Organic Lawn Care 101: How to Treat Your Lawn Organically

Organic lawn care is pretty desirable. After all, who can argue with it?

It means you’re being kinder to the earth and using fewer chemicals. 

But to get green grass and fight weeds and insects takes a thorough approach in Northeast Ohio, and you want to know what you’re getting. 

There is a lot of terminology used out there, so understanding what a company is offering is helpful so you can truly compare apples to apples when choosing your lawn care service provider. 

Let’s talk about environmental lawn care and what might work best for your lawn. 

What Is Organic Lawn Care?

Unlike more traditional lawn care, a truly organic lawn care program doesn’t contain any added synthetic fertilizers or weed and insect controls. Instead, it uses compost or manure as fertilizer.

If you’re pondering an organic lawn care program, the first question you should ask yourself is: What kind of results do you want?

If you don’t want weeds in your lawn, then a fully organic lawn care program likely isn’t possible since no products can stop weeds that are organic. But there are things you can do to make your lawn thicker and healthier that can help keep weeds at bay, such as mowing at a higher height (roughly 3.5 to 4 inches) and aerating and overseeding annually.

Organic Lawn Care Vs. Organic-Based Lawn Care

Here at Turf Pride, we use a granular fertilizer application with organic nutrients. This is the safe lawn care method we use.

We apply this between March and April to encourage top growth in your grass, as well as help maintain turf vigor. In May, we apply a second organic-based granular fertilization treatment, followed by a third in June, a fourth in mid-July/August, and a fifth in September/October. The last application of the season before winter is a winterizer application that helps with grass root development, storing nutrients over the winter for early spring green up. 

 
Our fertilzer starts with the good qualities of organic fertilizer, such as organic matter, but it also includes important nutrients to help your lawn thrive, like potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Throughout the year when necessary, we will also use pre-emergent herbicides to get ahead of crabgrass and other annual grassy weeds before they pop up, as well as spot treat with post-emergent herbicides when other more stubborn weeds crop up throughout the year. 

If you have any insect problems like grubs or chinch bugs, we will also use preventive or curative treatments to tackle these problems and get rid of them quickly. 

This would be considered an organic-based program. 

Watch Out For Misleading Wording With Organic Lawn Care

Beware of wording that is used in lawn care marketing as you shop around. If someone says organic-based, that still may be a quality program, but it’s not considered totally organic. Understanding the difference is important so you are getting what you expect. You can still have safe lawn care that is organic-based, but delivers results you want. 

Weed and insect control that works well is typically not organic in nature, but it’s also used in a targeted fashion to combat specific issues. So applying it properly ensures it’s not overused in your lawn.

Fertilizer, however, can be organic-based, and an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic-based fertilizer.

A totally organic program may not get rid of your weeds and insects, while an organic-based program can deliver organic-based fertilizers but tackle bigger problems as necessary.

Turf Pride Cares About the Environment, Too

You want a healthy, green lawn, but you care about the environment. We do, too. We are in this together for environmental lawn care. 

We won’t blanket your lawn with products if they don’t need it. You may only need targeted spot treatments to take care of some issues bothering your lawn. 

We offer three different levels of lawn care programs based on the results you’d like and your budget. 

When you’re ready to talk about natural lawn care, we can’t wait to work with you and help you make the best choices for your lawn. 

Want to improve your lawn’s health and create a thicker, greener lawn? Turf Pride can help. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll customize a plan that gives you the most attractive lawn on the block.