Answering All Your Questions About Good Nature Organic Lawn Care
Alec McClennan founded Good Nature Organic Lawn Care in Cleveland back in 1999. Since then, Good Nature expanded to Columbus in 2008, then to Akron in 2011 and finally to Indianapolis in 2019! It all started when Alec's father put him in charge of the family's lawn care. After reading all of the warning labels on the fertilizer he was using, Alec decided that he no longer wanted to put his family or his dog at risk. He began treating his family's and neighbor's lawns with an organic program that he came up with, and the Good Nature family has been growing ever since!
Organic can have different definitions. For our purposes, organic means we use products that are feed-grade and nontoxic. Our organic products are safer for people, pets, and the soil. That's why our lawn program does not use any 2,4-D (chemical weed killer), Imidacloprid (chemical insecticide), Neonicotinoids (chemical grub killer), or chemical fungicides. Instead, we use feed-grade materials like vegetable protein meals from alfalfa, corn, soybeans, micronutrients, and beneficial biological organisms that improve soil and make your lawn less friendly to weeds. If, for some reason, you have an issue that requires a more aggressive approach, we can discuss the options and help connect you with a company that can perform that service for you.
Among the many benefits of going organic, you get a healthier and safer lawn for you, your family and your pets. It is better for the environment because our organic approach creates little to no runoff. Not only that, but you'll get the peace of mind knowing that you can walk on your lawn without having to worry about what was put on it. You know those little signs that the chemical companies put up, telling you to stay off of the grass for 24 hours? Truth is, those chemicals stay on your lawn for 3-4 months! How would a pre-emergent chemical that sits on your topsoil disappear in 24 hours? Every time you're on the chemically treated grass, you're walking around on a blanket of chemicals. Also, those chemicals do not just stay in the lawn. They can get on shoes, feet and paws and get tracked into the home. Organic Lawn Care also creates healthy soil for your lawn, which reduces issues over time.
Organic Lawn Care focuses on conditioning the soil and feeding the microbes in the soil. A healthy soil environment deters future issues such as disease and insect concerns. Chemical applications provide high levels of quick release nitrogen, which promote rapid up growth and shallow roots. When this occurs, it makes the plant susceptible to diseases and insect damage. Chemical companies try to "fix" the problem by adding more chemicals. The trouble with this process is that, not only are the chemicals not safe for people, pets or the environment but the more chemicals that are used on your lawn, the more your lawn needs them. It creates a chemically dependent cycle!
Clients consent to Good Nature Organic Lawn Care and its affiliates contacting the Client via automated technology, including calls, texts, emails, service notifications, and prerecorded messages, at the number and email the Client has provided pursuant to this Agreement, concerning matters relevant to the Client's scheduled services, as well as other services or products offered by Good Nature Organic Lawn Care.
We use a variety of organic products, depending on your lawn's needs and the season. Our fertilizers are made from feed grade materials like vegetable protein meals, natural compost teas, seaweed/kelp meal and humates. Our Natural Weed Buster is made from micronutrients that the grass likes, but weeds don’t like. We use Beneficial Nematodes for our Organic Grub Control. Garlic, Cedar and Peppermint Oils are the main ingredients of our Natural Yard Bug Barrier applications, which protect against Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes. Our Home Bug Barrier, which helps prevent insects, like Ants, from entering your home is comprised of Plant oils, Cedar Chips and Diatomaceous Earth. For our Mulch Bed Weed Buster, which targets mulch beds, driveways, patios and landscaping, we use vinegar and clove oil to suppress weeds.
There are no certified organic fertilizers for the landscape industry since there are not any standards in place. We use natural, feed quality, mineral and organic ingredients to feed the soil and discourage weeds. By doing this, we ALWAYS AVOID potentially harmful chemical weed killers, insecticides, fungicides and quick release synthetic fertilizers that pollute waterways. We don’t use any 2,4-D, Neonicotinoids, or chemical pre-emergent weed killers in our program. Some of our products are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified, which is the closest thing to “Certified Organic” in the industry.
If you sign up after April 15th, it will typically take 1-3 weeks for us to get out to your home. It could be sooner, but it does vary based on our workload and the weather. Rest assured, we'll work hard to get to you as soon as possible.
Generally, your first treatment will be in March or April. But, if the weather doesn't cooperate, it could be as late as May. The reason for the timing is that Crabgrass typically germinates in mid-May. So, we like to have our first application down before then to give your lawn a natural advantage over Crabgrass and other weeds.
In our experience, it can be difficult to coordinate with mowing companies because their schedules are often inconsistent. What works best for us at Good Nature is for us to call or text you the day before a scheduled application. If that day doesn't work for you, just let us know! We will take you off the schedule and let you know the next best time we can come out for a visit.
It possibly can. If you are seeding in the Spring when we may have applied corn gluten meal, it has the potential to inhibit some seed germination. If we have already applied that product and you would like to seed, go right ahead! Just make sure to break up the soil you are seeding into (you will want to do this regardless). Otherwise, our Summer and most of our Fall applications will not affect seeding. Please let us know when you plan on seeding and we can have a note to use an organic starter fertilizer during that round to help the seeding.
There are a few factors that go into our pricing. Many of our products are custom blends formulated to specifically address the issues we see in our clients lawns everyday. Additionally, organic products that address the root of the problem are more expensive than traditional chemicals. The cost of our high-quality organic fertilizers has come down in the past few years, but unfortunately, the mass-produced petroleum-based chemicals are still cheaper. We also have to apply more of our product through the season for full efficacy to be reached. We pride ourselves however, on providing services that allow you to enjoy your lawn without the worry of toxic chemicals for your family and pets. If you think about it, our service costs about a dinner and a movie more than the competition. We don’t know about you, but we would rather skip the date and have a safer yard!
Other companies often offer semi-organic fertilizer only. We use organic fertilizers, natural weed suppression and nontoxic grub and pest control. Also, a company may offer organic based fertilizers but then rely on chemicals for all other lawn issues (grubs, weeds, fungal activity, ect). Here are some resources to help be better informed when Hiring an Organic Lawn Care Company. Additionally, a few example questions you might want to ask are below.
1) What do they use for pre-emergent?
2) Are the fertilizers they are using labeled organic?
3) How do they fight weeds?
4) What do they use for grub control?
5) Do they offer a chemical based program too?
