Organic Gardening Myths and Urban Legends

The Truth Behind Misleading Lawn and Garden Tips

Mar 30, 2009

Some false garden ideas have been around so long that organic gardeners forget to question these urban legends. Learn about grass clippings, peat moss, and weed fabric.

Gardeners afraid to leave their grass clippings on the lawn and those who buy bales of peat moss for soil amending aren’t alone. Learn the truth behind some common garden myths to get the most from the landscape.

Grass Clippings Cause Lawn Thatch

Thatch is comprised mainly of grass stems and roots, both living and dead. The biggest contributing causes of thatch are excessive fertilizing and too much watering. Although grass clippings contribute moisture and nitrogen to lawns, they don’t do so in amounts that cause thatch. In fact, leaving grass clippings on an organic lawn is a healthy practice that reduces the need for supplemental watering and contributes to 25% of a lawn’s nitrogen needs.

Amend the Soil when Planting Trees and Shrubs

Organic gardeners can become so attached to their compost; they sometimes don’t know when to appreciate the native soils in their yard. When planting trees and shrubs, gardeners must not backfill the planting hole with copious amounts of compost or other rich, loose planting mediums. Doing so fosters the development of weak roots that don’t want to leave the limits of the enriched hole. This creates a pot bound effect, without the pot. Instead, backfill with native soils but mulch the plant with compost, so the nutrients can trickle down into the soil gradually.

Weed Fabric Kills Weeds Forever

Geotextile weed mats made from polypropylene fabric seems like an appealing way to create a no-weed, low maintenance garden. However, weed seeds can germinate on top of landscape fabric, sending their roots down through the pores of the mat. This effectively anchors the fabric to the ground, creating a mess for the gardener to remove. Furthermore, weed fabrics are ugly and do nothing to enrich the soil. Gardeners should continue to rely on an annual application of organic mulch.

Use Peat Moss to Acidify Soil

Although peat moss does acidify alkaline garden soil, this garden amendment is not environmentally friendly. Peat bogs take centuries to accumulate, and peat has an important function in the environment as a water purifier as well as a carbon storage unit. Organic gardeners can extend their stewardship of the earth by using renewable soil amendments like compost that don’t disturb wetlands or contribute to global warming.

Organic Garden Treatments aren’t Poisonous

Organic pesticides and fertilizers are plant, animal, or mineral-based, as opposed to the synthetic chemicals many conventional treatments contain. The benefits of organic gardening include minimal disturbance to animals, people, and the environment, but this doesn’t mean that organic gardening products are completely nontoxic. For example, some organic pesticides are harmful to beneficial insects, and many organic garden products are poisonous to pets and people if ingested. As with any garden product, always read the label for safety information and follow directions.

The copyright of the article Organic Gardening Myths and Urban Legends in Organic Gardens is owned by Jamie McIntosh. Permission to republish Organic Gardening Myths and Urban Legends in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.