[TXGirl]

Originally Posted by RowdysMom

I would only use organic fertilizers. I have concerns about lawn products, even though I have used only organic lawn products for years. I don't want to expose my babies to anything harmful. Lawn fertilizers, weed and feed products and weed killers are VERY toxic and can build up in pets' systems over time.

In my back yard where the dogs roam, I only use an organic product called compost tea - which is a liquid you spray on and completely safe - yet, I don't let the dogs on it till it has dried. I sometimes use a granular organic fertilizer on the front yard where they don't regularly go.

The best thing for a great lawn is to use a mulching lawn mower - rather than one where you bag the clippings or the clippings just blow out on top of the lawn. The mulching mower chops up the pieces of grass and blows it down into the turf. These clippings are actually the BEST natural fertilizer that you can use - they are FULL of nitrogen - the stuff that makes your lawn green. I also "mow" my leaves - since it is the same principle - the nitrogen from the chopped up grass or leaves is GREAT for the yard and completely safe for your babies.

Now, it will take a couple of years for you to see the results of the mulching mower - but you will see it and organic gardners will tell you that if you mulch your grass/leaves and use something like compost tea or some product to vitalize the micro organism life of the yard soil - that is all that you will ever need! You can also aerate the lawn (punch holes in the turf, about 6 inches down and about 1/4 in wide - they have machines that punch the holes or you can do it with a pitch fork) and then put on compost tea, regular compost or something like that to stimulate the micro organsims in the soil. Aeration is GREAT for the lawn.

I also use an organic yard treatment for fleas and it works like a charm and is not one bit harmful to my babies. It is a microorganism called beneficial nematodes. You get it from organic gardeners and it just looks like a box of dirt. You put water into the dirt and then strain it into a sprayer. The strained water contains the micro organisms and then you spray it on the yard. The microorganisms live in the yard soil and they eat any flea eggs so that fleas cannot live in your yard. Now, that does not mean that if you have dogs that live next door and they have fleas, that you won't have fleas that crawl over and get on your dogs. So.... I use a product at the perimeter of the yard called diatamateous earth - a white powdery substance that is actually ground up sea shells and when the fleas crawl over it to get to your yard, it cuts their legs, the fluid in their bodies runs out and they die. Of course, you have to reapply it after it rains. It just feels like powder to us - it is not at all sharp feeling, but it is deadly to fleas. You can also use it on your plants if bugs are eating your plants - it will get rid of bugs liketey split!

Beneficial nematodes also eat fire ant eggs so you will not have any fire ants in your yards, which is very important for our southern Yorkies. The nematodes will also eat grub eggs and you won't have grubs eating your grass roots and for those of you who live in the south, keeping the grubs out of your yard will keep the armadillos out of your yard.

There has been a lot of research done concerning yard care and organic products and the organic products (and a mulching lawn mower) work much better than the chemical fertilizers and chemical weed killers. It does take longer to see the results though, but once you get an organic lawn program going, your lawn will look much better and your Yorkie will be completely safe!

Very well said! I agree 100% with RowdysMom.