides.

Clover acts as a natural fertilizer and used to be a standard component of all lawn seed mixes. Allowing some flowering plants to grow in your lawn will help our bees and butterflies.

As our clients’ tolerance of weeds and the use of herbicides vary, we offer two different plans:

• Completely organic (no pesticide use, higher weed tolerance)
• Minimal pesticides (spot spraying 1-3 times per season)

The European chafer beetle is a serious lawn pest that is spreading and causing lots of problems throughout the Seattle area. Many birds and other animals find the grubs to be a tasty treat. People describe lawns that crows have ripped to shreds while looking for beetle larvae.

Chafer beetles appear to be more of a problem on lawns that are dry, thin and unhealthy. A healthy lawn can help keep beetles out—and help defend against them.

Our natural lawn care services use natural, organic materials to enhance soil and lawn health. We cannot maintain a healthy lawn if our clients don’t do their part. We offer education to our clients about how to maintain lawn health throughout the growing season. Proper mowing and watering are very important for a robust, resilient lawn.

We monitor our clients’ lawns for chafer beetles in late spring when adult beetles emerge from the ground. If the problem is severe, we offer treatment with Grub B Gone in late summer. This biological control product (it is BTG, or Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae) is safe for people and pets.

We don’t recommend applying chemicals to treat chafer beetles. Even if the chemicals are “naturally” derived, they can kill worms and beneficial insects.

Crane flies may present a problem for our Northwest lawns. The insect will usually do more damage in weak stands of turf. Lawns with poor drainage and shady conditions are prime candidates for crane fly damage.

We monitor our clients’ lawns for crane flies in early spring. The best crane fly control is to improve lawn health through proper fertilization, mowing, watering and other care. A healthy lawn will easily recover from crane fly damage, even when the population is high.

Maintaining a healthy lawn is a partnership between In Harmony and our clients. Our fertilization, aeration and other services build the health of the soil and turfgrass. Our clients help maintain lawn health through proper mowing and watering.

Severe problems that require chemical treatment are rare. If there is a severe problem, the only treatment available at present is a pesticide. We will do selective applications of pesticides at the homeowner’s request. We never blanket-apply pesticides.