>> HELLO GARDENING FRIENDS, WELCOME TO BACK YARD BASICS.
LET ME TALK ABOUT LAWNS TODAY.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER COVERED THAT BEFORE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THEM AND I'D LIKE
TO SEE THE LAWNS GO AWAY, ACTUALLY.
PUT IN SOME NATIVE PLANTS, CHANGE EVERYTHING, GROW VEGETABLES OUT FRONT.
BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN VERY SOON.
PEOPLE REALLY LIKE THEIR LAWNS AND NEED THEM FOR KIDS TO PLAY ON, FOR THEIR PETS TO PLAY
ON.
IT'S A NICE COOL AREA, SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE LAWNS STAY, BUT MAYBE REDUCED
AND MANAGED ORGANICALLY.
IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO DO ALSO, IT'S VERY EASY TO DO.
NOBODY'S EVER LOST A LAWN BECAUSE THEY WENT ORGANIC.
AND ORGANICS DON'T POLLUTE; FOR EXAMPLE THE FERTILIZER 824, THAT'S THE ONE THAT THE CITY
OF AUSTIN RECOMMENDS, AND THEY RECOMMEND IT BECAUSE IT'S A FINE LITTLE FERTILIZER, DOES
A GREAT JOB, AND IT DOES NOT MOVE THROUGH THE SOIL PROFILE INTO OUR CREEKS AND STREAMS.
THE CHEMICALS DO.
AND THE LAWNS LOOK VERY, VERY NICE.
NICE THICK GREEN BLADES, STRONG RUNNERS, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE GO ORGANIC.
ANOTHER THING TO HELP US WHEN WE'VE GONE ORGANIC WHETHER A LAWN IS BRAND NEW OR YOU JUST GOT
IT OUT THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME, YOU CAN HELP REVITALIZE IT A LITTLE BIT WHEN YOU USE
SOME SEAWEED.
SEAWEED BUILDS CELL DIGGERS AND IF YOU'RE GOING OFF INTO THE SUMMER YOU WANT TO STURDY
YOUR GRASS, IF YOU'RE GOING INTO THE WINTER, SAME THING.
SEAWEED HAS A BUNCH OF HORMONES THAT CAUSE DIFFERENT THINGS TO HAPPEN; FOR EXAMPLE, IF
YOU JUST LAID SOME SOD, WELL, WHEN YOU SPRAY IT WITH THE SEAWEED, IT'LL STIMULATE GROWTH
MUCH MORE QUICKLY AND THESE ARE VERY GOOD PRODUCTS.
WE ALSO LIKE TO USE COMPOST TEA.
COME PAST HAS A LOT OF NUTRIENTS, BUT IT HAS THE ABILITY TO SUPPRESS
DISEASE ALSO.
SO THESE ARE SOME PRODUCTS I WOULD USE OUT THERE, BUT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE
OF THEM ALL RIGHT HERE AND THAT'S COMPOST.
LOOK AT THIS PICTURE: HALF OF THE YARD WAS TREATED WITH COMPOST AND THE OTHER WASN'T.
I BET YOU CAN TELL VERY EASILY WHICH ONE IT WAS AND THE ANSWER IS YES, IT'S THAT GREEN
SIDE.
ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENS OUT IN THE YARD IS THAT WE RUN INTO PROBLEMS WITH INSECTS
AND THESE ARE DEVASTATING.
USUALLY YOU SEE A LOT OF DAMAGE.
LOOK AT THIS: THESE ARE THE CHINCH BUGS AND THEY'RE DOING
DAMAGE RIGHT OUT ON THE LAWN AND YOU USUALLY SEE IT RIGHT IN THE HOTSPOT WHERE THE CURVE
MEETS THE LAWN ITSELF AND IN THAT HOTSPOT RIGHT THERE,
WELL, THAT'S WHERE THE CHINCH BUGS ARE.
AND THEY NEED TO BE MANAGED, YOU KNOW YOU JUST CAN'T LEAVE THEM ALONE.
SOME PEOPLE WILL USE THE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, OTHERS WILL USE INSECTICIDAL SALT AND THERE'S
SEVERAL OTHER THINGS FROM THE ORGANIC GARDNER'S CLOSET THAT WE CAN USE OUT THERE.
INSECTS CAN BE ANOTHER PROBLEM ALSO AND FOR EXAMPLE, FIREANTS.
WE ALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH FIREANTS AROUND HERE.
THIS IS AN ALL ORGANIC PRODUCT THAT CONTROLS FIREANTS AND IT DOES A WONDERFUL JOB, IT WORKS
VERY QUICKLY, I'VE NEVER SEEN IT NOT WORK, AND YOU CAN USE IT IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.
IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT YOU CAN USE OUT IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AND THAT REALLY INDICATES
TO ME THE SAFETY OF THAT PRODUCT.
GRUBS?
GRUBS IN THE LAWN?
GRUBS ARE A PROBLEM OUT THERE AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO RECOMMEND AND IT
ALSO DOES THE FIREANTS IS THE BENEFICIAL NEMATODE.
THE BENEFICIAL NEMATODE GOES A VERY LONG WAY AT SUPPRESSING CRITTERS THAT ARE DOING DAMAGE
IN THE HOME LANDSCAPE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MORE FAMOUS FOR IT THAN ANYTHING
ELSE IS GETTING RID OF THE FLEAS THAT ARE OUT IN THE LAWN.
VERY SAFELY BUT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT, VERY VERY EFFECTIVELY.
THERE ARE DISEASES THAT AFFECT THE LAWN ALSO AND SERENADE AND ACTINIVADE ARE TWO GREAT
PRODUCTS THAT WILL HELP SUPPRESS THOSE DISEASES EFFECTIVELY.
IT DOES NO GOOD TO SPRAY IT IF IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE CONTROL.
THOSE THINGS GIVE YOU THE CONTROL.
AND ONE OTHER THING THAT BUILDS UP IN THE LAWN IS THATCH.
WHEN IT'S A CHEMICAL ORIENTED LAWN, THERE ARE NO MICROBES LEFT, AS A RESULT OF THAT
WE BEGIN TO SEE THATCH BUILD UP LIKE THIS RIGHT HERE.
THESE ARE THE RUNNERS AND THE RISONS, THESE AREN'T THE LEAVES, THEY'RE FULL OF LIGMENTS
AND THEY HAVE A REAL HARD TIME BREAKING DOWN THROUGH MICROBIAL ACTIVITY OR
LIMITED MICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND SO YOU'VE GOT TO GET THAT HEALTHY, ORGANIC
LAWN AND YOU'LL BEGIN TO SEE THE THATCH DISAPPEAR.
SO HERE'S A FEW IDEAS FOR YOU: YOU WANT A HEALTHY GOOD LOOKING LAWN?
FREE OF INSECTS OR DISEASES?
TAKE AN ORGANIC APPROACH TO IT.
YOU CAN REALLY DO A GOOD JOB AND IN REALITY, HAVE THE PRETTIEST LAWN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
FOR BACKYARD BASICS, I'M I'M JOHN DROMGOOLE.
I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
>> VISIT KLRU.ORG/CTG TO WATCH ONLINE OR CHECK OUT OUR BLOG.
NEXT WEEK IS THE MASTER GARDENER TOUR.
UNTIL THEN I'LL SEE YOU IN THE GARDEN.