About Charlotte B Expertise Questions on lawn care and gardening of all types.
I switched to organic gardening 10 years ago, and can answer questions on chemical or organic gardening and lawn care.
Experience I have been gardening for about 60 years, since I was a child.
I have the best lawn and garden in my neighborhood, and grow my own herbs for cooking and aroma therapy, as well as roses and other flowers,indoor plants etc.I can answer questions on safe gardening around children and animals, and for people with allergies.
About 10 years ago, I switched to organic gardening, and get better results with less work, and less money and time spent working, and more time enjoying.
Question I live in the Orlando, FL area and for some reason, my back yard is susceptible to growing nutgrass mixed into my beautiful St. Augustine grass. I have used Atrazine in the past to kill it, but I don't care for the chemicals. Do you know how I can get rid of it for good? And why does it keep coming back even when it appears to be gone after treatments?
Thanks...Cindy
Answer Hi Cindy;
The chemical treatment kills what is there, but then it wears out, and new seeds germinate and grow.
Make rich soil and weeds will not thrive. Weeds like poor soil, and if they even come up in rich soil, they will quickly die out.
Instead of chemicals, put sugar, at the rate of 4 pounds per 1000 sq.ft. Water it in well.
Next spring, when you would ordinarily feed, use sugar abain, and also corn meal gluten at the rate of 2o pounds per 1000 sq.ft.
Curn gluten meal is the by product after they make corn syrup.
Several organic companies put it out now, under various brand names. Nurseries that carry a wide variety of organic products should have it, or you may be able to get it at feed stores.
Sugar is just the white sugar you use for cooking etc.
When the sugar does is nourish the beneficial microbes that enrich your soil.
The richness of the soil is what gets rid of the weeds.
Corn gluten meal, in addition to being full of nutrients for the soil, is a very good fungicide.
That is really all you need to do, and just water, mow and edge, to have a beautiful lawn.
No chemicals of any kind, or they undo your organics and cancel out the benefits.
Charlotte
