As a lawn care service provider, you know what you put into the ground can be harmful for the lawn, pets, home owners, and the environment itself. One of the worst culprits, chemical fertilizers are not only harmful to the environment, but also to the long-term health of a lawn. Owners of lawn care businesses need to be aware of the dangers and detrimental effects of chemicals and shift to more eco-friendly fertilizer alternatives. The best organic fertilizers have many advantages over chemical options.
HARMFULNESS OF OVER FERTILIZING WITH CHEMICALS One of the biggest risks with chemical fertilizers is the chance of over-fertilization which can often kill plants and grass. These fertilizers are made to help plants grow in the short run, but do not help them in the long run. They often do not give the soil the right minerals or elements in order for it to sustain its nutrients, which eventually harms the plants. In addition, the repetitive spreading of fertilizer over time causes build up of harmful chemicals like arsenic, uranium, and cadmium. Continuous spreading also hurts the pH levels in the soil causing issues like pests, releases of greenhouse gases, and harm to plants.
PROTECT YOUR BRAND While chemical fertilizers can be less expensive, they can do damage to the lawns you service and result in unhappy customers and attrition. Doing harm to wildlife and pets will also hurt your business reputation and brand and negatively impact your business. On the other hand, being eco-friendly will elevate your brand by showing you care and delivering higher quality services.
ORGANIC FERTILIZER BENEFITS Organic fertilizer is a much better option for a safe and healthy lawn in the long run. Organic fertilizers provide many added benefits besides giving nutrients to the plants. In addition to adding natural nutrients to produce healthy soil and increase organic matter, these alternatives reduce soil crusting problems and erosion from wind and water. Because of their slow release of nutrients, organic fertilizers also improve the soil structure and tilth as well as the water holding capacity.
THE BEST ORGANIC FERTILIZERS There are many options on the market today for organic fertilizer. Better Home Gardening and Backyard Boss have compared some of the more popular options. Amazon’s List of Highly Rated Organic Fertilizers is a great source of information. Here are some that are consistently highly-rated by those sources:
One of the most popular lawn fertilizers, Milorganite Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer is primarily comprised of heat-dried microbes and 4% non-staining iron and has a 5-2-0 NPK formula. It has a non-burning formula that doesn’t require water.
This option is ideal for hot summer weather. It contains a bit of potassium to help protect your lawn from drought and lower the amount of watering required.
This is an Amazon Choice product, i.e. highly rated by users and recommended by Amazon. It’s safe for people & pets, increases resistance to drought & heat stress It has a homogenous formula that applies easily with any spreader and is natural – based on humic & fulvic acids, calcium, sulfur, iron & molasses.
Coming in liquid form, this fertilizer will supply your lawn with a mix of protein rich ingredients that will help your plants and lawn grow thicker and greener.
This organic fertilizer has over 22% iron in its non-burning formula so it won’t harm your plants. With a lot of iron, this fertilizer will greatly reduce yellowing of your lawn and plants.
For more information on eco-friendly landscaping and lawn care check out the Getting Started Guide !
