This year, why not make a resolution that’s good for you and good for the planet by resolving to live a more natural life? Once you’ve changed out your soaps and household cleaners and done away with all processed foods, you ought to think about what kind of natural life you’re leading outside of your home. Aren’t you worried about your family’s proximity to the nasty pesticides and fertilizers annually poured on our lawns? There are many reasons to switch to organic lawn care. The three most important, however, center around health – the health of your body, the health of your lawn and the health of your wallet! Organic lawn care is healthier all around. Go organic for 2014!
Protect Yourself
Much can be said about the dangers of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Much more is yet to be determined. The precautionary principle is advocated when the long-term effects of something are hard to prove or unknown. We believe that if the long-term damage of a given pesticide cannot yet be determined, we shouldn’t wait to find out all the problems it creates. We aren’t sure what health problems conventional lawn care chemicals will cause after many years of exposure, but if you follow a precautionary principle and avoid these potentially harmful chemicals, you can preserve biodiversity, prevent environmental contamination and preserve human health.
Fortify Your Soil
Synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides can devastate the complex system in and around the soil called the “food web.” Food webs are intricate and fragile with each organism and process depending on the other. A healthy organic soil is teeming with insects, fungi and countless microorganisms living and dying and nurturing the grass. If any one thing is missing, the entire web can be weakened or destroyed. Synthetic lawn care products may eliminate food web components. For example, harsh pesticides kill off ticks and proceed to squelch the nourishing fungi that should be underfoot as well. As a result, you’re forced to impose an artificial and incomplete food web system on your lawn in the form of gallons of fertilizer. The success of an organic program depends on keeping nature’s complex web thriving and intact, nourishing and sustaining healthy grass.
Save Money
It’s a common misconception that going natural means spending more! Going organic will actually SAVE you money on your lawn care expenses in the long term. The key is to stick to a solid organic or natural lawn care program that builds up the soil, allowing it to sustain the lawn all on its own. Inputs like irrigation and labor also lessen over time as the root zone approaches its maximum possible depth and the turf no longer needs supplemental watering thanks to the health of the grass and the ground’s improved moisture retention. It may take a while to wean your lawn off its chemical addictions but when it comes through the withdrawals, everyone will be better off.
