Lawns are an important part of our homes and our way of life. For many years, we have been told that the way to keep our lawns healthy and free from weeds is to treat them with herbicides and apply high nitrogen fertilizers. The downside to this approach is that it makes the lawn completely dependent on these inputs to maintain a healthy appearance. This creates a system of overdependence, much like when doctors prescribes antibiotics too frequently, causing them to be less effective in the long run. The grass plants never develop a deep healthy root system, making them more susceptible to drought and insect and disease problems. The recurring theme in organics is healthy, living soil. The objective of our lawn care program is to "get your lawn off drugs" and provide living, biologically active soil. Weeds, insects and many of the other downfalls of lawns are often only the symptoms of problems and deficiencies in your soil. Our lawn program is designed to meet the individual needs of each lawn based on the results of a soil test and comprehensive site analysis provided by our knowledgeable soil specialists. If your lawn is looking great we’ll devise a program to keep it looking that way with less input. If your lawn isn’t looking so good, we can tell you why and custom build a program that gives you a healthier lawn from the soil up. Here are a few methods we may use to achieve a healthy lawn: In most cases, it takes several seasons to transition from conventional lawn care practices to totally organic methods. There may be a slight decline in appearance during this transition, but we are confident that the long term results of having a healthier, greener lawn that is a safe place for children and pets will be worth the investment.
Steps to a Toxin-Free Lawn: | 1. Re-evaluate your current practices - Take care of your owil and it will provide you with beautiful turf | - Test your soil
- Mow high (3" or more)
- Water infrequently and deeply
- Use seed appropriate for conditions
- Aerate your lawn, especially in high traffic areas
| | 2. Promote the "life" of the soil, don't treat it "like dirt" | - Spread compost
- Compost tea applications
- Organic fertilizer
- Fish hydrolysate and kelp
| | 3. Soil amendments - Provide essential trace elements for healthy grass growth | - Lime/Gypsum
- Azomite/Rockdust
- Aragonite
| | 4. Pest control - Do not use products that kill as they kill non-target species. There are effective organic solutions for weed and pest control | - Corn gluten
- Nematodes
- Milky Spore
- Spinosad
- Neem oil
- Weeding and spot control
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Lawn Mowing | Cutting your lawn really short means you have to mow it less often, right? | WRONG!
| | Bagging clippings is the best way to go....who wants them all over when you're done? | YOUR LAWN DOES!
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Every time the lawn is "scalped" by cutting it too short, it is stressed. The grass must work quickly to produce more leaf surface in order to perform photosythesis ans survive. To do this, the grass must use up whatever food is stored in its roots. The result is shallow roots and the need to continually feed and water the grass artificially. Because the grass has to continually compensate for lost leaf surfaces, mowing low actually requires more frequent cutting, not less. Leaving clippings on after cutting the grass allows the clippings to act as a mulch, preventing weed seed germination and preserving moisture. It also adds organic matter and a third of the lawn's nitrogen needs. Clippings do not cause thatch build-up. We consider both mowing high and leaving clippings to be essential for a healthy lawn, so we have added lawn mowing to our lawn treatment program. If you are interested in quote for this service, please call us at (717)545-4721.
FAQ's About Our Lawn Care Program What does the program do? | Our program is designed to correct the chemical, physical, and biological imbalances in the soil to provide a healthy environment for lawns. We feed the soil and let the soil feed the grass. Although our products contain nitrogen and other nutrients required by grass plants, they generally have to be processed by the soil biology to be available to the plant. This provides a steady and slow-release form of food for the grass and strengthens the root system which helps the grass in times of stress and drought.
| | What is wrong with conventional lawn care products? | "Quick-fix" petroleum based fertilizers make lawns grow fast and green, but exhaust grass roots and kill beneficial baceteria and fungi, therby promoting unbalnaced insect populations. Broadleaf weed controls kill weeds, but they also kill beneficial micro-organisms that work to keep soil alive and nurturing. Thatch build-up occurs when there is no microbial life to decompose it. Toxic pesticides also harm trees and woody plants and stay around much longer without a healthy microbial population to decompose them. In addtion, the toxins in conventional products contaminate the soil, seep into the water table, and threaten our irreplacable water supply. This puts your health, especially for small children and animals, in jeopardy. For more information, visit www.beyondpesticides.org
| | Can I walk on my lawn after treatment? | Absolutely! None of the products we use are harmful. Our goal is to provide our customers with a beautiful, lush, green lawn along with the peace of mind to let their children and pets enjoy it without the fear of exposures to toxins. Protecting your environment so you can enjoy it to its full potential is our objective.
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