If you enjoy having a beautiful, green lawn, you probably spend a lot of time and energy keeping it that way. You make sure to water it regularly, mow it when it gets too long, and apply fertilizer as needed. Unfortunately, some of your actions may be harmful to the water table, any wildlife that lives in the area, and may even cause you, your children, or pets to become ill. You need to take responsibility for how you treat your grass and make sure to use eco-friendly maintenance treatments. Here are just a few you should try.

Fertilizers

It is important that you always use an organic, non-synthetic fertilizer. You want to use a product that will add to the soil with natural ingredients that will improve it. Do not use anything that contains phosphates or other chemicals that can be toxic. Make sure that anything you use on the lawn will not be toxic to wildlife, humans, or your pets. You may want to consider using a well-aged manure as the fertilizer. This will contain nutrients that are important to the grass and yet will not harm anything. If you use manure that has not aged, it may contain too much nitrogen and burn the grass.

Watering

While water is important to your lawn, you should only water when necessary. Unless you live in a very hot, dry area, you will not need to water daily. However, to get the most out of your fertilizer or manure, do not water for at least a day after applying them but be sure to water your lawn the day before you plan on using the fertilizer. This will allow the ground to absorb the nutrients to reach the roots and yet not be washed away as you water. If it is legal in your state, collect rainwater from your gutters and use this on the lawn. 

Cutting Grass

You do not want to have your grass grow too high as it will look unkempt and go to seed. However, you do not want to cut it so short that the sun easily burns it. It is best to wait until your grass is between three and four inches tall and then cut it back to two inches. This will shade the soil and also prevent weeds from growing. When you do cut, do not rake it up. Allow the cut grass and leaves to remain on the lawn to decompose and add nutrients to the soil. You can rake it so that it is evenly spread and sinks down instead of sitting on top though. Make sure that the leaves have been shredded in the mower too.

When you maintain your lawn in an environmentally-friendly manner, using lawn care products that won't harm anything, you are actually making the soil richer with nutrients. This will allow you to have a beautiful lawn for a long time. For more information, contact your local lawn fertilizer service.