CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to My weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs ASKI 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. Dear Linda, I have heard that Sprigs & Twigs has an Organic Lawn Care Program and I'd like to know more about it. My husband puts down bags of stuff on our lawn and I'm worried he's doing something harmful. Thank you. Kathy Hello Kathy- (This is Part 3 of my answer to your question) Sprigs & Twigs offers the only true, 100% Organic Lawn Care Program in the area; we would be happy to visit with you and explain it in more detail. While it is fashionable for other companies to claim they do "organic" lawn care, it is often boastful marketing because they almost always include synthetic chemicals. #2 Chemical synthetic fertilizers are manufactured through chemical processes using non-renewable resources that chemically alter their ingredients. Chemical synthetic fertilizers: (a) are loaded with mineral salts which sterilize and disinfect the soil, killing beneficial earthworms, microbes, fungi, bacteria and organisms, (b) make your soil increasingly acidic every time these fertilizers are applied, inviting more weed growth and hindering strong turf grass growth, (c) overstimulate grass plants with high levels of nitrogen beyond what they can handle which forces lush, rapid growth. This rapid grass growth actually stresses and weakens the grass and encourages lawn pests and diseases to set in. Because of the increased pest and disease presence created by the chemical fertilization, chemical lawn care companies must routinely apply pest and disease control chemicals which non-selectively kill more of the beneficial microbes, fungi, bacteria living in the soil. With no beneficial organisms left in the soil to support healthy grass growth, this cycle of: "high nitrogen fertilizer-forced lush but weakened grass - increased pests - increased diseases - pest chemical application - herbicide and fungicide application" repeats over and over again. This cycle is why you often see chemically treated lawns look worse and worse as the years go on. The grass plants just cannot handle the onslaught of chemicals. In future articles, I'll address other aspects of why organic lawn care is the only way to go. CONTINUED NEXT WEEK... Sprigs & Twigs is especially proud that a large number of our staff are Accredited Organic Land Care professionals (AOLCPS) who have passed the rigorous NOFA training program. Sprigs & Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 SPRICS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET CELEBRATING 26 YEARS ! Welcome to My weekly series ! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs ASKI 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 . Dear Linda , I have heard that Sprigs & Twigs has an Organic Lawn Care Program and I'd like to know more about it . My husband puts down bags of stuff on our lawn and I'm worried he's doing something harmful . Thank you . Kathy Hello Kathy- ( This is Part 3 of my answer to your question ) Sprigs & Twigs offers the only true , 100 % Organic Lawn Care Program in the area ; we would be happy to visit with you and explain it in more detail . While it is fashionable for other companies to claim they do " organic " lawn care , it is often boastful marketing because they almost always include synthetic chemicals . # 2 Chemical synthetic fertilizers are manufactured through chemical processes using non - renewable resources that chemically alter their ingredients . Chemical synthetic fertilizers : ( a ) are loaded with mineral salts which sterilize and disinfect the soil , killing beneficial earthworms , microbes , fungi , bacteria and organisms , ( b ) make your soil increasingly acidic every time these fertilizers are applied , inviting more weed growth and hindering strong turf grass growth , ( c ) overstimulate grass plants with high levels of nitrogen beyond what they can handle which forces lush , rapid growth . This rapid grass growth actually stresses and weakens the grass and encourages lawn pests and diseases to set in . Because of the increased pest and disease presence created by the chemical fertilization , chemical lawn care companies must routinely apply pest and disease control chemicals which non - selectively kill more of the beneficial microbes , fungi , bacteria living in the soil . With no beneficial organisms left in the soil to support healthy grass growth , this cycle of : " high nitrogen fertilizer - forced lush but weakened grass - increased pests - increased diseases - pest chemical application - herbicide and fungicide application " repeats over and over again . This cycle is why you often see chemically treated lawns look worse and worse as the years go on . The grass plants just cannot handle the onslaught of chemicals . In future articles , I'll address other aspects of why organic lawn care is the only way to go . CONTINUED NEXT WEEK ... Sprigs & Twigs is especially proud that a large number of our staff are Accredited Organic Land Care professionals ( AOLCPS ) who have passed the rigorous NOFA training program . Sprigs & Twigs EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO : info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie , Sprigs & Twigs Inc , PO Box 245 , Gales Ferry , CT 06335 SPRICS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR ! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET