Organic solutions for lawns 🌱
The grass is always greener next door, we often hear the saying, but what can we do to make our lawns a sight for sore eyes? Lay people would never guess how much work goes into a well-kept lawn. Starting with watering, mowing, with nutrient supplementation, but this is also increased by the aeration of lawns and sanding.
Why ventilation?
The process itself is used to remove withered and dead plant parts from the living fibres and to loosen the top felted layer of soil. This allows water and air to reach the roots of the plants unhindered.
What is grass felt?
VIDEO: grass an thin layer above the soil and under the grasses, which is made up of dead but not completely decomposed organic matter. To a lesser extent, its presence is beneficial, as it also acts as a kind of mulch, binding water and nutrients.
💡 IMPORTANT! Above a centimetre, however, it blocks the flow of water and air from the lower layers to such an extent that it does more harm than good. It also provides the perfect habitat for the growth of harmful fungi such as fusarium or snow fungus.
Tools for lawn aeration ⚔️
Today, there are several types of spring and knife machines on the market that can effectively eliminate the problem in a short time. However, their investment cost, given that they are used once or twice a year, is high and they take up a lot of space. In larger cities renting can be a good solution. However, care must be taken, as improper use can easily erode the soil or damage automatic irrigation systems running under the lawn.
Aerating lawns with hand-held rakes is tedious work and is only recommended for smaller areas. It also means that the area is left to regenerate for a few months after the work is done, during which time it is aesthetically neglected.
Organic solutions 👩🌾
A good solution to this problem may be to use biological products that promote the faster natural breakdown of the felted layer. Examples include Ino Bact N-cell, which is the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens contains 2 bacterial strains at a concentration of 1 billion bacteria per cubic centimetre. For more information on why soil organic matter is important, read this in our blogpus we wrote.
Dose: 0.5 dl in 10 litres of water, sufficient to treat about 200 m2
The tiny organisms it contains cut the decomposition time of organic matter in half, and their work makes nutrients reabsorbable by plants.
But at the same time, they also help to remove harmful microbes from our soils. The product contains bacteria that can fix nitrogen from the air, providing the nitrogen needed to break down the grass clippings, rather than taking it from the soil in front of the lawn. Apply in the early morning or late afternoon as they are sensitive to high UV radiation and water the area well afterwards.
From Ino Bact N-Cell supports the soil and the crop in the following ways:
- organic matter decomposition. The bacteria in it use organic matter in the soil, e.g. stem residues, to build their bodies
- can also use nitrogen in the soil, so it does not leach into groundwater
- produces the hormone auxin, a rooting plant hormone
- is able to exclude harmful bacteria from the root zone
