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" Until about 10 years ago, natural lawn care meant applying smelly, home-brewed recipes that were developed by trial and error--one shovel of powdered cow manure with one scoop of bone meal, for example. In some respects the technology hadn&amp;#039;t changed much since ancient Rome when Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 B.C.) recommended using odorous sulfur-oil compounds for battling crop-ravaging insects. Today, the natural way to feed the grass and control weeds includes both the old standbys and new techniques, such as applying a corn gluten product developed by an agronomist at Iowa State University. And the numbers indicate that more of these materials are showing up in America&amp;#039;s backyards. The National Gardening Association reports that from 1998 to 2003 the number of households purchasing natural fertilizers increased from 2.5 million to 11.7 million. The market for natural insect-control products saw a similar jump, from 1.8 million to 10.9 million households. That growth has been fueled by increased attention to the potential downsides of relying on synthetic lawn-care products. Fertilizer runoff has harmed many waterways by encouraging explosive algae growth. The Environmental Protection Agency lists Pendimethalin, among the most common lawn-care herbicides, as one of 31 chemicals it would like to see restricted or taken off the market. Two other once-popular lawn products have been banned in recent years. And a study conducted by Battelle Memorial Institute found that another common lawn herbicide--2,4-D--was easily tracked inside a house by homeowners and their pets. Ultimately, the substance was found on tables and windowsills, and suspended in the air. Some homeowners have decided to stop using synthetic lawn-care products entirely, and many more are making an effort to apply them conservatively. These gardeners may rely on natural solutions for everyday lawn care and turn to more powerful chemicals to treat only stubborn problems. The strategy has been adopted by some lawn services, as well. PULLING WEEDS &amp;quot;We try to minimize weeds with natural herbicides such as corn gluten meal,&amp;quot; says Alec McClennan, owner of Good Nature, a natural lawn-care company in Cleveland, Ohio. &amp;quot;But that doesn&amp;#039;t mean you&amp;#039;ll have none. So we encourage mechanical weed removal as a backup strategy. If we have a customer who doesn&amp;#039;t want to do that, we&amp;#039;ll resort to spot treating with a chemical herbicide a few times a year.&amp;quot; In addition to the extra work involved in pulling weeds, cutting out all use of synthetic lawn care does require some other sacrifices. Anyone whose blood boils at the sight of a single dandelion will find it hard to switch, as will those dedicated to closely cropped, emerald-carpet perfection. And while many natural techniques are cheap or free to execute, spreading natural products isn&amp;#039;t. A common residential yard measuring under 5000 sq. ft. will require on average no more than $100 of synthetic lawn-care chemicals annually, and probably less. Corn gluten meal alone will cost $40 to $60 more per year. And it takes about three years to become fully effective. On the other hand, loading up on corn gluten meal isn&amp;#039;t the only strategy involved in going natural. The real key to success, says McClennan, is to produce grass that is so healthy it crowds out weeds. Then, with proper feeding, the lawn takes care of itself. WELL-BRED LAWNS That insight applies whether a homeowner chooses synthetic fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide or the trendiest regime of liquid sea kelp extract and alfalfa meal. The first step toward heading off many lawn problems--and the chemicals frequently used to fix them--comes when you&amp;#039;re ready to plant.  &amp;quot;The grass breeders have done a great job of developing sturdier varieties with a robust growth habit and stronger root system providing more resistance to disease and insect problems,&amp;quot; says Ashton Ritchie, a spokesman and former agronomist for the Scotts Co. A generation ago, lawns suffered more from diseases and it wasn&amp;#039;t uncommon for homeowners to reseed much of their lawn annually. Since then, varieties have become available that are not only better at fighting disease and insects, but also are specifically suited for differing conditions of soil, light and water. And endophytic grass seed is enhanced with a beneficial fungus that secretes insect-repelling substances, and costs only slightly more than