Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
Organic Lawn Care: I see that you are the only fully organic lawn care & landscape company in SE Connecticut. Exactly what is a fully organic lawn care company?
Answer
That's a great question. At Sprigs & Twigs,
everything we do follows the strict organic procedures and
principles of NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farmers
Association. Seven of our employees are fully NOFA
accredited, which means they have demonstrated their
organic proficiency through a written exam and annual
reaccreditation. Here are some of those organic principles from
www.organiclandcare.net
1. Keep pesticides and herbicides off your lawn and
gardens:
Using only non-toxic materials on your property
reduces the health risk to yourself, your family, your
neighbors and your local environment. Sprigs & Twigs
never uses toxic materials; there are safe organic
alternatives available today.
2. Use non-synthetic fertilizers from natural sources:
Synthetic fertilizers are made in a chemical process that
uses fossil fuel. Use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers has
a serious negative impact on the world's ecosystems. All
fertilizers Sprigs & Twigs uses are non-synthetic and
organic. I will be writing about organic lawn care in the
future.
3. Remove invasive plants:
Invasive plants grow quickly and spread easily and often
reduce the biodiversity of whole ecosystems. Learn about
invasive plants, how to avoid spreading them, and how to
remove them from your own property.
4. Home gardening with native plants:
Sprigs & Twigs emphasizes the use of native Plants in
all of our landscape designs. Native plants are site adapted
and usually require little to no watering, fertilizing or
pesticides. Stunning gardens can be made from entirely
native plants.
5. Make and use compost:
Compost has many advantages as a soil amendment.
Incorporating compost improves turf, shrub and
shade tree performance in marginal or poor soils.
Good quality compost improves soil structure,
reduces runoff and compaction, enhances
biodiversity and many other things.
6. Test your soil: To get your property to look its best, to save money, and to protect the environment
even more, Sprigs & Twigs can perform the soil test and give you an explanation in plain English what is going on
as well as recommendations on what should be done.
7. If you have a lawn: Mow high, 3" - 4";
leave grass clippings on lawn; water infrequently, if at all; encourage
a bit of white clover; and fertilize with compost and over-seed
bares spots in fall and early spring.
Consumers must educate themselves on organics. Just because
a retailer sells a product, doesn't mean it is
safe; just because the garden center sells a plant,
doesn't mean that it's not invasive; just because a landscape
company claims that "organic programs are available"
doesn't mean that they are truly organic. Read labels
and call us with questions. Buyer Beware!
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
