Green Lawn Care Tips for Cheap

May 20, 2019 | Lifestyle

Does your yard have weeds and need a little TLC? Check out this post for tips on how to get a green lawn that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg! It’ll have you seeing green… grass!

Green Lawn Care Tips for Cheap from Fun Cheap or Free

Generally speaking, going “green” means spending lots of green…. you know, the dollar kind. Having a green, weed-free lawn can can cost $300-$500 a year. That's just for lawn fertilizer and weed killer, alone! #TRUTH

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I don't want to spend a fortune keeping my lawn looking nice and I also don't like having to keep my kids off the grass for a few days after we have fertilized it. I asked my dad if he had a better solution and he said all you need is sugar. Seriously, that’s all that you need for a green lawn!

Don't believe me? Keep reading to see how easy it is!

HOW SUGAR GIVES YOU A GREEN LAWN

Plain white table sugar may just be the answer to your green grass problems!

  • Sugar feeds beneficial microbes, insects, and worms.
  • It won’t cause allergic reactions in people or pets.
  • Sugar will fortify grass while discouraging weeds.
  • It is easy to apply.
  • It is cheap.
  • Sugar will not only give you a green lawn, but will help you to “go green,” meaning that it is free from chemicals that damage the soil, our water supply, and ourselves.
Sugar can help with green grass from Fun Cheap or Free

HOW MICROBES AND INSECTS BENEFIT GREEN GRASS

Chemical fertilizers and herbicides kill off the beneficial microbes and insects that enrich soil. Sugar, which is the simplest carbohydrate, feeds them. And in turn, they will enrich your soil by:  

  • Increasing nutrients and enhancing the absorption of those nutrients.
  • Promoting nitrogen availability.
  • Increasing photosynthesis for a greener plant.
  • Stimulating root formation.
  • Improving soil structure.
  • Increasing humus levels.
  • Providing resistance to the climate extremes of heat, drought, and cold.
  • Controlling fungal diseases like brown spot.

St. Augustine and other grasses thrive on nutrient-rich soil. Weeds, on the other hand, love poor soil. That's because they can take over and crowd out unhealthy sod that barely gets enough nutrients from those sporadic, artificial feedings. Nutrient-rich soil, on the other hand, nourishes your green lawn every day without depletion.

IT'S EASY TO APPLY SUGAR TO YOUR LAWN

If you have something like this hand-spreader or this broadcast spreader to help disperse the sugar it is helpful, but not required. One of the best things about using sugar for your green lawn care is that you don’t have to be precise and you don’t HAVE to use a spreader!

Spring Green Lawn Care from Fun Cheap or Free

TIPS FOR SPREADING THE SUGAR BY HAND

  • I use an old juice container with a wide mouth, and walk up and down the lawn, shaking out the sugar.
  • Use a 5-pound bag for each 1,000 square feet of lawn. You cannot use too much, and it won’t burn your grass if more sugar spills on a concentrated area. You can’t say that about chemicals!
  • I would suggest applying sugar several times during the first year of use. Since your lawn has been damaged from years of chemical applications, it needs time for those artificial fertilizers to be leached out of the ground and even more time to replenish those microbes that have been chased away.
  • Once your lawn is normalized and you have your beautiful, green grass, you only have to spread sugar twice a year – during the spring and fall.
  • After applying, thoroughly wet down your lawn.
Green Lawn Care from Fun Cheap or Free

If you want to make your green lawn healthy and at the same time eliminate weeds, fire your lawn care company and start using sugar! Just try not to eat too much while you’re throwing it on your green grass!

Click here for the full article
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See HERE for a forum discussing the topic, with lots of Q&A and how it did/didn't work for other people.

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50 Comments

  1. Jordan Page

    This is awesome, Lauralee! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Grammy

    Question : does it attract bees & other stinging insects?

    Reply
    • Ethan Willis | Insect Specialist

      Hi, as an insect expert I can say that you have a point. There is not so much data about bees, yet it has been proven that wasps are incredibly attracted to sugar. Either way, they aren’t attracted in an aggressive way but are still likely to hover around.

