CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. What is a 3-, 4-, or 5-step lawn program? Spring Tip: Skip the Program Multi-Step Thank you for your question. I reached out to our friends at the PERFECT EARTH PROJECT (www.perfectearthproject.org) for their answer. Jess Tonn, their Director of Communication, writes: A multi-step lawn program is a series of products labeled 1-3 (or 4 or 5) that are sold to be applied month-by-month throughout the growing season. They are "all-in-one" mixes designed to treat a range of typical lawn "problems". They usually contain synthetic fertilizer combined with synthetic pesticidesvarious weed killers, fungicides and insecticides, depending on the month. Some mixes also contain grass seed. What's the problem with multi-step programs? Not only are they packed full of the worst kinds of chemicals, but they are treating your lawn for problems you may not (and probably don't) even have. It's like going to the doctor and getting medication for every known health condition, just in case. Multi-step programs have long-term consequences. The lawn may green up temporarily, but the fertilizer and chemicals will eventually pickle the soil. Excess nitrogen from the fertilizer can leach into nearby water bodies, contributing to algal blooms. And who wants to play on a lawn covered with chemicals?" Thank you for your answer. Jess. I often get comments from homeowners who have used chemical lawn care programs for years that their lawns look worse and worse each year- that's exactly what Jess is describing. Sprigs & Twigs has an outstanding organic lawn care program that creates a wonderful lawn that is 100% safe for children, pets and the environment without using chemicals. Take a look at our website all the lawn information is explained there and give us a call if you are interested. Sprigs D&Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEARI CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs &Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. What is a 3-, 4-, or 5-step lawn program? Spring Tip: Skip the Program Multi-Step Thank you for your question. I reached out to our friends at the PERFECT EARTH PROJECT (www.perfectearthproject.org) for their answer. Jess Tonn, their Director of Communication, writes: A multi-step lawn program is a series of products labeled 1-3 (or 4 or 5) that are sold to be applied month-by-month throughout the growing season. They are "all-in-one" mixes designed to treat a range of typical lawn "problems". They usually contain synthetic fertilizer combined with synthetic pesticidesvarious weed killers, fungicides and insecticides, depending on the month. Some mixes also contain grass seed. What's the problem with multi-step programs? Not only are they packed full of the worst kinds of chemicals, but they are treating your lawn for problems you may not (and probably don't) even have. It's like going to the doctor and getting medication for every known health condition, just in case. Multi-step programs have long-term consequences. The lawn may green up temporarily, but the fertilizer and chemicals will eventually pickle the soil. Excess nitrogen from the fertilizer can leach into nearby water bodies, contributing to algal blooms. And who wants to play on a lawn covered with chemicals?" Thank you for your answer. Jess. I often get comments from homeowners who have used chemical lawn care programs for years that their lawns look worse and worse each year- that's exactly what Jess is describing. Sprigs & Twigs has an outstanding organic lawn care program that creates a wonderful lawn that is 100% safe for children, pets and the environment without using chemicals. Take a look at our website all the lawn information is explained there and give us a call if you are interested. Sprigs D&Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 best SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEARI