Posts by mikem@organicsoilsolutions.com
Melrose Organic Lawn Care Customer Attracts Wildlife
Every once in a while, we like to toot our own horn and share the love for Organic Soil Solutions with all of our customers, friends, family and fans. Check out this latest compliment from one of our Melrose lawn care customers… …Thank you for the great work you’ve done on our yard so far.…
Read MoreHow the Summer Heat Impacted Our Lawns
It’s been one of the toughest years ever for lawns. I’m told we had 23 days over 90 degrees, as opposed to 3 last year. Of course, it was the hottest July ever and the rain didn’t fall that much. Today, its 80 degrees, the leaves are falling and it’s still September. I think the…
Read MoreDIY: Organic Lawn Care Advice for Home Owners
I often get called on by home owners for free advice on organic lawn care. Sometimes, particularly this year, it can be tough. If a lawn is dead or diminished due to summer stress, about the only way to revitalize it, is to slice seed it in the month of September. For the most part,…
Read MoreFeeling Like a Farmer at the Soil Health Workshop
I recently spent a couple of days at a soil health workshop at Cornell attended by farmers and soil scientists. I asked a farmer how the crops were doing in western New York this summer. I knew they had a tough time last year due to very cool, wet weather. “No one’s complaining this year,”…
Read MoreLooking Forward to Fall for Healthy Organic Lawns & Cooler Weather
There’s not a lot of glory caring for lawns in this hot summer. A lot of the cool season grass is brown, looking sullen and dejected. The too light green crab grass is wearing a smirk that says, “I can grow on cement if I want.” The crabgrass won’t look so hot once the first…
Read MoreIs Your Lawn Brown from the Hottest July Ever?
Some of the browning and stress in lawns this summer is due to a build up of thatch, a mix of dead and living roots, shoots and stems that accumulates between the soil and the grass blades. A problem occurs when the thatch builds up faster than it is broken down by soil organisms. Air…
Read MoreTips for Maintaining Your Organic Lawn in the Hot Summer Months
When people talk of organic lawns, they often mention something about tolerating a few imperfections. Well, this is the season for a few imperfections. Our cool season grasses love the cool nights of the spring and fall. That’s when they grow vigorously and develop deep roots. They tend to go dormant in the summer. A…
Read MoreWhy Are Soil Tests So Important?
One of the first things we like to do when we get a new customer is to take a soil sample and send it to the lab. A lot of homeowners signing up for our program have pretty acidic soil. With a low pH the grass plant can’t access the nutrients it needs and acid…
Read MoreGood Cultural Practices for a Successful Organic Lawn
It’s hard to over state the importance of good cultural practices for a successful organic lawn. That doesn’t mean you have to invite a string quartet over for tea. It means you have to leave the grass high, recycle the clippings and water correctly. I visited a lawn recently in Newton that was loaded with…
Read MoreNeedham Lawns are Filled with Clover
I’ve never seen so much clover. I was riding my bike around Needham the other day and just about every lawn had at least a sprinkling of clover. At first, I was really impressed with the number of organic lawns in Needham, but then I considered that maybe the chemical herbicides weren’t able to control…
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