      Reply
    • Dee

      Chemicals are killing off bee populations. This is a great alternative. Bees are our friend, pollinating so we have food!

      Reply
    • C L

      Yes; As well as carpenter ants which love to burrow out wood framed homes for shelter

      Reply
  3. phillypcp

    I have the same question as grammy^

    Reply
  4. Lizzie53084

    Same question here. Bees? Ants? I will go buy some sugar for this asap if im not worried about the bugs that usually come with sugar!

    Reply
  5. Mom Liz

    And what about the aunts? I don’t want a house aunt problem.

    Reply
    • mjv

      i hope you dont hurt your aunt’s feelings… oh did you mean ANTS?

      Reply
  6. angelfirz

    All I see is a serious ant problem. Could it be mixed with cornmeal? Which isn’t good for ants.

    Reply
    • Ridestherange

      Probably as it is suggested to plant tomatoes with corn meal, powdered milk and Epsom Salts. Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
  7. Amanda

    I’m guessing this is fine for areas that don’t have sugar ants but there’s no way I could do this. My city is practically one giant ant hill and this would be akin to inviting the ants to take over my property.

    Reply
  8. Martha McCain

    I just sprinkled sugar on my yard. The spreader didn’t work as well as I had hoped. The dugar had a tendency of clumping around the bottom. I had to really shake the spreader. When I got to the back yard? I did it by hand. My yard is all bermuda and I can’t imagine why this would hurt it. Time will only tell.

    Reply
    • asparks1234

      Did you see a difference after using the sugar? good or bad?

      Reply
  9. Magie Struck

    ya… I now have an ant problem 🙁

    Reply
  10. Lawn Care Los Angeles

    Seriously? How did it go? It’s always great to find a more economical way of doing thins.
    It’s true about the harmful pesticides and all. In case one is opting to hire lawn care professionals, it’s important to hire those who have permits and really know what they’re doing. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Bree

    You can also use Epsom salt if you are worried about attracting ants

    Reply
  12. Yasmin

    What about the ants on the lawn, will the sugar not increase the ants

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      I haven’t tried it personally because we are still working on our landscaping in our house. According to the comments and reviews other people have made, only a few people have had ant problems. I recommend just experimenting on a small square of lawn to test it if you’re hesitant!

      Reply
  13. Gloria

    How long before you should see a difference after application?

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      We haven’t used it on our yard yet but others say they start seeing results pretty quickly!

      Reply
  14. Kevin

    I have a 1/4 acher of land and 50 lbs. of sugar. Is the fall the best time to lay the sugar for next year?

    Reply
  15. Larry

    This is a seriously BAD IDEA. Sugar will attract ants better than anything else. Ants will bring aphids, scales and other sucking insects to your lawn and plants, and soon you’ll have a sweet mess of a yard. In the U.S., you can check with your County Agricultural Extension Office to learn more how ants “herd” sucking insects. Even urban counties have Agricultural Extension Offices–check Google or call 411 to find the one near you.

    Sugar will also attract mice, rats, raccoons and even bears if you have them nearby. Again, this is a BAD IDEA.

    Reply
  16. Mark

    This is very helpful. Thanks!

    Reply
  17. DeAnna

    This sounds too good to be true. Now my husband has been battling the moss that is trying to take over our front lawn where we have tons of shade from our very old (and big) maple and elm trees. My question is… would moss be fortified or discouraged? I am not sure if the have short or deep roots . We just want a healthy, green, moss free lawn.

    Reply
  18. JAYSON

    Just water your lawn as directed and the sugar should soak into the soil where critters shouldn’t be able to gather the sugar.

    Reply
  19. Sharon

    What if you make a sugar water mix, then apply? Then you wouldn’t have to water the yard immediately after. Just wondering.

