Tips for Switching to an Organic Landscape Plan
Now more than ever, property owners have become reliant on chemicals and fertilizers to maintain the beauty of their landscapes. Unfortunately, the surrounding soil and plants also become reliant on unnecessary chemicals and costly fertilizers over the years, which is why many have chosen to switch to an organic landscape program.
The Plant Concierge has implemented many customized organic landscape programs throughout the area and here, we wanted to highlight how the process works.
Soil Improvement
Just like the foundation of a house, your property’s soil serves as the foundation for your landscape, so caring for it properly is essential. For many landscape designers, soil improvement is the first step toward implementing any organic landscape program. Composting is the best method to develop healthy, organic soil that will help your plants thrive. This is because that’s how soil stays healthy in nature; the decomposing organic matter returns to the earth. So, in addition to enlisting the help of an organic landscape expert, you can also compost tea, yard waste, and other organic matter for your soil.
There are also other types of organic compounds that can boost your soil’s nutrient intake, such as mycorrhizal fungi and fish emulsion.
Using Living Fertilizer
To reduce and eventually eliminate your landscape’s reliance on chemical compounds and industrial fertilizers, you can use living fertilizers such as white clover. This plant is a ground-cover plant that helps add nitrogen to your soil, as well as assists in pollination due to the flowers it blooms. It’s also easy to maintain.
Healthy Lawn Care
Another big component of organic landscaping is implementing a healthy lawn care plan to help your landscape thrive. This is where you can really reduce the chemicals you add to your landscape and create a lush, beautiful lawn. Some of the ways of doing so are by:
- Proper Mowing: Always set your mower to a higher height. Not only will you avoid the chance of burning your grass during the hotter months, but the added shade from the taller grass actually helps kill off weeds by preventing sunlight from reaching them.
- Aeration: Aerating your lawn enables more oxygen to reach the top layer of soil in your yard. This will boost your soil quality directly under your sod and can be especially useful for those that have been using synthetic chemicals or fertilizers to maintain their lawn.
- Mulching: Mulching your yard is another great way to protect your lawn and its surroundings. There’s a common misconception that leaving grass clippings has a negative effect on your lawn, but this simply isn’t true. By leaving the clippings when mowing the lawn you actually provide more organic matter for soil to feed upon.
Caring for Trees & Woody Shrubs
If you have a tree or patch of shrubs that are suffering from disease or become a constant home for pests, organic landscaping can help by replacing such trees/shrubs with plants native to your area. Non-native and ornamental plants are the most likely to suffer from pest problems and blight. In terms of tree care and plant maintenance, following the same rule of thumb for your soil is recommended. This means collecting any clippings from plants and shrubs and adding them to your compost pile. Once they’ve decomposed, add the compost to the soil surrounding your plants and trees.
Weed Control
Weed control is also a vital component of maintaining a healthy, organic landscape. Working with a landscaping company that can pull out weeds by hand or that has the right tools to fully dig them up to ensure they won’t grow back is often your best bet. It will save you time from having to do so yourself, which can often be a daunting task during some seasons.
Pest Control
Dealing with pests can be another nuisance, especially if they’re wreaking havoc on your landscape. However, it’s important to note that most pests thrive in areas with poor soil, so boosting the nutrients in your soil and composting may be an easy way to get rid of them. Additionally, there are some insects that will actually benefit your lawn and yard, so determining which ones to look out for is important and might be best left to the professionals.
Work with a Professional Organic Landscape Company
One of the best ways to ensure your landscape remains healthy and vibrant is by working with an expert in the organic landscape field like the team from The Plant Concierge. We offer a variety of organic landscape programs to choose from that employ biological soil conditioners and other organic compounds to create a clean, healthy-looking yard. We use MicroLife organics to open up your soil and drop super nutrients into your root zone to have your yard looking its best in no time.
Contact us for organic landscape services in Dallas!
For more information on our organic landscape plans, contact us online today for a FREE quote or call (972) 243-1455.
