This surburban lawn got the ultimate organic lawn treatment and became an organic garden that will flourish with food within a season. Image: www.earthflow.com

A well manicured, sprawling lawn is the mark of a suburban home. It can also be an annoyance, a demanding maintenance project of- mowing, fertilizing, racking, more mowing. As knowledge of the detriments of synthetic chemical fertilizers expands, more people are turning to organic lawn fertilizers to keep their grass green. But, why stop there? Let’s delve into what could be considered the ultimate organic lawn treatment.

Before you buy yet another lawn treatment, think, is your lawn really serving you? Or are you, like many of us a slave to a green patch that we never actually use? The best organic treatment for a lawn is simply turning it into a front or backyard organic garden that can feed yourself and family and share the surplus to curious, perhaps envious neighbors who still pay for their tomatoes.

Consider taking your lawn and mulch out a portion to plant your favorite foods. You’ll be doing just slightly more work by planting than you would already, and the yields will be much higher. Fruit trees, are great additions to lawns, bearing fruit, providing shade and mulch to the edibles below.

Not all of the emerald green lawn be transformed into a garden. Keeping an area for children and pets to play may make sense. In which case, organic lawn treatments for you.

Paul Wheaton, a permaculturist, outlines two easy organic lawn tips, and they’re not what you think. First, set your mower blade to the highest level possible, about 3-4 inches. Secondly, water only when there are signs of needing water, and water very very well, at least 1 inch.

You want to mow high because the weeds will get “weeded” out if the grass flourishes. Mowing your lawn too short will give the weeds a greater opportunity in the race for sun and giving them a head start to take over. Mowing high will naturally keep the weeds at bay.

Watering infrequently will not only save your water bill, it will teach the grass to send its roots deeper into the ground. As the entire patch begins to dry out, the grasses will be collecting water at a lower level, while weeds tend to keep their roots higher, will begin to die out. Watering at least an inch will ensure the grass roots get the water and not the superficial weeds.

If you are looking for an organic fertilizer for your lawn, there are a few options out there. Check the labeling to make sure it is organic, preferably verified by an independent organization.

Consider making your organic lawn treatment more than an organic fertilizer and turn the effort into a greater extension of your home, where healthy food can grow, kids can plant and play and bees, other insects and birds can benefit too. Now that’s a beautiful view from your window.

Have you revamped your lawn into a more pleasurable and productive landscape? We’d love you to share your methods in the comments section or send us your pictures for us to show off.

Upcycle clothing into anything you want. Image: BeWakeful/flickr

Upcycled clothing might sound like some ridiculous new fashion trend, but it is simply put the recycling up your old, out-dated clothing. If you are creative and pretty good with a needle, this is most definitely for you.

With upcycled clothing you either revamp an old jean by adding something or an old shirt by maybe even removing something. Otherwise, you can only use the material and make a whole new design.

Not only is this a great money saver, but you are able to express yourself in a way that will cost you next to nothing.

You can raid second-hand clothing stores and cut and sew yourself something unique and invaluable. If you do raid a second-hand store, chose one that is connected to welfare organization. That way, you are also doing your bit for the community in terms of finance.

The greatest benefit of all is that by upcycling clothing, you are doing your bit to save the earth. Your contribution might seem small, but taking into consideration the material you are not using, it is quite a noticeable difference.

If you do use new material in the process of upcycling your clothes, use organic cotton. Make use of bamboo fabric and other eco-friendly materials.

Consider the harmful production processes and pollution caused by the transport of clothes, revamping your old clothes is at no cost to the environment.

The scarps of material that is left over from your upcycling can also be recycled, so do not overlook the importance of this either.

If you are very efficient and have an entrepreneur set of mind, you can even start selling these upcycled pieces of clothing. Combined with organic and eco-friendly materials, you can do this while causing minimal to no harm to the environment.

Being green and living an eco-friendly life has a lot to do with sustainability. The more ways you can provide in your own needs and provide using only eco-friendly products, the smaller the negative impact you will have on the earth.

There are many websites and blogs out there that can help you with ideas and places where you can find eco-friendly materials. Do your research and experiment a little.

This "fluffed up" angora rabbit demonstrates their abundance of fur that can be used for making eco clothing. Image: Squish_E/flickr

Angoras, of all the rabbits, have the look of a giant Easter Bunny that hides chocolate eggs beneath it’s massive, cotton candy like hair. Angora rabbits are both commercially raised, as well as on very sustainable small scale- all because their furry bodies make great wool!

Angora fur is used to produce soft and beautiful high quality wool that is between 6 and 8 times warmer than sheep’s wool. The wool is also lighter and softer, making for extra warm and soft clothing that doesn’t make one itch as even the best sheeps’ wool scarves and other garments can.

Angora has long been considered a high end material that is recognized on clothing tags, but how many people realize the word is derived, literally from adorable, poof-ball rabbits?

Not only are these rabbits are not hurt in any way when the ‘hair’ is harvested. Angora’s naturally need to shed their hair once every four months- this when the hair is combed, cut or shaved off.  The rabbit does not get slaughtered just for its fur like many other animals are unfortunately. So as long as the rabbits are raised and treated right (meaning not confined to tiny cages), PETA and other animal advocates can happily don a fashionable and guiltless Angora sweater.

A beautiful yarn blend of angora and merino. Image: namztis/flickr

These rabbits are a popular choice because they produce more wool per kilogram body weight than a sheep does.  Furthermore, these rabbits breed and a mother can have up to 30 kits (the proper name to call a baby rabbit) a year.

These animals do not need as much land to graze as sheep does and they require up to 30% less digestible energy to produce a kilogram of wool than a sheep requires to produces one kilogram of wool.

Angora rabbits also do not need vast amount of foods. They forage and can mostly find their own food around the garden (keep your prized plants screened off). Other people make movable cages for them and occasionally place them in parts of the garden or yard that need some weeding (which rabbits are great for). Their moving about the garden can result in helpful fertilizer. Rabbit manure is also used, along with other products, to produce compost. This compost is then used in agricultural lands. Owners either use this manure themselves or, if there is really no crop field to fertilize, the manure can be sold.

For people who sustainably raise their own livestock for eating, Angoras can be sold for their meat, which is classified as white meat- although feasibly, their hair makes them less of an ideal meat rabbit.

This woman is spinning yarn right from her Angora rabbit. Image: wsh1266/flickr

Financial returns are relatively fast as you can harvest wool within six months of getting a kit and have a market in which your Angora fur or wool will sell. For people who love to handspin wool or to knit, it may make a great deal of sense to add a few of these pet critters into your home for their continual supply of high quality angora yarn.

There are four species of the Angora rabbit. The English breed weighs anywhere between 2 and 3.5 kilograms while the French breed weighs anywhere between 3.5 and 4.5 kilograms when fully grown.

The German breed weighs in anywhere between 2 and 5.5 kilograms while the Giant breed weighs in at a minimum of 4.5 kilograms.

The most popular breed is the German breed, likely because it can produce up to 1.8 kilograms of wool if properly looked after and managed.

What do Angora rabbits eat? Many small or urban farmers and owners feed these rabbits with vegetable kitchen scraps along will rabbit pellets as a staple. Angoras, unlike other rabbits have a great deal of hair to produce throughout their life and a nutritious diet with protein is necessary.

Angora rabbits can be reared in small groups, or just keep one as a single pet. The main chore will be the proper feeding and harvesting of their fur. With smaller groups, not much labor is needed.

Angora rabbits are efficient creatures, and also make great pets as they are playful and social making them especially great for kids. They love the attention as well as the companionship of other rabbits.