A healthy lawn will not need pesticides. If properly maintained, your lawn will be naturally resistant to weeds and harmful insects. Here are some basic tips for having the healthiest lawn possible.

• Mowing: Mow your grass not shorter than 2 inches high to prevent weeds from getting enough sun and water, essentially choking them out of your lawn. Don't mow until grass reaches 3-5 inches. Cutting off more than a third of the blade of grass causes too much stress to the plant.

• Watering:Average soil needs about one inch of water per week. Water your lawn only if it's not raining enough. When you do water, place a pan under the stream so you can measure how much water you're adding.

• Use Organic Fertilizer: Chemical fertilizers can have harmful active and inert ingredients, and many are combination fertilizer and pesticide products.

• Leave the Clippings: Leaving the clippings adds essential nutrients back to the soil. In fact, leaving the clippings all season is equal to one full fertilization, saving you money on commercial fertilizers!

• Proper pH: Lawns should mainatin a pH of between 6.2 and 7.0. Take a soil sample to a garden center or you rlocal cooperative extension center, where they will test it for a nominal fee. You can add lime to increase the pH or sulfur to decrease the pH.

• Additional reading:"Home and Garden Pesticides: Questions and Answers About Safety and Alternatives," April 1999, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Available at www.oag.state.ny.us, or call 1-800-771-7755 for a free copy.

Special thanks to David Chinery, Turf Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension