Organic lawn care is a growing trend across America, as homeowners turn to more natural solutions for healthier lawns.
Everyone wants a lush, green lawn that they’re proud to display to their friends and neighbors. Thankfully, you no longer need to rely on harsh chemicals or unnatural pesticides to keep your lawn looking great.
Organic lawn care is better for the environment and poses less of a risk to children and pets that walk through your lawn.
However, while organic lawn care is becoming more popular, not every professional lawn care company currently offers organic options. The reviews team has made it easy to find the lawn options that are right for you. If you’re considering going green this spring season, be sure to review this guide to organic lawn care.
The reviews team recommends TruGreen for professional organic lawn care services. You can call 877-820-0392 or fill out this simple form here to get a free quote.
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Organic Lawn Care Essentials
Many families are turning to organic lawn care as a way to get a healthy yard without introducing unnatural chemicals into their lawns. When you go organic, the fertilizers and pesticides that used to go on your lawn are replaced with natural products that are safe for pets and children to play in.
While the methods used for organic lawn care may be more expensive and take a little longer to show results, what you get in return is healthier soil that is able to remain that way for longer than a lawn treated with chemicals.
Organic lawn care is often easier to keep going once you’ve made the switch to natural products, which means less work for you over time. Organic lawn care products are also less likely to cause illness or an allergic reaction in children and pets. This makes it especially beneficial for homeowners who have a very young child or a senior citizen living in their home, as these two groups are often more prone to illness and rashes.
Also, organic products that you use on your lawn are different than the weed killer or pesticides that you are used to. Organic options don’t use harsh chemicals like carbamates and benzoic acid.
Instead, organic materials like corn gluten, compost, broad leaves and lime are used. These ingredients can help with anything from a rodent infestation to boosting the nutritional content of your soil to help your grass roots grow in stronger.
Where to Find Organic Lawn Care Providers
More companies are now offering organic lawn care options for homeowners who want to protect the environment. The same basic options you can get from a traditional lawn care service will also be available by using organic matter. However, instead of using traditional fertilizer, the company would opt to use organic fertilizer, for example.
Some of the services you can expect to find at an organic lawn care company include:
- Seeding and aerating lawn — Seeding and aerating your lawn allows your existing grass to grow in thicker without introducing chemicals to your soil.
- Organic fertilization — Organic fertilizers often enrich your soil with ingredients like manure, compost and lawn clippings.
- Rodent control — Organic rodent control often uses castor oil to discourage pests from entering your lawn. Other forms of organic pest deterrents may also be used.
- Weed Control — Organic weed killers may use natural ingredients (like orange oil and vinegar) mixed in specific ratios to kill off weeds without harming your lawn.
It may not be the most common type of lawn care service that you’ll find, but organic lawn care is something many professional lawn care companies will add to their service packages.
The best way to find a lawn care company that specializes in organic lawn care options is to call around. Find out if the company you speak with offers options like top dressing and soil amendments using organic matter.
As organic lawn care becomes more popular, you might even see your favorite lawn care provider increase its all-natural offerings.
How Organic Professional Services Can Revolutionize Your Lawn
Keeping up with lawn care is tiring. It takes away from your ability to spend time with your family, get household chores done or even just relax.
This can be especially true for organic lawn care treatments, which may require more time and more expensive products to do the same job as their chemical-laden peers.
By having professional lawn care services come in and keep your lawn looking great, you get to keep more of your time. Professional lawn care services know how to use organic materials and treatments effectively, which allows the company to finish your lawn care in a fraction of the time it would take to do it yourself.
Hiring a professional service is also often more affordable than attempting to manage your own lawn care yourself, as these companies already have the expensive tools and products you need to enjoy a green lawn.
The reviews team’s recommended provider for natural, organic lawn care is TruGreen. TruGreen is a nationwide lawn care service provider offering a wide range of treatments that will keep your lawn looking fresh and green year-round. TruGreen’s TruNatural Lawn Care Plan makes it easy to do your part for the Earth while also enjoying a naturally gorgeous lawn.
