NOVEMBER 2012
THE BERNARDS-RIDGE CONNECTION
PAGE 5
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Michael Haskell
Plant Solutions
Nationally, organic lawn care is a
“
hot” topic. As if it were something
new! It certainly is not. Organic lawn
care was exclusively practiced before
WWII. After the war, the chemical
procedures took over.
There are many misconceptions,
myths and outright lies which have
made the subject of organic lawn care
almost un-definable. Chemical lawn
care companies claim to offer an
“
organic” lawn care program, yet
often just eliminate pesticides. Chem-
ical companies and universities down-
play the value of organic use, for
pecuniary reasons. Professionals think
that using waste products, sewage
sludge, manure’s, feathers, dried
blood, compost, and machines to
plug holes in the ground, constitutes
an organic lawn care program.
No wonder the public is confused.
People don’t appreciate what a true
organic-based, or organic approach
lawn care program is or what it can
be. And, sadly there are only a few
professionals who understand natural
systems well enough, and have avail-
able the necessary products and pro-
cedures to bring organic lawn care
into the twenty-first century by coop-
erating with natural systems that are
immutable.
Organic lawn care is, first and fore-
most, a methodology, a process, a way
of thinking…not just the substitution of
“
organic-type” products for standard
fertilizer formulations, and the automat-
ic elimination of pesticide use because
of some “magic.”
Organic lawn care is based upon
solid science. One must find out what
is needed. Then, according to what is
needed, specialized organic materials
are chosen, applied at the proper time
and in the correct quantities. It takes
thought. The end result, however, is a
minimization of chemical usage, and
in many cases even elimination. (At
least, that is the goal of every practi-
tioner who is concerned about the
environment and concerned about
the quality of the “product” he/she
produces for their customers.)
Organic lawn care can be prac-
ticed by the average homeowner
using Plant Solutions products
shipped from Utah or New York. Or, if
you want your lawn care professional
to practice an organic lawn care pro-
gram for you, he/she can be educated
and provided with proven programs
by Plant Solutions in Martinsville NJ,
the necessary materials supplied by the
professional division of Plant Solutions.
Q: What is the basis of an organic
approach lawn care program?
A: The soil.
The “challenge” then must be
obvious. One homeowner has inherit-
ed a deep, rich soil; another a measly
coating of soil over hard-pan clay, or a
sandy soil that simply doesn’t work.
Often, what should be done is to
add truckloads of well rotted compost
to the surface and then rototill every-
thing, the grass included, down 6-8
inches, along with other materials
that an extensive soil analysis says is
needed. That’s what organic farmers
have to do.
They plow their fields yearly. But,
what homeowner is ready to invest
thousands and thousands of dollars to
improve the soil, and then repeat the
process every few years, so their lawn
can be under an organic approach
system? Very few that we’ve met. So
the challenge remains, because: you
absolutely cannot improve your soil
from the surface using waste prod-
ucts; because your grass will not tol-
erate “layering;” and the quantities
required would suffocate the hardiest
of lawns.
The solution lies in understanding-
how to “nurture” the plant AND the
soil at the same time.
The secret is oxygen. Oxygen is
needed in the root zone of all green
plants. Roots cannot grow without
oxygen. In addition, oxygen is needed
in the soil by a host of hard workers-
earthworms, microbes, insects, algae,
protozoa, etc., etc. When, and only
when, oxygen can freely enter and
sustain the LIFE within the soil, can
your lawn have the foundation to
undertake an organic approach lawn
care program. And, no, you CANNOT
cause this to happen by poking holes
into the soil with a machine or spikes
on your shoes.
After oxygen has been helped to
enter the soil, then you have to pro-
vide fuel energy for the many life
forms within the soil so they can flour-
ish to make the soil truly healthy.
The fuel energy that your soil
needs is provided by a product that
nature has made for our use.
Humates, carbon-rich, mineral-rich,
enzyme-rich, with latent microbial
life…and energy to “feed” the small
microbes which then “feed” the larg-
er life within the soil. These hard-
working life forms orchestrate a soil-
health-sustainable-system which is
the foundation for your turf’s health!
Now, you can begin to practice an
organic approach! Now, the soil is
being “fixed” to better grow grass
than weeds. Now, the grass plant is
healthy and tough and can withstand
diseases. Now, insect pest damage is
probably within tolerable limits. And,
now, the quality of any soil is in the
process of being improved… meeting
the basic challenge of having a pro-
ductive, life-sustaining soil.
ORGANIC LAWN CARE – THE TRUE SCOOP
www.theconnectionsnj.com
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