So you want to make your grass green naturally without using any sort of chemicals?
It is definitely possible to have a beautiful lush green lawn using only completely natural methods and like any other method, it will not be a quick fix but will take a lot of hard work and determination to achieve your goal.
The trick is that if you simply give your lawn proper care and attention it will become healthy and green.
Afterall grass that grows completely naturally in the wild tends to be green and lush so that suggests it is totally possible to grow beautiful green grass without using any nasty chemicals and only using organic and natural methods.
The natural methods I use to make my grass green are all pretty simple but they do take some time to implement and even longer to see actual results from the hard work you put into your lawn.
Read on to find out some of the simple but effective methods I use to make my grass green naturally…
Making your grass green naturally can be a challenge but with hard work and persisting with your routine it is an achievable goal. When you make your grass green naturally it is a lot more satisfying than using chemical fertilizer.
Mow Your Lawn To The Correct Height
Simply mowing your lawn in a simple and effective way to encourage your grass to turn green naturally.
If you don’t follow the correct procedure and routine when you are mowing your lawn it can actually do more damage than good.
The idea is to mow your lawn and turn it green but get it wrong and you could turn your lawn yellow or brown and that would be a disaster.
Here is how I recommend you mow your lawn:
- The first spring mow I would recommend you set your lawnmower to the highest setting as this mow is all about signaling to your lawn it’s time to wake up and grow for the season.
- Every mow after the first you should gradually reduce the height until you get your grass to its desired length and I normally cut my lawn down to 1 inch during the summer months.
- Towards fall I start to mow my lawn to 1.5 inches and this length I feel encourages deep roots to grow which will encourage your lawn to grow green and healthy.
This is only a guideline for how to correctly mow your lawn but the general rule you should follow is that you should never cut more than ⅓ of the length off your grass in one moving session.
Check out my article on making grass thicker and greener.
Use A Mulching Mower
The type of mower you use when you cut your lawn will have a massive effect on how green your lawn grows and how naturally you can manage your lawn without having to use any chemicals.
If you are trying to grow your lawn as green as possible in the most natural way as possible then the only option is to use a mulching mower. A mulching mower will cut your grass and then they will normally cut the grass clippings again and this is what turns the grass clippings into fine mulch.
By turning your grass clippings into mulch it makes using a mulching mower the most natural way to fertilize your lawn.
A summary of the benefits of using a mulching mower include:
- You reuse your grass clippings so you don’t have to rake them up and that makes mowing your lawn a quicker job.
- You don’t have to bag grass clippings and dispose of them which means you don’t have to transport them.
- Mulching grass will add nutrients back into your lawn by recycling grass clippings as a natural fertilizer.
- Using grass clippings as mulch will promote the health of your grass and result in a greener lawn.
It is because of these benefits that I only ever use a mulching mower on my lawn and why you should also do this.
Make Your Own Compost
If you are attempting to make your grass green naturally then you really do want to be making your own compost as compost is natures own fertilizer and is a whole lot more natural than any sort of chemical fertilizer will ever be.
Everyone should be making their own compost as it is one of the best ways to recycle your household waste and help save the planet.
Making your own compost is actually very simple once you have a compost bin in place. When you put items in your compost bin it will normally be fully decomposed in around 3 months and that is when you can use it for your garden.
Things you can put in your compost bin include:
- Grass clippings (if you haven’t mulched them).
- Tree leaves that you rake up won’t go to waste.
- Household food waste like vegetable and fruit scraps.
- Recycle your daily newspapers and turn them into compost.
- Any sort of manure (cows, horses, rabbits, hamsters).
- Any wood shavings or sawdust (joinery or hamster cage material).
That is only a limited list of things you can put in your compost bin there is plenty more that can go in it. After 3 months it should all be decomposed in the compost bin and ready to be used in your yard for lots of different purposes.
Spread Compost On Your Lawn
Compost is absolutely amazing stuff, especially if you are using your own recycled and homemade compost.
Compost is one of the best natural fertilizers you can find anywhere and when you spread it on your lawn it will give your lawn a boost for many months unlike when you use chemical fertilizer and the boost only lasts for weeks if you are lucky.
Applying compost to your lawn is actually a simple job but you do have to make sure it is completely decomposed before you spread it otherwise it may be really difficult to thinly spread it over your lawn.
When you are spreading compost as a fresh layer of topsoil on your lawn it is important that you spread it in as thin a layer as possible preferably no deeper than a ½ inch.
If you spread compost on your lawn and it is more than a ½ inch deep you definitely run the risk of your grass getting covered up and if that happens due to lack of light it may start to turn yellow and wither.
When you successfully spread your compost in a thin layer evenly over your lawn the nutrients will get absorbed back into the soil which is why compost is the best and most natural fertilizer you can use in your lawn care routine.
Aerating Your Lawn Will Make It Greener
Aerating your lawn has so many benefits I’m surprised there are actually some people who never do it, I’m guessing they are not in a quest for lawn perfection like me and you.
Lawn aeration is the important task of putting lots of holes all over your lawn, however, depending on what equipment and method you use it can either be quick and easy or a long and hard job to complete.
There are many benefits to aerating your lawn from improving the drainage and allowing water easy access to the root system to making your lawn less compacted but the main benefit is that it actually damages your lawn and it is when the grass starts to repair itself the grass will naturally become greener and healthier.
The options you have for aerating your lawn are:
- Use a garden fork and stick holes all over your lawn.
- Wear a pair of aeration shoes and when you walk behind your mower you can aerate at the same time.
- Use a professional core aeration machine (it looks like a lawnmower).
Whichever method you use you will see massive benefits to the health of your grass as this is one of the best ways to naturally improve the health of your lawn.
Water Your Lawn The Correct Way
Everyone knows that lawns love water but if you use the wrong technique for watering your lawn you may actually be making your lawn less healthy. When it comes to watering your lawn less is more, it is best that you water your lawn less often but when you do water your lawn you should give it a deep watering.
If you water your lawn a little bit every day it will encourage the roots of your grass to stay near the surface as that’s where it is getting its water from.
When you water your lawn less often but give it deep water you will encourage the root system to grow deep as it searches for water and this will lead to a healthier lawn.
Healthy lawns have deep root systems and this means it is easier for your lawn to stay healthy during periods of drought as water near the surface will dry up a lot quicker than water that is deep in the soil.
You really have to be the judge when it comes to deciding when your lawn needs water as it depends on your local climate and type of grass but don’t be someone who waters your lawn every day as it will become dependant on you feeding it surface water instead of growing a healthy deep root system.
Check out these tips for reviving your grass after winter.
Overseeding Your Lawn Is A Good Idea
Overseeding your lawn with fresh grass seed is never a bad idea. When you overseed your lawn is is one of the most natural ways to make it greener.
If your lawn suffers from heavy use you really should make overseeding part of your annual routine as having fresh grass growing can massively improve the health of your lawn.
When your lawn is full of thick green grass it means there is very little room for weeds to start growing on your lawn.
Overseeding can be an opportunity to engineer your lawn to have naturally green grass all year long as if your lawn is warm season grass you can overseed with cool-season and vice versa and this tactic means you should have grass growing in season all year long.
