A lot of harmful chemicals can be used through a landscaping service, such as chemicals in weed treatments or lawn preservatives and coloring. These treatments are often toxic and can seep into the groundwater. They also might have a potent smell, which isn’t good when you’re trying to get customers to visit your business. This is why organic yard care is rising in popularity. Organic yard care limits the use of these nasty chemicals and opts for more natural lawn care methods. Here, we’ll go through what natural lawn care entails, some available organic lawn care products, and possible organic lawn care services.
Natural Lawn Care
Because natural lawn care strives to use little or no harmful chemicals, it’s very environmentally conscious. Even traditional fertilizers can contain toxic chemicals. Even though they might help the grass grow, these fertilizers can have other harmful effects. Having a healthier commercial green makes it easier to transition to organic yard care methods, since un-maintained lawns require harsh weed treatments and heavy-duty fertilizers. Testing your soil is the first step in seeing how to proceed with organic yard care. Being able to address the root of why your lawn may not be growing healthily will help you move forward with organic yard care.
Organic Lawn Care Products
Once you’ve determined that natural lawn care will work for your commercial lawn, it’s time to look into organic lawn care products to start getting your lawn to look its finest. Owing to the rising popularity of natural lawn care, organic lawn care products are now widely available, and you can even DIY some of them! Here are some organic lawn care products you can use:
Natural Compost as Fertilizer
Using natural compost made from fruit and vegetable food scraps saves your lawn from chemical-filled fertilizer. You can also use dead leaves or grass clippings since they’re packed with nutrients just waiting to be recycled. Using either or a combination of the two natural types of compost is a great fertilizer you can make on your own, saving you money otherwise spent on processed fertilizer. Natural compost can deliver the nutrients your lawn needs.
Plant Native Grass
What people are progressively doing is planting native grass seeds rather than constantly fertilizing the “ideal” grass type, which can be difficult to sustain. Native grasses have a higher rate of survival and thrive best in their native climates because they’re prepared to do so. Native grasses are naturally resistant to their climate and often require fewer fertilizers and other chemicals to keep them looking great.
Organic Pest Control Products
Bugs and other pests are certainly a headache, and they’re usually dealt with by spraying toxic insect and pest control products that contain poison. These chemicals can also negatively affect your commercial green. To avoid these products, you can opt for more natural pest control products. These products contain natural plant oils that either kill insects or drive away pests, depending on the oils used. Some pests are generally sensitive to certain plant and tree oils, which keeps them away from your lawn.
Cornmeal as Fungicide
Antifungal treatments can be harsh on your lawn, not just on the fungi you’re targeting. Instead of chemical-filled antifungal treatments, you can choose to use horticultural cornmeal. Horticultural cornmeal is an effective natural fungicide and it also delivers nitrogen to the soil needed for plant growth. Fungicides usually use harsh chemicals that can also harm your lawn. However, using cornmeal benefits the grass while it’s tough on the fungi.
Organic Lawn Services
Now that we’ve described some organic lawn care products, let’s move on to organic lawn services. Commercial greens do need to be regularly maintained professionally, especially if you have walkways, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep using toxic chemicals as part of your professional lawn services. Here are some organic lawn services that your commercial green can benefit from:
Mowing More Often
This might seem counterintuitive, but mowing more often can be helpful for your lawn! When lawns are mowed more often, the grass clippings can help deliver more nutrients to the soil and the roots of the grass, helping it grow better. Instead of using more chemical-filled fertilizer, you can simply use grass clippings! Mowing often will allow these grass clippings to return more and more nutrients into the soil for optimal growth.
Incorporate More Mulch or Stonework
Incorporating more mulch or stonework into your commercial green is a great way to elevate the look of your property as well as save money on upkeeping costs. Mulch and stone arrangements can be part of your organic lawn services because they don’t require as much, or if any, chemical treatments. This is an eco-friendly option that looks professional.
Overseed the Lawn
Lastly, overseeding your lawn with native grasses can make weeds less prevalent. This decreases the need to use weed killers and other chemical treatments to get rid of weeds. When more grass grows in a certain area, it’s harder for weeds to take over the lawn. Native grasses will grow strong and thick, preventing weeds to take root as effectively as in a normally-seeded lawn. Using fewer weed treatments over time will also strengthen your lawn.
From which natural products to use and what organic lawn services are available, we detailed the main things to know about organic yard care. Organic yard care is gaining popularity because the need to use harmful chemicals is decreasing as more eco-friendly products and methods become available. Oftentimes, organic products are less expensive because you can make them on your own, such as vegetable compost as fertilizer. However, it’s also always good to talk with professional landscapers to figure out what your commercial green needs and what organic products and services it can benefit from. Organic lawn products and services are also often less harsh on your lawn, allowing it to grow fuller and stronger than ever.
