Organic Way

The organic way: Give your lawn the earthworm test

By Gail I. Morris
Special to the Star-Telegram

You may know it is time for the season's first fertilization but still be confused on how much fertilizer to use. A simple soil test will provide the answers. Whether this is your first year to try organics or your fifth year, your goal is a healthy soil, full of earthworms and microbial activity. To determine how close you are to achieving this goal, perform this test.

Using a flat-bladed spade, cut a 12-inch square 6 inches deep. Slowly sift the soil into a box, wheelbarrow or bucket. As you sift, count the earthworms. A healthy lawn should have at least six earthworms in this amount of soil. If you are testing a mulched bedding area, you should have at least 10 earthworms. The bigger the worms, the better the soil.

If all your bed areas are treated the same, you need test only one bed. The same goes for the front and back lawns, if they're maintained the same way.

Plump, healthy worms indicate microbial activity, which benefits your soil. Small worms or the absence of worms means you need to improve the soil.

For homeowners who are still using synthetic fertilizers, the first step is simple. Stop spraying and broadcasting synthetic fertilizers. Beneficial earthworms and microscopic animals are repelled or killed by synthetics. The loss of these busy creatures is detrimental to the soil. Poor soil produces poor plants. The earthworms aerate the soil, bringing minerals from a depth of 6 feet to the top level of soil, where plant roots can absorb the nutrients. The worms and microscopic insects also leave behind nutrient-rich waste material.

The next simple step is to use organic fertilizers and solutions. Organic products add nutrients that Mother Nature intended to be in our soil. Within a few months of quitting the synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, you will notice results. With the addition of organic materials, the soil will improve and the beneficial insects will take care of the ones that munch on leaves and destroy plants.

Gail I. Morris writes this column for the `Star-Telegram.' She is a member of the Organic Garden Club of Fort Worth.