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Synthetic vs Organic Fertilizers for Stonington, CT, lawns

Synthetic Fertilizer is showing up this spring in Stonington, CT. As I drive along Montauk Avenue, I notice the turf coming back to life, showing signs of new life. On Collins Avenue, buds are bursting on shrubbery.

Read about our favorite CT spring foundation plants here.

The residents on Mixtuxet Avenue might be looking out onto their lawns and maybe thinking of core aeration to rejuvenate their turf. Everyone has seen results; although only temporary, it looks like a large flock of geese camped out for the weekend.

But here at Lawn Science, we get better results with our own lawn aeration program, using liquid aeration, a formula personally developed by the owner of Lawn Science, with a proprietary formula of kelp, compost tea and humates. This program gives the turf optimal nutrition.

The lawns on Greenmanville Avenue are looking alive, but what lawn couldn’t benefit from an organic based lawn care program? I go along Hewitt Road and I notice the grass cutting companies and yard maintenance companies getting to work, cleaning up from the winter and preparing for the busy growth season. Out on West Mystic Road local lawn care companies are out in full force, too. Maybe you’re wondering what a local family-owned lawn care company like Lawn Science can do for the turf on Greenhaven Road and Wamphassuc Road?

Things look good now, but with the coming heat and humidity of summer, your lawn can become stressed if it’s not properly fed. This can give an advantage to any weed and crabgrass seeds to take hold and take over your lawn. Even with the advantage of a sprinkler system in place, the grass has a hard time resisting weeds, fungus and pests that want to move into the neighborhood.

I’m on James Street now, and turning on to Wheeler road, seeing more green grass and budding foundation plants and maybe some are thinking that Scott’s Turf Builder is the best they can offer to their property. But did you know that Turf Builder is made up of synthetic chemicals? Synthetic chemicals are less effective and maybe even harmful to your soil in the long term.

Synthetic Fertilizers Long-term Effects

Let’s take a look at the long-term effects of synthetic fertilizers on your yard and your local environment.

Lack of Absorption

Most synthetic fertilizers dump nutrients into your soil fast! As a result the plants in the area can’t uptake all the nutrients as quickly as they are delivered.

Groundwater leeching

Because the plant life can’t absorb all the synthetic fertilizer chemicals, the rest of the chemicals run off in the ground water. That’s called groundwater leeching. As a result of groundwater leeching, chemicals end up in our drinking water. And that’s toxic to our bodies unless it’s cleansed from the water supply.

Groundwater leeching can also get into the local streams and rivers. The synthetic chemicals disrupt aquatic life, which can have detrimental long term consequences to our local ecosystems.

Even time-released synthetic fertilizers can leech into our groundwater. It’s always best to stick to organic if you can.

Kills Good Soil Bacteria

We’re all learning about good bacteria these days. They are good for our bodies. And they are also good for our soil.

One of the worst issues with synthetic fertilizers is how they destroy good bacteria in our soil. Just like your gut needs good bacteria in order to keep you healthy. Your soil needs it as well. Good bacteria produces more organic food for our plants to grow. That’s why we need to keep them healthy and happy.

Killing good bacteria in our soil might give us greener lawns in the short-term. But it can have significant long-term destructive impact.

Read more about the destructive impact of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in this article from Science Direct.

Net Loss of Nutrients

While some of the good bacteria dies with synthetic fertilizers, the extra nitrogen can overstimulate other organisms in the soil. The production of soil organisms might seem like a great idea. However, the organisms that are stimulated, need even more nitrogen to keep growing. So, in the long-term, they actually deplete the soil of the very thing you’re trying to create.

What you need is a healthy balance between good bacteria and nitrogen loving organisms. And the best way to produce a good balance is to use organic matter to fertilize your soil.

The Lawn Science 5-step Organic Program

I can tell you that the 5 step organic based lawn care program that the turf care leaders at Lawn Science have developed is far superior to “lawn care in a bag”. They have spent the last 35 years attending classes and seminars, even experimenting on their own lawns, to carefully fine tune a program that can give your turf every advantage during all stages of growth. I finish up my tour of Stonington on Taugwonk Road, taking in the fresh spring air and imagine a town with healthy green lawns, ready for a whole season of family fun.

Visit Stonington, CT

https://www.stonington-ct.gov/recreation

https://www.stonington-ct.gov/youth-family-services

https://www.stonington-ct.gov/stonington-harbor-management-commission

https://www.stoningtonpizza.com/

https://flemingsfeed.com/             https://flemingsfeed.com/garden-center

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