By Hannah Van Sickle
live in the country and my lawn–for lack of better terminology–is green but not so grassy. In fact, this summer’s abundance of rain has actually caused a large, seemingly dead area in my front yard to become teeming with weeds and I am ecstatic. But does everyone feel this way? I checked in with Rich Lassor, lawn care expert at Nature Works Organic Land Care, whose experience points to the fact that I might just be in the minority. So what’s at the root of the problem?
Somehow Americans, in particular, often pine after a perfect lawn instead of a healthy lawn that is safe for kids, pets and people to enjoy. It is not unnatural for homeowners, who switch from the pesticides and high nitrogen fertilizers associated with conventional lawn care to organic lawn care, to become distraught by weeds cropping up during this transition. “There is a reason for weeds if you look at the issue holistically,” explains Lassor. “Soil is a living thing [and] full of life forces that conventional agriculture ignores,” he added. In fact, the presence of weeds in organic lawn care is a natural progression as the weeds are messengers that communicate invaluable information from the ground up–namely, revealing soil conditions that can be a good indicator of the overall health of the surrounding environment.
Your landscape is an extension of your home. That said, prolonged exposure to fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides used in conventional landscaping–chemicals that have been linked to serious and chronic health problems–can have detrimental effects on the children and pets who spend time in these environments. Furthermore, chemicals migrate from lawn and garden into your home putting adults at risk, too. Let Lassor and his team of experts devise a custom approach to Organic Lawn Care to ensure your lawn is not only safe and free from chemicals, but also naturally abundant and in tune with nature. Organic methods and products–designed to Restore, Renew and Sustain your lawn–work to build naturally balanced soil into a thriving, fertile ecology that can support vigorous, resilient plants and reduce the need for watering, fertilizing, and pest control. This leaves homeowners free to focus on the natural beauty of their surroundings, not maintenance.
All plants, especially dense monocultures like turf grass, need special attention at different times of year to look and grow their best. Furthermore, lush, healthy grass needs ideal growing conditions. Unfortunately, most lawns are mown far too short and far too frequently–during times of stress–to elicit the results most homeowners crave. Which brings me to how Nature Works can help: in addition to these useful cultural practices, Lassor and his team are proud to offer a safe and effective alternative to conventional, chemically-based lawn care programs. Click here to learn more about their approach to custom lawn care, one that includes oxygenating the root zone of your turf in order to elicit vigorous growth and rebound after compaction; eco-blend over seeding with seed blends tailored to produce dense, resilient grass communities that withstand stress; and weed control spanning a variety of weed management options, from manual removal to selective organic products.
Remember to think carefully and tread lightly. And who knows? You might be closer than you ever imagined to celebrating the presence of clover, sorrel, and dandelions in your front yard–perhaps even by the end of this season.