Lawns to Love:Lawn weeds have something to say about the soil.

摘要

The secret to gardening success is in the soil, and that applies to growing healthy lawns, too. When it comes to nurturing turf organically, the basic principle of feeding the earthworms and soil microbes still applies. And when you do your job well,you're rewarded with green grass.You may also find, however, that plenty of robust weeds dot the turf. Garden wisdom says that most weeds are messengers, their type revealing something about the soil below. In other words, if the lawn features more weeds than grass, it's because they are what the soil is predisposed to grow. You can kill the messengers any number of ways, but the weeds will keep coming back until you change the underlying problem.If the lawn is studded with lots of plantain, thistle, or quack grass, the soil is probably compacted. Excess clover, trefoil, or wood sorrel indicates a lack of nitrogen. Several weeds point to acidic soil, including violets, knotweed, and hawkweed. The dandelion, at once the most hated and nutritious weed of all, is a bio-accumulator with a deep taproot that draws calcium to the surface.