Question
I inherited my father's home on Long Island. He owned a split level mid-50s house settled on apx 1/2 acre of land near the water. I know he had a regular landscaper taking care of the place and there is no doubt in my mind that chemicals were used wherever possible. But I would like to make the switch to "no" chemicals. It's just that I don't know much about lawns, and I don't know anything at all about organic lawns. Can you tell me where to begin.

Answer
First things first:  Get yourself a Soil Test.

Not one of those do-it-yourself kits at Home Depot and Lowes.  A REAL Soil Test by a scientist.  Late winter/Early spring is the best time to identify soil chemistry problems.  Fill out the proper forms, follow their directions and submit as instructed to the Port Jefferson Soilfood Web Laboratory:

Soil Foodweb New York, Inc.
555 Hallock Ave. - Suite 7
Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776
Phone: 631-474-8848
[email protected]

Building a beautiful Lawn is less difficult than you think.

Ever notice how some people don't do anything to their lawns and it looks fine?  Even though they have no clue, their grass gets mowed once in a while and still looks OK.

But their neighbors are working 24/7 on those 1-2-3 Programs with catchy names and great commercials?  They love their lawns to death.  They spend all their free time "cleansing" their soil, "purifying" their lawn, killing all their microbes with herbicides and pesticides and fungicides, wiping out all traces of beneficial
insects.  Next thing you know the grass is sick with weird diseases and circles all over their fluorescent green lawn.

Wow!

Now, why do you think that is?

Could it be that all that chemical stuff with the smiley faces is BAD for their grass?

It is usually best to sow a lawn in the fall.  This summer, deal with your soil.  Next fall, start your Grass.  If you have a full sun location, you will be delighted with your results if you sow a first rate gold standard state-of-the-art Kentucky Bluegrass hybrid variety from Seedland.com or other online specialist.

Because you can't grow great grass without great grass seed.

Meantime, order some pre-emergent annual crabgrass killer from Gardens Alive! or some other Organic specialist.  It will prevent annual weeds from sprouting and it will build your soil up for the rest of the summer without doing any harm.  This stuff has been proved at the university level to work.  There is a patent on its use and the products that use it need to be licensed by the patent holder.  Have it ready to use, right next to the garage door; it goes down the day the Forsythia opens, no sooner, no later.  And the grass by the way has to be dry.

Finally, for now, do what you can to make your local birds happy.  You'll know you're doing that when you pull up to your house and see flocks of them sitting on your lawn eating breakfast.  Or lunch.  Or dinner.  Birds love bugs.  And they produce lots of free fertilizer every time they visit.  Put out birdbaths and keep them filled; put out bird feeders and keep them stocked; and avoid the neighborhood cats, which destroy the local bird population.  Dogs are good for discouraging cats.  Get a good Dog for your new house.

Keep me posted and let me know if you have any questions.  And supervise your Landscaper to make sure s/he does not do anything un-Intelligent.