It’s a new year, and with that new year, I have made the resolution in my mind to lose a little weight. You guys may not know this, but us lawn guys gain weight during the winter slow season. Anyway, I started doing some different exercises utilizing kettle bells. In addition, I adjusted my nutrient intake (eating) and am making sure to stay well hydrated so my organs function properly.

Your lawn needs to workout, too!

Any of this sound familiar to you? Well, for me, all I can see are parallels to my work in lawn care. Let’s look at some of them.

1. If you think about working out your muscles, you need to put some pressure or stress on them in order for them to grow. The same goes for the lawn. Pressure, when kept in check, is good for the lawn. Just cutting the lawn puts a bit of stress on it, even if you cut your grass properly. But we know this is a good stress because it stimulates growth both on top and in the root zone, making the lawn thicker just like your muscles.
2. We feed our bodies healthy nutrients, and the same goes for the grass. If you put solid-quality, slow-releasing nutrients on your lawn in the right proportions and at the right time, your lawn will respond and stay vigorous for the long haul.
3. Water is the staple of life. You need proper water intake in your body so your liver functions properly. The same goes for the lawn. If you keep it properly irrigated, you will find that everything else will just work out.

So you see that working out and staying healthy is very much the same whether you’re talking about your lawn or your body. Isn’t it great when people notice your hard work and say to you, “Hey man, nice grass?”

As I troll around the Internet and read differing opinions on basic fertilizing advice for lawns, I see a lot of misinformation. Much of it comes from people who are skewed to one side or the other on the issues and have let their emotions take precedence over good, solid factual advice. So let me give you the unbiased facts regarding one of the more controversial issues: organic lawn fertilizer.

Organic vs. Chemical Fertilizer

First off, get the word “chemical” out of your mind. People like to say things like, “I don’t use chemicals on my lawn. It’s natural.”

The problem with this is that water is a chemical and everyone, including Mother Nature, puts water on the lawn! So quit worrying about “chemicals” all the time. Let’s talk facts and not use inflammatory words.

Next, just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it is “safe” for your lawn. Crude oil occurs naturally underground, but you’d never assume it’s okay to spread that on your grass. In addition, things that are “organic” are not always safe either. I have a friend who is allergic to peanuts, even if they are organically grown. So when someone tells you a product is “safe,” you should wonder what their agenda is.

Finally, we need to look at something that rarely comes up and that is “pounds on the ground.” What I mean here is that when you do use good organic fertilizers, you need to apply 15-20 lbs of product per 1,000 square feet of lawn space in order to get good results. A synthetic fertilizer, on the other hand, may only require 2 or 3 pounds of product on the same size area.

One of the biggest “environmental problems” I have seen over the years in regards to lawn care is homeowners and pros alike who over-apply synthetic products–outside the bounds of the product label–in an attempt to get the lawn greener. I also see a problem with what is called “off target application” when those same people get product on the sidewalk, driveway or in the street where it runs off during the next rain fall.

I’m not preaching against organic and natural fertilization here guys, I’m just trying to help you see clearly through the fog!