Last Updated on January 28, 2025 by Brian Beck
If you want to end that which causes you stress in your lawn, you will want to read on. There are two methods of managing lawn care, the traditional method known as the synthetic system (because it uses man-made chemicals) and the biological system which is the Operating System that nature uses, using microbiology to pull nutrients in from the soil and the air, making them useful to the plant. There is NOT a fertilizer shortage, there is a biology problem. Read that twice, because if you understand it you will have unlocked the secret to having a low cost, efficient and efficient lawn that works very well and looks awesome.
Understanding what you face using the synthetic systems helps to expose the hidden costs (Over 50% of resources used are a complete waste) that are associated with this system. Here are a few:
Synthetics damage soil microbiology. Their inorganic salts discourage and kill off microbes. This has several negative effects on the overall health of the lawn.
A lack of microbes will cause excess thatch which will impede air (oxygen), water and nutrients from penetrating the soil. Thick thatch (over 1/2″) is a sign of a soil that is low in biological activity.
A lack of microbes will cause compaction in the soil. Compaction occurs naturally from several factors, rain, gravity, traffic, etc. Microbiology, fungi and bacteria create soil aggregates that form every few weeks that churn the soils and create space, naturally aerating the soil.
Synthetic fertilizers high in nitrogen can contribute to a loss of carbon in the soil by stimulating microbial activity and breaking down organic matter faster than it naturally would, essentially “burning” the carbon and releasing it as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This loss of carbon reduces the amount of water that a soil can hold thus increasing water demand.
Synthetic fertilizers, that only contain a few elements cannot provide full spectrum nutrition (grasses need 21 elements for total health). This leads to an imbalance in the soil. Combined with inadequate amounts of microbes to break down what is available in the soil promotes weed pressure which is an attempt of nature to express biodiversity. Biodiversity creates balance in the soil.
A lack of diverse biology (which prevents air, specifically oxygen) will cause breeding ground for pathogenic microbes (which love low-oxygen environments) which cause disease rendering plants as prime targets for biological attacks.
As you can see, the list goes on and on but all can be solved when you distance yourself from synthetics and embrace the biological method saving time and money and removing a lot of toxic materials that are used to prop up a failing system.
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