A No Feed Lawn

[mobiledynamics]

Off topic or on...

For our shrubs / flowerbeds, I primarily use compost as my mulch (albeit, I never have enough)
The only thing that does get a feed yearly , is the roses, with a good handful of alfalfa in the late spring.

Since discovering this forum, I can see there are some lawncare diehards here.
Do you guys think it's attainable to get to a certain point in soil topology, where one does not need to feed the lawn and still maintain it's health ?

Since having kiddo's awhile back, I've been trying to stay as chem free as I can in the garden (as they think they are invincible and touch everything). I hesitate about putting soybean or corn down, as I've got my fair share of 'coon problems in itself

[bpgreen]

Do you want a showcase lawn or a lawn that's ok?

If you want a showcase lawn, you'll need to fertilize on a regular basis.

If you want a lawn that's just ok, you don't need to fertilize. My lawn is now mostly native grass and clover, so I haven't fertilized in about 15 years.

[mobiledynamics]

On the hellstrip that I reseeded, with no irrigation.....
I guess I will try 50/50 strip. One fed and see how much the other declines over the course of a season. I know I won't have extra compost on hand....but will try to just topdress the *unfed* portion for it's 1st year - as well as some alfalfa pellets.

Just wondering how much in decline turf can get when it's left to it's own vices

[TimmyG]

Where I grew up west of Chicago (in the 70s and early 80s), the soil was black gold for as deep as you could dig. Nobody fertilized their lawns. I was just a kid at the time, so I didn't have an eye for what a good lawn looked like, but nobody had issues growing a lawn, and I don't recall any bare spots. Mind you, nobody sprayed for weeds either, so except for the occasional hand pulling, there was likely a robust population of broadleaf ground cover as well including clover, creeping charlie, violets, dandelions, you name it. And that's likely the key. Grass alone is far too high maintenance. Unless something is returning nitrogen to soil, there's no way grass alone will thrive or likely even survive. Nitrogen does not stay put, so providing a constant source of nitrogen is necessary to supporting grass. The easy way is nitrogen fertilizer, but you can also follow Mother Nature's lead. Clover in particular used to be added to grass seed mixes as a nitrogen fixer. See How Much Nitrogen Will Clover Put in the Soil?.

Most nutrients (other than nitrogen) will stay put in a heavy loam soil like we had west of Chicago. Leaching isn't so much of an issue, and as long as you don't bag grass clippings or collect your leaves, most consumed nutrients will be returned to the soil. Just make sure that you support a healthy population of nitrogen fixing ground covers as part of the lawn to keep the grass fed.

But on a sandy, depleted soil like we have in MA? No freakin' way. Even if I could get all the nutrients at respectable levels, leaching is a major issue due to the structure of the soil. Things like potassium and boron plummet if I don't provide a constant maintenance supply. Lawns around me that don't get fertilized, just mowed and watered by mother nature, quickly convert to anything and everything but desirable cool season grasses.

To answer your question, yes, if you have a high quality soil and can accept a mixed species lawn, you can achieve a healthy, low-maintenance lawn that doesn't require fertilizer.

[KBGkicksazz]

Adding fertilizer to a lawn is not toxic.

Even just 1-2 applications a year makes a big difference over a neglected lawn.

You have to decide what you want. Grass has its place too. A healthy turf absorbs more water and obviously provides areas for your kids to play. The aesthetics is obvious.