A Great Foundation: 10 Essential Tips to a Natural Lawn

Lawn season is right around the corner! And, if you're thinking of going organic or organic-based for your lawn, there's definitely a lot to think about. Where do you start? Like any worthwhile project, getting the right foundation is key.

Here's a great foundation from our friends at SafeLawns.org:

THE 10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR A NATURAL LAWN
1. Obtain a soil test - Never spend money on any fertilizer or soil amendment without first consulting the results of a soil test first.
2. Grow the right grass - The most common lawn grasses in North America, Kentucky Bluegrass and Bremudagrass, also need the most water and fertilizer to grow well. Other species such as perennial ryegrass, fescue, seashore paspalum and centipede grass may be better for your region of the country.
3. Water well - Morning watering is always recommended so that the surface of the lawn dries off during the day. Water deeply and infrequently so the roots of the grass learn to grow down into the soil to get the water they need.
4. Think of your soil as alive - "Dirt" is what you track into your house. The material that grows on your lawn, the soil, is alive with organisms large and small. Nurturing that life through proper use of natural materials will lead to a successful natural lawn.
5. Mow properly - Recycling your grass clippings by leaving them on the lawn will provide approximately half your lawn's fertilizer needs for the season. Keep your mower blades sharp. Depending on the species, lawns should be mowed no lower than 2.5 inches, even higher in the summer.
6. Avoid synthetic materials - Fertilizers manufactured in a laboratory often burn lawn grasses and soils. Fertilizers and soil amendments should come from materials that were once living plants or animals, or mined materials such as lime or sulfur.
7. Add compost - Nature's most magical soil additive, compost, contains all sorts of beneficial microorganisms that add life to the soil. These organisms will interact with the organic fertilizers to provide the green lawn many of us covet.
8. See weeds as messengers - Weeds usually appear on lawns only when something is wrong with the soil. Even if we kill the weeds, they'll come back unless we fix the underlying problem with the soil.
9. See insects as messengers - A rush of new grass growth caused my synthetic fertilizers will often attract insects. Predatory insects are rarely a problem in a natural system that's in balance.
10. Overseed regularly - In nature, all plants produce seed to reproduce themselves. In a lawn system, where we mow regularly, grass is not allowed to reproduce and even the healthiest plants get tired. By overseeding in spring and fall, you're introducing robust young plants that will fill in bare areas and compete aggressively against weeds.

At Natural Turf, we exclusively use natural and organic lawncare products that strengthen your lawn to handle summer stress while helping to reduce your water consumption. Call our natural lawn care specialists today for a consultation, or to learn more about our seasonal and year-round lawn care programs.

5 Ways to Reduce Your NJ Water Footprint

Because water is readily available from the faucet, we rarely think twice about how much goes down the drain each day. According to National Geographic, it takes 1,800 gallons a day to support the typical American lifestyle—and that number peaks in the summer when the sprinklers are on full blast.

Many NJ residents make the mistake of drowning their yards in order to achieve a plush, green lawn. While water is vital to maintaining healthy turf, you can reduce the amount you use and conserve a precious natural resource by watering smart--not more! Here are a few changes you can make to reduce your NJ water footprint.

1. Landscape creatively. A smaller lawn equals lower water usage; and shrinking your patch of natural grass also reduces mowing, fertilizing and related pollution. Instead of seeding or sodding your entire yard, plant a healthy mix of ground cover, shrubs, trees and other low-water-use greenery.
2. Select drought resistant or native plants that thrive in the New Jersey climate. If you don’t want to pour a lot of sweat and tears into your yard, consider xeriscaping to incorporate plants that are beautiful--yet require little water and attention.
3. Add mulch and rock. Applying 2-3” of mulch helps retain moisture longer and keeps weeds out. Replace natural turf with mulch or gravel around decks, patios, and playgrounds. This change makes for a virtually maintenance-free and water-free solution.
4. Mow higher, and practice “grasscycle.” Keep blades sharp and adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Lawn experts at Natural Turf recommend mowing at a height of 3-4” in the spring and summer and 2 ½” for the last cut in the fall. Taller blades shade the turf roots, hold soil moisture better and crowd out weeds. Also, leave the grass clippings when you mow. It's a free way to fertilize and return valuable nutrients to the soil.
5. Water deep, not often. Water in the morning, and only when needed: about an inch per week to penetrate through to the roots (and less if it’s cloudy or rainy). Overwatering can lead to turf diseases, wash out nutrients and contribute to runoff and waste.

Remember, every drop counts! The less you use, the more green you save—not only in terms of money, but also the environment. A natural lawn care maintenance program is the sensible choice if you desire a beautiful, healthy lawn but don’t want to jeopardize your family’s health or strip precious natural resources.

At Natural Turf, we exclusively use natural and organic lawncare products that strengthen your lawn to handle summer stress while helping to reduce your water consumption. Call our natural lawn care specialists today for a consultation, or to learn more about our seasonal and year-round lawn care programs.

Is Your New Jersey Yard Pet Safe?

A healthy NJ lawn should be something you and your family enjoy together. That includes your pets—who revel in the chance to play fetch, have a run, or take a rest on your emerald-green grass. But while certain chemicals and pesticides make your lawn thrive, they can have a detrimental – or even FATAL – impact on your pets.

The biggest concern, in terms of your pets, is lawn care pesticides. According to “Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats,” pesticide use has increased by over 13,000 percent since 1962! It’s an alarming number; and while some pesticides cause little more than a stomach ache, others can interfere with an animal’s metabolic process and even poison him. Pesticides impact both outdoor and indoor pets — since a lawn care service using toxic or misapplied chemicals will leave residue that you or your family can track inside. Dogs or cats are then exposed to it, ingesting it as they clean their fur.

