Sustainability Partners-

I hope the fast approaching spring finds you all well.  The early warm temperatures give rise to my fears that we may have another summer like the last.  Remember the 60+ days of 100+ degrees, or have you blocked it out like me.  Hopefully, I won’t be watering like crazy and praying for one little tomato.  I have been busy, busy, busy.  Busy, cleaning up potential clients yards for $25 (Spring Special) and spreading the “sustainability” word through various marketing avenues and ordering Compost Extract for the March spray and  training for the Red Bud Classic Bike Race and when time permits I have been planting my spring garden (because I like to be eating veggies while you guys are just starting to plant yours).

In case you missed it, our new rig has been buzzing around the cities of Edmond, OKC, Midwest City, Moore, and Norman (my home town) for the past month. We have been spreading corn gluten meal (pre-emergent), knocking down weeds a foot high (you know who you are), and soon we will be spraying again.  Tell everyone you know that ULAG is bringing sustainability to the city!!!

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -Mahatma Ghandi

Yes, that’s right we are pulling our equipment around town with our Prius to eliminate as much fuel consumption as possible. Then, we are mowing with all electric equipment that further reduces our fuel consumption. And finally, we are offsetting our fossil-fueled electricity consumption of our equipment with our solar panels!!!

Spread the word!!! Urban Lawn and Garden is “Bringing Sustainability to the City!”

Thus my new venture Urban Lawn and Garden starts its second season in the spring of 2012. To ULAG (Urban Lawn and Garden), words such as, eco-friendly, green, organic, and sustainable are essential to building a better tomorrow. We believe the more we learn to redistribute the stuff we use the better off we will all be. We believe we are pushing the envelope by caring for lawns in the most sustainably available ways. For example, we fertilize our lawns with Compost Extract that is made from natural processes, that eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers. Our Compost Extract builds the soil naturally and promotes a sustainable life cycle for your lawn or garden.

Stay tuned…  for more ways we are BRINGING SUSTAINABILITY TO THE CITY!!!

Compost Extract is produced by putting Compost and Water into a machine (the extractor). The hydrolic machine presses the Compost into a liquid form. The main difference between the two products is that in extract the nutrients are readily available for plant consumption whereas the tea takes time for the nutrients to become available for the plants. We are excited about this product and the potential for what it will do for your lawn.

When watering their lawns, people often water too frequently and too shallow. Frequent, light watering encourages shallow rooting, soil compaction, thatch accumulation, and weed seed germination. Watering longer, but less often encourages deeper roots from your grass. Ideally, you want to water until the soil is wet 6 inches deep, but this can be costly. It is also important to remember, different soils absorb and retain water differently. Having your soil analyzed by a professional can help you determine your soil content and the best way to know how to water. Also, different grasses require different amounts of water, so research water rates according to your grass type. Typically, shade grasses like more water than full sun grasses. If water starts pooling or running off, stop watering. The key is to water longer, less often; for longer, stronger, and more drought tolerant grass roots.

Nature, as I said before, thrives on diversity. This means that a lawn, your lawn, without weeds cannot exist without the interference of man. A mono-culture, or single species of plant does not thrive in nature, because environmental conditions vary. Let me explain that I appreciate a well manicured weed-free lawn as much as the next person. But as the parent of a six month old getting ready to crawl, I refuse to put chemicals on my lawn.

Okay, now for the part you have all been waiting for,  how do I declare war on the eye-sores:

STEP 1: Fertilize, so that your soil is healthy!

STEP 2: Cut your grass tall!!! This allows the grass to compete with the weeds.                            (2 and a half to 3 and a half inches)

STEP 3: Mulch!!! This feeds the soil and reseeds every time you mow.

STEP 4: Aerate!!! This allows oxygen into the soil to benefit the microbes.

STEP 5: Spot Spray Weeds with “organic” herbicide!!! This kills the weeds.

As much life within the soil as above it.

Having healthy soil means there is a living ecosystem beneath your plants.  There is as much life below the soil as there is above it. A lack of any of these micro-organisms means an imbalance in the ecosystem. Urban Lawn and Garden specializes in spraying Compost Tea, which is a solution made of primarily bacteria and fungi with some evidence of nematodes and protozoa. By increasing the amount of food on the bottom of the food chain, the rest will follow. As you move up the food chain, species increase in size and relationship with the plants.

The more of these organisms that have a healthy relationship with the plant, the healthier the plants. The benefits of healthy soil is good for all plants, including “weeds.”  More to come on how to weed out the weeds. (pun intended)

Previously, Urban Lawn and Garden sent out an e-newsletter to subscribers, but now I hope to create a much more responsive and informative interaction with you, our community. My hope is that we can share ideas on how to make our lawns and gardens more sustainable, the best places around the city to purchase materials, and whatever else might strike you in a way that we should explore.

The key to a community are members, so spread the word! Tell everyone you know that we are here at http://www.urbanlawnandgarden.com/community/!  Copy this link in an email and send to your contacts! Follow us on twitter at @UrbanLawnGarden! Retweet our tweets! Friend us on facebook and become a fan of our page! To receive emails for updates to the community, press the RSS button in the upper right hand corner and follow the directions. Share with your community about our community!

Here’s the plan, we’re going to post great information here as often as possible. We want you to tell us what you want to hear and how you benefit from the resources we provide.

So…

To make sure you keep up with us, you can follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed for the Community. Both ways work, just choose the one that suits you.