Friday April 9, 2010
An Experiment in Organics
We often get asked about how to make the switch to organic lawn products and whether they are as effective. I’ve been thinking for a long time about conducting a side by side experiment between the conventional lawn care process and an entirely organic process.
When one of my employees said she had done virtually no lawn care in several years, she seemed like the perfect candidate! Her house is also very close to the nursery so we would be able to keep a close eye on it. See the “before” picture of the yard, right.
Getting Started
We decided to split the yard in half; one side conventional and the other organic. Two soil samples were taken, each with the same result.
- Nitrogen (for plant nutrition): completely depleted
- Potash (for plant strength): completely depleted
- Phosphorous (for plant maturity and development): deficient
- PH Level (6.5): Appropriate for turf
Since the yard is obviously in need of nutrients, we’ll need to get started right away. Everyone is pretty familiar with conventional fertilizer. It does a good job treating the immediate needs of the lawn, but you have to do it regularly in order to keep things looking healthy. There are also the environmental impacts, which are concerning.
The organic process is pretty different and involves getting Mother Nature to function on its own again. The first step is to revamp the structure of the soil due to compaction and chemicals. We add beneficial bacteria to recharge the lawn and then use organic fertilizer including mycorrhizae. These will work together to improve water and nutrient use, especially with the help of earthworms! The goal is to turn the soil into a pantry for your lawn. When the grass needs nutrients they will be available without running off into the surrounding environment.
We’ll be posting results and pictures monthly – it should be interesting!
- Chris Shonnard
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