other seed. Proper watering can also indirectly reduce the amount of chemicals needed to maintain a healthy lawn. The cool-climate grasses that cover much of the United States require 1 in. of water per week. It&amp;#039;s important to administer it all at once: Frequent, shallow waterings promote shallow roots that are more susceptible to damage during dry spells. Cut height is important, too--homeowners can bolster their lawns simply by setting the mower to the highest setting and waiting to cut until the grass grows to between 3 and 4 in. (Most grasses thrive at a cut height of 2 to 3.5 in.) Testing the acidity of your soil and then adjusting it accordingly can further limit the amount of fertilizer--synthetic or natural--that you eventually use. Most grasses prefer a pH of about 6 to 7. If it&amp;#039;s too far in either direction, the plants won&amp;#039;t be able to absorb nutrients. LAB WORK The list of natural lawn-care products has grown beyond good old-fashioned cow manure to include such substances as bat guano and earthworm castings. However, the process of developing new alternatives is slow--they may be natural, but in many cases organic products take as much research muscle to develop as synthetic ones. &amp;quot;I started in 1986 and screened hundreds of natural products, and kept coming up zero,&amp;quot; says Nick Christians, the Ph.D. researcher who discovered the potential of corn gluten meal to strengthen soil and suppress weeds. Nevertheless, Christians is optimistic about the future of natural products for producing better lawns and better crops. One current project is the development of a new spray herbicide called hydrosylate. Made from corn, wheat and soybeans, it&amp;#039;s one of many materials being formulated to make use of natural allelopathic compounds. Plants produce these chemicals to suppress competing plants. Agronomists may use sagebrush for this purpose; some types of the common Western plant are known to have powerful allelopathic properties. And testing for similar naturally occurring substances is continuing. &amp;quot;This type of work is just really starting,&amp;quot; he says. GOOD PRACTICES Synthetic lawn-care products work their green alchemy on backyards nationwide. Using these chemicals correctly can help bolster your lawn, safeguard your family&amp;#039;s health and protect the country&amp;#039;s waterways and wildlife all at once.  TIMING Timing is critical when spreading lawn chemicals. Do it in the wrong season and you&amp;#039;ll probably need more applications later on. For instance, fertilizers containing a pre-emergent herbicide are effective only if used before weeds germinate or when they are very young. Employ them later, and you&amp;#039;re adding chemicals to the ground without receiving any benefit. What to do: The application window for pre-emergent herbicides lasts about three to four weeks. Ask a local nursery, or simply apply materials when soil temperatures range from 55\u00B0 F to 58\u00B0 F measured 1 in. deep. And never spread herbicide on newly sprouted grass: You&amp;#039;ll kill it.  APPLICATION How fast you walk behind the spreader helps determine whether chemicals are being applied at an appropriate rate. Over-spreading means lawn chemicals don&amp;#039;t go as far as needed, so you need to apply more. The excess can get washed into rivers or find its way into the house. You also can harm the lawn. Not spreading enough poses its own problems: The poor results may spur you to make more frequent applications over time. What to do: The target application rate is typically 2 to 3.5 pounds of material per 1000 sq. ft. Here&amp;#039;s how to check the rate. Use an inexpensive kitchen scale and measure out a pound or two, then put it in the spreader and apply it over a measured test area.  CLEANUP Fertilizer that bypasses the soil and washes into a storm drain eventually can damage rivers, lakes and estuaries--without ever helping the lawn grow. And any sort of lawn chemical that enters the house poses a health risk. What to do: If fertilizer or other lawn-care products spill on your driveway, don&amp;#039;t hose them off. Instead, sweep up the mixture and sprinkle it over the lawn. Likewise, if you need to hose down a spreader before storing it, do that on the lawn, not the driveway. Then, before entering the house, brush yourself off and leave your shoes in the garage. If chemicals spilled or blew on your clothes, or you wish to be particularly careful, change as soon as you go inside. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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