Heathy lawn au natural

THE GARDEN FANATIC

“If you plant it, they will come.”

-- WITH APOLOGIES TO “FIELD OF DREAMS”

“Walking in my footsteps ... “

-- STING

Although the daylight hours are still increasing, the days of June

are dwindling rapidly. Where have they gone? My calendar has been

filled with work, art openings, political fundraisers, story pole

musings, my mother and sister’s birthdays and, of course, gardening

responsibilities.

Catharine and I planted a lawn this year, ever hopeful that one

day it will be the site of her lap pool. In the meanwhile, Ollie, our

big tomcat, loves skulking through his personal field of green,

engaged in his next diversion. The resident raccoon and skunk dig

through the turf, in search of a late evening snack. Doves and

finches drop seed from their feeders, which germinate into weeds ...

all this activity keeps me busy maintaining the grass for their use.

Although I desire a weed-free, green lawn, I won’t sacrifice the

health of my family, pets, wildlife and the ocean. That requires

conserving water, use of low-impact fertilizer, organic pesticides,

and a nonpolluting, electric lawn mower.

I spent considerable effort preparing the soil prior to laying

sod. That meant double spading the existing soil with redwood

compost, gypsum, and Gro Power, to a depth of 8 inches. The work has

paid off, as the roots of the lawn have established quickly,

requiring less frequent watering. However, when I do irrigate, I

water deeply, to ensure that the roots don’t stray upward.

My fertilizer of choice is the organic product, cottonseed meal.

It is a balanced fertilizer that contains all of the major nutrients

a lawn requires. Being a natural fertilizer, it becomes available as

food gradually, so the lawn grows a bit more slowly. This means I

don’t have to mow on a weekly basis. And although my lawn is not as

brilliant green as those that are fed with high nitrogen fertilizers,

it doesn’t pollute with excess, nutrient runoff.

Lawn pests have been mainly limited to broadleaf weeds. Although

herbicides are available, I have decided to mow the weeds down or to

pull them by hand. This sure beats row exercises at the gym, and

keeps my wild friends healthy. When I do cut the grass, I use lawn

clippers and an electric mower, to avoid the smell of gasoline and

exhaust in the garden.

* * *

Congratulations to this year’s graduating seniors. And to Will

Morrison ... bet you never thought you’d be following in my

footsteps, albeit, 35 years later. When I graduated, I thought I’d

never look back, but happily I returned to Laguna and married the

best looking cheerleader as well. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1540 S. Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. He makes his home with wife,

Catharine Cooper, an artist and writer, and their three cats. He can

be reached at (949) 497-2438, or by e-mail at

landscapes@ln.coxatwork.com.