Is Organic Lawn Care Right for You?
You’ve heard of organic food. You’ve heard of organic skincare products. But have you heard of organic lawn care? It may be hard to decipher fact from fiction and know what goes into actual organic lawn practices. As landscape builders serving Naperville, we’re here to set the record straight and provide all the information you need to know about Naperville organic lawn care practices.
Table of Contents
What is it?
There are two aspects of organic lawn care.
- The first part consists of the materials that make up the fertilizers and treatments used for treating weeds, pests, and diseases.
- The second part that makes up organic lawn care is the specific techniques used to keep up and maintain the lawn.
Organic lawn care uses only natural substances and is free of artificial, synthetic materials or chemicals. Organic lawns are free of harmful pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that other lawn companies often use.
Do you want to know the unexpected benefits to hiring lawn care professionals? Our landscaping company in Naperville offers organic options to the traditional fertilizers and pesticides found in most hardware stores. We use carbon-based substances derived from plants and animal parts or residue to keep away unwanted weeds and pests. Overall we support green landscaping strategies. We use organic materials such as:
- Seaweed
- Worm Castings
- Bone Char
- Compost
- Manure
- Greensand
- Potash
Why Organic Lawn Care?
The reason for organic lawn care is simple. It’s safer. It reduces your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. It’s the green option. It’s better for the environment and better for your family. There are also additional benefits of organic lawn care, including:
- It develops a foundation for a healthy root system
- It’s safer for pets
- It puts essential nutrients back into the soil
- It is easier to maintain the overall health of the lawn
- It improves the color of your lawn
- It improves soil health
- It reduces the amount of time and energy required to keep your lawn looking great
The Harms of Traditional/Non-Organic Lawn Care
With organic lawn care, you can rest easier knowing that your children and pets aren’t being exposed to poisonous chemicals created to exterminate pests. Most products made to kill something are made with strong chemicals that could cause adverse effects if exposed to them regularly.
Children and pets are generally more exposed to lawns than adults are. Children play outside with their friends, roll around in the grass, and get their hands dirty. Your lawn should be a safe place for them to do that. It is part of our mission to keep your family away from harmful substances.
Our pets also spend time outside, and if our lawns have toxic chemicals in them, our pets can quickly bring those chemicals inside with them without us even realizing it. This chemical contamination can be problematic and harmful, and it would take a lot of cleaning to get rid of the chemicals brought in on your pet’s paws.
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How to Tell If Your Lawn Is Organic
It’s wise to be skeptical toward products that claim to be organic. People often believe the green labels without taking a closer look. When buying products for your lawn, look for the words “OMRI Listed ®.” When the Organic Materials Review Institute has thoroughly reviewed the outcome, products get that stamp and approve it for organic growing. Stick to products with that label.
If you’re working alongside a lawn care company, make sure they’re transparent about the products they use, the duration of the treatments, and the quality of their products. If they’re not straightforward about it, that should raise a red flag.
Transitioning to an Organic Lawn
If you currently use traditional lawn practices and would like to switch to organic, it will take time to see the full effects. Perhaps you’ve researched the process food goes through to be certified as organic. If so, you know it takes, on average, three years for pesticides in the area to break down and dissipate.
The process is similar for lawns. The effects don’t show up overnight. For starters, any previously-applied synthetic chemicals will take a long time to seep out and decompose. So, even though you’ve begun to use only organic lawn materials, your lawn won’t be fully organic for about a year or more. But it will be worth it in the long run.
You may also see some changes in your lawn, such as new weeds. This happens when the soil nutrients level out. We can get rid of weeds with organic weed prevention. However, we can’t eliminate them like a chemical herbicide can, so you must be OK with some weeds here and there in your lawn. If you mow your organic lawn, there will be fewer things to worry about.
There is a way to have a beautiful lawn and a safe environment. Lawn owners across Illinois have a choice to make when it comes to their yard. The first step is education. Please educate yourself on what it means to have a safe lawn, a safe backyard, and an overall safe environment. Educate yourself on the harmful effects of chemicals often used in traditional lawn care and why it might be in your family’s best interest to switch to organic lawn care.
Following these nine essential elements for landscape design will create a solid foundation
