Should You Make the Switch to Natural Lawn Care Products?

For years, many of us have been putting products on our lawns so that they will be beautifully lush and green, without weeds or critters. So why make the switch to natural lawn care products?

One afternoon a few years ago, my kids were playing in the backyard after school. I looked up to find my son climbing a tree behind the house, a tree that he spent many hours in. Then suddenly, my stomach dropped, as I realized that his favorite tree had been sprayed with chemicals that very morning by the lawn care service.

Here I am, the parent who shops for organic food, has eliminated toxins and chemicals from our personal care products, and removed them from household cleaning supplies. Yet it hadn’t dawned on me until that very moment, that my kids were still ingesting potentially toxic chemicals that were put on our lawn and trees. Was there not a better option for natural lawn care and tree maintenance?

That afternoon when I watched my son sitting in his favorite tree out back, I canceled my contract with the lawn and tree service. A few weeds (or a few thousand) mean nothing compared to the health of my children.

Should you make the switch to natural lawn care products?

Since that day I have learned a great deal about those harmful chemicals put in conventional week killers and fertilizers, along with several options of what can be used instead. According to BeyondPesticides.org, of the 36 most commonly used lawn care pesticides, 14 are probable or possible carcinogens, 15 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 24 with neurotoxicity, 22 with liver or kidney damage, and 34 are sensitizers and/or irritants. A child in a household using home and garden pesticides is 6.5 times more likely to develop leukemia than in a home that does not.

Fortunately, I had already been somewhat cautious about my kids bringing dirt and pollens in from outside on their clothes and bodies due to seasonal allergies, but what about families who had no need to be as cautious, or those with pets that track those chemicals from the lawn right into the house? What can parents like you and I do?

We’ve become used to thinking that our lawns must be evenly lush and green without even a hint of a weed or crabgrass. So we dump herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals on our lawns and trees without thinking much about what harm that could be doing. Yet the grass can grow just fine without the help of toxins. You and I can still have a beautiful lawn without breaking the bank or spraying toxins and then letting our kids and pets go outside to play. There are organic lawn care services popping up across the country, and natural products that you can purchase online or at your local stores.

Here are four of my favorite brands of natural and organic fertilizer, organic weed killer, tree care products, and insect repellants that can replace the chemicals on your lawn and trees:

Dr. Earth’s supports gardeners with their certified organic, non-GMO products for natural lawn care, tree care and gardens. Their products provide an effective alternative to chemical sprays, for use on lawns, fruit trees, ornamentals, walkways, driveways, and every part of the garden.

EcoSMART products are made of a non-toxic plant based formula that are safe to use around people and pets. Every EcoSMART product is classified as a minimum risk pesticide and qualifies for the U.S. Government’s highest safety standard. Their weed killer is terrific to use on patios, walkways, driveways, around trees and shrubs, along fences and foundations and in other areas of your yard.

Jonathan Green organic weed killer plus fertilizer controls crabgrass and broadleaf weeds such as dandelions. It is safe to use on lawns, landscape beds and in vegetable gardens. It makes lawn soils more alive and porous, enhancing lawn grass growth, making lawn grass more drought and disease tolerant.

Jobe’s Organics tree and lawn care products are made with nitrogen, phosphate, potash, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Their organic fertilizer spikes, which are specially formulated for trees and shrubs, will help build a nourishing environment that promotes beneficial microbial action.

If you don’t want to purchase natural lawn care products, you can always make your own! Vinegar may be the most well-known way to kill weeds naturally with a few applications, and adding these essential oils to it will seal the deal, leaving you with a healthy, lush lawn, trees, flowers and ornamentals.

DIY Natural Weed Killer
* Pour 1 liter of organic white vinegar into a spray bottle.
* Add a 1 teaspoon of organic liquid dish soap to help the vinegar stick.
* Add a few drops of therapeutic grade essential oil, such as citrus fresh, clove, thyme, melaleuca, or cinnamon bark essential oil. My preference is to add two or three drops of each of the above.
* Shake well, then apply to weeds.

Healthy soil produces healthy trees, plants and gardens, all of which provide healthy nutrients for us, our children, and our pets. Here’s to a healthy lawn – and a healthy family!

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