
To make sure your lawn fertilizer is environmentally friendly, check to see that it achieves the standards of the EPA and OSB (National Organic Standards Board) guidelines

environmentally friendly garden care products.
About Organic Lawn fertilizers
If you're look
pet friendly lawn fertilizers, most organic lawn fertilizers that are certified by the EPA pose no risk to your pets. You can also talk to your veterinarian or local extension agent
other recommendations.
Most organic lawn fertilizers are designed to build up the soil itself, whe
s artificial fertilizers may not do much to help c
te healthier soil. Also, look
organic lawn fertilizers that help stimulate the presence of beneficial soil organisms. These critters that live in the soil can actually help b
k down some elements of the lawn fertilizer and inc
se their efficiency. If you have healthy soil with lots of organic material mixed and a high number of soil organisms, your grass will naturally be able to fight diseases, pathogenic nematodes, and the pests that may attack your lawn.
Most organic lawn fertilizers are also designed to be more efficiently absorbed than synthetic fertilizers. This is especially true of l
id organic lawn fertilizers. This means that excess nutrients are less likely to find their way into local water supplies and contaminate the water.
Environmentally friendly lawn fertilizers generally come in two
ms, dry organic fertilizers and l
id organic fertilizers. Dry organic lawn fertilizers will typically stay on the lawn longer and there
e re
re fewer t
tments. However, you will need some sort of sp
der to distribute them over your lawn. There
e, they are harder to use on irregularly shaped lawns. Dry organic lawn fertilizers may contain such natural
redients as blood meal, alfalfa, corn gluten meal, and feather meal.
L
id organic lawn fertilizers are absorbed almost instantly by your grass. This makes them useful
a
ck green
of your grass. Products like HastaGro l
id organic fertilizer are intended as foliar t
tments. This means that nutrients are absorbed
ckly and effectively through the leaves. An added advantage of l
id fertilizers is that they slowly release nitrogen, mean
they're very unlikely to burn your lawn.
Us
Dry Organic Lawn Fertilizers
Dry organic fertilizers are useful
cover
large a
s. To use them, you will need some kind of sp
der. Otherwise, you risk not hav
your dry fertilizer distributed out evenly over the lawn. Keep in mind that dry fertilizers are difficult to use on irregularly shaped lawns.
Sp
ders are available in either drop or broadcast sp
ders. Drop sp
ders drop the fertilizer directly below the sp
der. They are economical and good
smaller spaces. Broadcast sp
ders actually shoot the fertilizer beyond the sp
der over a large a
. If you have a large lawn, you'll probably want to use a broadcast sp
der.
Us
L
id Organic Lawn Fertilizers
L
id lawn fertilizers are generally very easy to use. You simply attach the l
id fertilizer to a common garden hose. The easy application of a l
id organic lawn fertilizer makes them ideal
fertiliz
irregular spaces. Remember to
d the application instruction
your l
id lawn fertilizer very carefully be
e you use it.
In addition to organic lawn fertilizers, you can use several different natural lawn care techn
es to take care of your lawn. For example:
Test your soil frequently to determine what it needs.
Keep your clipp
s on your lawn. This is known as "grass-cycl
" and will help keep nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the soil. A reel mower is ideal
keep
grass clipp
s where they should be, on your lawn. If you keep your grass clipp
s on your lawn, you can reduce the use of l
id organic fertilizers to about four times a grow
season.
Avoid fertiliz
if you're expect
rain. The fertilizer may simply wash off and will not do your lawn any good.