Organic Lawn Care

by Marc A. Reynolds

Garden State Green

A few years ago I noticed a sign that was on my friend's lawn.  It read "Organic Lawn Care".  It's not like I hadn't thought about it before, I just never knew anyone who used that kind of service.  I spoke to my friend and she said she was very happy with it.  I don't think you'll ever achieve a golf course, deep green lawn without using man-made chemicals, but at least you'll be able to sleep at night.   Conventional lawncare products are far too toxic to consider safe. 

Come to think of it, I was actually using an organic lawn service when I noticed my friend's sign.  I just wasn't happy with them.  The name of the company I would personally not recommend is The Organic Dutchman.  I even saw the owner interviewed by a NYC news source, but they were more talk then they were results. 

The second service I went with was called Organic Turf & Insect Busters. This company is a smaller outfit located in Chester, NJ.  The owner is very bland and did not try to sell me his service or his philosophy.  The results were mediocre and the cost was high.  The owner would sit in his Subaru Outback while two Latino men would put down the all natural ingredients by hand.  The cost was too high and I gave up and no longer put any kind of chemicals on my lawn.  Is a greener weed free lawn really worth the risks?  I don't think so. 

I recently did a search for organic lawn care in Morris County and what a shock, the market now seems to be flooded with choices.  Did everyone wake up one night feeling worried and guilty about poisoning our families and neighbors?  No, green became a buzzword back in 2008 and the rest as they say is history.  If I were to pursue this type of service again, I would ask for referrals and I would go with my gut.  Everyone can't be in it for the love of the planet I know, but they should at least try to fake it just a little bit.