Fertilizers follow the same pattern as insecticides. Organophosphates, used to grow plants, can create painful symptoms in a pet who ingests them. Symptoms may include drooling, uncontrolled defecation, breathing difficulties and even seizures. Even some organic fertilizers can create problems for pets. Blood meal, for instance, may contain bacteria that dogs and cats seek out, believing it to be a tasty treat. Bone meal, too, is instantly appealing – it’s ground-up bone, after all – but if your pet takes in too much of it, it can cause indigestion, pancreatitis and even worse symptoms.

The key to avoiding these hazards is to use a natural NJ lawn care company that understands the risks. At Natural Turf, we use organic fertilizers and pesticides that are guaranteed pet safe, while promoting seed germination and all-natural greening to make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood. Choosing between a beautiful yard and your pet’s safety is no choice at all: Natural Turf organic lawn care takes the guesswork out of the equation and gives you the safest, most beautiful lawn you can envision – while protecting your furry friends! Call our team of organic lawn care experts today to schedule your spring consultation!

5 Benefits of New Jersey Natural Lawn Care

If natural New Jersey lawn care seems more complex and challenging than relying on chemicals and pesticides, think again. In fact, the reverse is true. While the results may come more gradually, long-term use of natural lawn care provides superior results, as well as a number of tangible, healthy benefits! Consider the following:

1. Benefits to the Soil: Chemical fertilizers act by dumping toxic compounds into your NJ soil. Over time, these chemicals pool together and solidify, causing soil compaction where grass roots struggle to grow. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, contain natural pellets and husks, which keep the fertilizers from coalescing in the soil. This allows grass roots to penetrate more deeply and benefit more from the fertilizer—resulting in a stronger lawn that’s nutrient rich!
2. Benefits to the Grass: In addition to the lack of soil compaction, organic fertilizers contain beneficial microorganisms that act in harmony with your lawn’s ecosystem. Specifically, they allow more oxygen to reach the roots of the grass, as well as creating a healthier and more bio-organic environment for grass to thrive.
3. Safety: The safety of your family comes second to nothing, and any lawn worth cultivating becomes a natural gathering place for you and your kids. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides present an increased risk to your family, who may absorb them through the skin as they come into contact with them. New Jersey organic lawn care eliminates that danger, and helps you enjoy your beautiful lawn without worrying about hazardous, unseen side effects.
4. Environmentally Friendly: Because they contain no toxins, organic lawn products have a deeply reduced impact on the environment. They release their ingredients slowly over time, rather than building up on the ground or in nearby water. Chemical lawn care involves concentrated amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which can severely damage the environment – and specifically your yard – in the long term.
5. Cheaper: The best reason to go with natural lawn care may be the simplest: it costs less over time. Chemical compounds create increased cost to cover their development and implementation. Natural lawn care products are created simply, which means they don’t cost as much to produce!

At Natural Turf, we believe in the advantages of natural lawn care and organic lawn maintenance. What’s more, we’ve seen its impact on the lawns of thousands of satisfied New Jersey customers. Give us a call today to see how much better your lawn will look under natural care.

Protecting Your Kids from Their NJ Backyard

As parents, we go to great lengths to safeguard our children from stranger danger, online predators and substance abuse. Unfortunately, many New Jersey families don’t realize that their kids face grave peril in the midst of their beautiful, green backyard.

Here are the FRIGHTENING FACTS:

1. Children are more vulnerable than adults to the dangerous pesticides used in New Jersey lawncare. Their internal organs are still developing and their small bodies are growing—so they’re less able to detox the poisons they’ve inadvertently absorbed. ¹ The National Academy of Sciences warns that 50 percent of lifetime pesticide exposure happens before kids turn five years old—so early protection is KEY.

2. While adults may experience slight breathing problems from pesticides and chemicals, these pollutants can cause serious breathing problems in children!

3. Studies have linked the pesticides common in NJ lawn care to child asthma, hyperactivity, developmental delays, behavioral conditions, immune suppression and motor disorders.²

4. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that residential pesticide use may increase childhood leukemia risk SEVENFOLD. ³

5. Developing cells are more sensitive to the synthetic poisons used by New Jersey lawn maintenance companies. As childhood cells divide quickly, mutations can spread—and increase cancer and disease risk. ⁴

In addition to environmental exposure, research indicates that NJ pesticides can pass from mother to child through breast milk and shared umbilical cord blood. It’s scary stuff—and the reason that neurologist and CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta says: “Babies in this country are born pre-polluted.”

Heed the wake-up call! Your kids trust you to protect them, and you can start by exchanging poisonous pesticides for organic New Jersey lawn care. Using safe, natural products like corn gluten meal, Hi-Cal lime and organic fertilizers, Natural Turf works to make your backyard a safe place for kids, pets and adults, alike. Learn more about Natural Turf’s 100% organic lawncare program today by calling 1-866-558-LAWN today!

Natural Turf blog references:

¹ EPA. 1996. Environmental Health Threats to Children. Office of the Administrator. 175-F-96-001. ² http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/facts&figures.htm#xiii. ³ Lowengart, R. et al., 1987. “Childhood Leukemia and Parent’s Occupational and Home Exposures, “ Journal of the National Cancer Institute 79:39. ⁴ http://www.cehi.org/pesticides.html