Preferred Provider: TruGreen
The TruNatural Lawn Care Plan is TruGreen’s option for homeowners who want to avoid the use of harsh chemicals on their property.
This plan uses 100{5ad4713dcdf095b5e90aabe8844e1d4ac30f2574115e794a77015199f2c7d573} natural fertilizer to help your lawn grow in thicker and healthier over time. TruGreen’s organic fertilizer helps control weeds by growing in thicker grass that chokes out weeds. Best of all, once they’re dry, TruGreen’s products are all 100{5ad4713dcdf095b5e90aabe8844e1d4ac30f2574115e794a77015199f2c7d573} safe for children and pets.
When you sign onto a TruNatural plan from TruGreen, you’ll receive:
- Five general visits per year
- Natural fertilizer application
- Non-toxic weed control services at your request
- An analysis of your current lawn condition
- A satisfaction guarantee
- Service by highly trained, certified lawn care professionals
If you’re looking for lawn care with a minimal environmental impact, request the TruNatural plan from TruGreen.
TruGreen Locations
TruGreen is the reviews team’s top recommended provider because its services are available across the continental U.S. The only states where the company doesn’t currently offer services are Alaska and Hawaii.
DIY Organic Lawn Care Tips
Determined to provide DIY organic lawn care this season? Here are a few tips you can use to keep your lawn green the natural way.
Start With a Soil Test
If your lawn hasn’t been growing well the past season or two, you need to start off with a soil test. Chances are that your soil is weak and will need some material to boost the nutritional value. If you have soil that is deficient in calcium, your goal would then be to top-dress with powdered gypsum.
For most soil tests, you will need to go around your yard and gather a total of two cups of soil. Then, you would send that soil to a university lab or local extension for testing. From there, the university or extension office will send you results so you know how to boost your soil to be healthy again.
A professional lawn care company can also help you figure out which organic options can help you boost your soil.
Use Corn Gluten To Fertilize
Did you know that corn gluten is great for lawn fertilization? You can use corn gluten as an organic option to keep your lawn healthy and growing fast. It is great at killing weeds by not allowing the seeds to germinate.
However, it needs to be put down heavily and early. Don’t put corn gluten down if you’ve recently reseeded your lawn, as it also kills grass seeds.
Luckily, it is totally safe for grass seed that’s already germinated, whether you have put down seeds to grow cool-season grasses or warm-season grasses.
Water Smarter
When it comes to organic lawn care, you need to water deeply — not frequently. The goal is to make sure the water gets down several inches into the soil and then gets a chance to almost dry out between waterings.
Water once early in the morning and then again later in the day. Ideally, you’ll introduce half an inch of water to your soil on the first watering and another inch of water on the second. This forces your grass’ roots to grow deeper and stronger.
Don’t Underestimate Overseeding
Overseeding your lawn can really be effective when you want an organically green lawn.
It allows for more grass to grow since the soil is already healthy, plus the extra grass roots from both cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses can take hold more deeply. This lets the grass hold onto more moisture and allows the grasses to be more resistant when water is scarcer.
It also doesn’t use any chemicals to help your grass grow thicker and greener. Search for a lawn care company that provides overseeding for a fast, organic answer to a healthy lawn.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may still have a few questions about the organic lawn care process. Find out more below.
Is organic lawn care better?
Organic lawn care is better than lawn care that involves chemicals in the sense that it’s safer for your family and pets. Though it might take a bit longer to see results and cost a bit more, organic lawn care produces greener grass and stronger roots over time.
How do you take care of your lawn organically?
There are plenty of ways that you can take care of your lawn organically. You can use natural techniques to stimulate grass growth without the use of chemicals.
For example, watering early in the morning and aerating your lawn regularly stimulates growth naturally and organically. You can also use organic materials like corn gluten and manure to fertilize your lawn the natural way.
How do I keep my grass green naturally?
Keeping your grass green naturally is all about consistent care. Watering infrequently and selectively encourages your grass to grow deeper roots.
You should also overseed with natural products to encourage thicker grass growth without the use of harsh chemicals.
If you don’t have time to take care of your lawn naturally, you may want to hire a professional lawn care service to handle the job for you.