Considering New York’s ban on lawn fertilizers and tightening restrictions in other states it seems inevitable that your lawn care will evolve as pesticide applications become more and more limited.
But what is organic lawn care?
The term is more or less unregulated so it is difficult to make an apples to apples comparison. However, there are two main approaches.
Organic – Organic lawn care is a multi year process that takes patience and commitment. Weed control involves hand picking and application of clove oil or citric acid. Insect control may include microbial products and specially formulated insecticidal soap.
Cultural methods with compost and topdressing improve soil and overseeding and appropriate watering provide a good ratio of grass to choke out broadleaf weeds.
Your lawn will respond even better if the lawn species is native to your area and the grass is kept at 2 to 3 inches long with mowers blades sharp and well maintained.
Hybrid (IPM) – A hybrid approach mixes in the above practices but may also include spot spraying of weeds and the use of “bridge” fertilizers (containing urea) to keep the lawn green until organic processes start to take root.
Because a true organic approach is likely a three year process, you may find a hybrid approach a good mix of environmental awareness, results and lower cost. It may not take as many visits from a lawn care company.
Picking the Right Organic Lawn Service
Before you decide on a lawn service, it’s important to know what they mean by organic. It’s also important to know what you mean.
If you want your lawn to quickly green up or don’t want to spend too much dough, then a hybrid or traditional non-organic program may be the right choice. If you are a true believer who is patient and will enjoy the natural process of your lawn improving, then a fully organic program is probably exactly what you want.
Large national chains have about 2% of their clients on an organic program. There may be a local lawn service with a deeper knowledge of organic practices in your area, so look around and get quotes.