    Reply
    • Bernadine Cornelius

      Sounds like a great idea, then the soil is sweet and no sugar for the ants

      Reply
  20. Alex

    Everyone should try milorganite it’s a super natural fertilizer with great reviews cost $12 at home depot.

    Reply
    • Mugsy

      I have heard miorganite is made from sewage sludge and is contaminated with heavy metals….anyone know if this is true?

      Reply
  21. Mohiuddin syed

    I am new to this forum. I have used sugar and works great with no ant problem. Used only in small portion. But my problem is different than others. My front and side yard has St Augustine grass and in the backyard I have Bahia grass. Problem is can’t keep St Augustine away from Bahia grass. Any ideas will be a great help. I do have fertilizing company working at this time.

    Reply
  22. Cliff

    Won’t the sugar attract ants

    Reply
  23. Diane

    I have a real problem with using food stuffs for things other than eating. If we all did this, it would raise the price of sugar and encourage manufacturers to use lower quality ingredients, like high fructose corn syrup. Also, production from sugar cane is very labor intensive and extremely hard on the environment. If you knew the history of sugar production, you wouldn’t be so frivolous with sugar. There are a number of other “natural” substances you can use instead of fossil fuels. Or you could view yard work as exercise to be befitted from. Or you could get rid of most of your lawn because it is environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable anyway. There a number of things you could do to be “natural” AND sustainable at the same time by doing something simple like spotting your weeds with vinegar or boiling water . And you wint have to worry about attracting and feeding wasps and other nuisance bugs.

    Reply
  24. June

    Mix the sugar with baking soda the ants can t digest it so they die

    Reply
  25. Adam

    Sounds good In theory but simply not true. By “enriching the soil” that will not eliminate Bermuda grass or crabgrass. Those have to be chemically removed. Many other factors come into play. Ph, sodium levels, magnesiun, phosphorous, potassium. Many elements are needed for a green lawn. Most importantly nitrogen for warm season grasses that sugar simply can’t supply.

    Reply
  26. Pat

    Ill this not atract ants

    Reply
  27. Mike

    This just isn’t true. Sugar attracts microbes that will lower the nitrogen in your soil. Grass needs nitrogen. Your lawn will be less healthy with sugar.

    Reply
    • Charley

      Sugar feeds the microherd in the soil. Microbes die and decompose leaving their remains as nitrogen in the soil. Pant roots and microbes are what create the soil organic matter containing nitrogen.

      Reply
      • WhatAboutTheNematodes?

        I think the turf may benefit from this temporarily, but what happens after the sugar is gone? Are there any unintended consequences (such as the ants mentioned, will it attract other pests? How will it affect the soil long-term?

        It seems like adding compost and/or worm castings, over-seeding, thatching and aerating may be better places to start for the short and long-term of the soil/turf, albeit more pricey.

        I highly recommend doing further research on this. Particularly from Universities as they will have the science to back their theories. Call your local university that has a horticulture department and ask them. They love to prove/disprove things like this. 🙂

        Reply
        • FunCheapOrFree

          Those are definitely some good options, just more expensive, as you said. I’ll have to check into universities doing some research on this! 🙂

          Reply
  28. Ivet

    A nice green lawn, with a ton of aunts. My poor dogs!

    Reply
  29. David

    If my lawn is Bermuda grass will it kill it?

    Reply
  30. William

    I am going to do just what you said to do because i want to see this for myself.

    Reply
  31. miles

    Just a spoon full of sugar lol!

    Reply
    • mila

      lol

      Reply
  32. kay

    what about land clearing? will this method work when creating crop fields?

    Reply
  33. Curtis

    This is really helpful and informative. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  34. Heather B

    Wow, I had never heard of doing this! What a genius idea!

    Reply
  35. Lilia Robberts

    Me and my husband moved into our new home in February. Now I am working on having my yard look beautiful. I need to look into a landscaper as well to help me get everything arranged exactly how I want it. The tip of using sugar caught me off guard at first, but after reading the explanation makes me excited to use sugar! I had no idea it helped microbes that were good.

    Reply

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