1. Good Soil
Building healthy soil is at the heart of organic lawn care. Just as a healthy person is less susceptible to colds, healthy plants are less susceptible to insects and diseases.
Healthy soil equals a healthy lawn. And, because the organic matter in the soil acts like a sponge by holding the nutrients and water for future use, an organic lawn is self-sustaining.
That means, over time you are doing less and less to maintain it.
2. Appropriate Plantings
Native plants are an ideal choice for your garden. Natives have been here well before Christopher Columbus set sail. And, because they’ve been here so long, they have co-evolved with animals, insects, fungi, and microbes, thus forming a complex and necessary network of relationships. Natives are the foundation of our natural communities.
According to the Audubon, without native plants and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds couldn’t survive. For example, research by the entomologist Doug Tallamy has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars, whereas ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars. When it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees, that is a significant difference.
3. Thick Grass
A regionally appropriate grass (or grass mix) will tolerate local weather and soil conditions more easily than imported varieties, and as a result will need less watering and less fertilizer. The first line of defense against weeds is a thick, healthy lawn. Thick grass crowds out weeds while thin grass sits there, inviting invasion.
Weeds are incredibly opportunistic and will move into any bare spot they can find, but even weeds need at least minimally attractive conditions, including space and light. Thick grass deprives them of both.
Keep in mind, it doesn’t count if your lawn is thick but shorn as close as a 1950’s crew-cut. Shave it close, and once again you’re inviting problems. Exposing grass roots and soil to summer heat damages the grass and increases evaporation, while also letting weeds that have managed to sprout find the light they need to take off — and take over. So, you only get points for thick grass if it’s well above putting-green length.
Deep roots are one of the signs of a healthy lawn, and they work hard to keep it healthy. Deep roots allow a plant to reach water for a long time after rain or irrigation, helping to protect the grass from drought. Since a plant can access nutrients only as far away as its roots reach, a healthy, deep root system gives grass access to more nutrients, reducing the need for fertilizer.
4. Regular Maintenance
Maintaining your property means different things to different people. For Greenwise, it means caring for your property to create a sustainable, safe yard that brings you joy. We use a 5-step organic fertilizer program throughout the growing season. Plus, we aerate the turf to enable oxygen and nutrients to reach the roots, seed and overseed to repair bare spots, thus preventing weeds from taking over, and add mulch and compost to supply more nutrients and suppress weeds.
Greenwise Takes a Unique Approach to Organics
Not all organic fertilizers are created equal. Greenwise chooses potent and dense organic ingredients resulting in a powerful fertilizer that’s effective and affordable.
We stand behind our products and are consistently researching and tweaking our organic program and customizing our fertilization product to create a system that we trust works best for your property.
Our products are crafted to work symbiotically to give your soil the best chance to be healthy, viable, and sustainable.
Think of it as an artisanal approach to organic lawn care. When our technicians come out to fertilize your property, they aren’t just fertilizing, they are observing what’s happening with your turf. If they see a bare spot, they will overseed. If they see salt damage, especially during the first fertilization, they will put down a soil builder to absorb the sodium. To put it simply, we are your caretakers.
Take the Label Challenge
Other landscaping companies might offer organic fertilizers, but they’ll most likely blend in synthetic weed management products into their program. Few, if any, offer natural weed management programs.
Do you know what’s in your lawn care provider’s products? Take the label challenge. Ask your lawn care provider to show you the labels for the products they are using on your lawn. Are they organic? Need help reading the label? Send it to us and we’ll happily review it.
Greenwise guarantees that every ingredient on our fertilization labels is approved for organic food production. Our products are 100% safe all the time.
Call us today for a free consult at (847) 866-1930; we’d love to help you grow a safer lawn for you and your family!