Having an organic lawn and landscape is a process. Healthy soil, proper maintenance and seed cultivar are key to an organic ecosystem. I met several property owners this past year who were consumed with having a perfect, weed-free lawn. At the same time, the surrounding landscape, gravel driveways, beds and tree wells were not mulched, weeded or maintained. Weed seeds from the beds were seeding into what the property owners thought should be a perfect, weed-free lawn. In other instances I saw well maintained properties with significant soil deficiencies. Nature is constantly trying to balance and repair itself. Large quantities of “weeds” often tell a story or signify soil deficiencies. These particular “weeds” are nature’s way of replenishing the soil. Plantain indicates wet or compacted soil, clover represents a lack of nitrogen, dandelion represents a lack of calcium, and so it goes. Nature is about balance; organic landscape practices work harmoniously with nature to achieve balance in a healthy ecosystem.
