TLC For Safe Lawns - FAQ's

	General Questions: Why Should I choose Safelawns and Landscapes? Why do I need to go organic when my chemically treated lawn looks green and healthy? My current lawn care company claims to use organic products. How can I be sure? If an application is organic, why is there a yellow sign in front of my house? What can I do to help my lawn become healthier? How can I get my neighbors involved? Service Questions: What is the Safelawns Organic Soil Health Program™? What is the Safelawns Organic Solutions Program™? What is the Safelawns Plant Management Service™? Why do I need a soil test? How long will it take to see a difference? Does Safelawns use liquid or granular materials in its applications? Will the technician servicing my property tell me what was done? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Questions Answered: Why should I choose Safelawns and Landscapes? Safelawns will give you a healthier, greener and safer lawn using our unique and scientifically advanced organic products shipped from remote locations around the world. We have been using cutting edge, scientifically researched organic methods since 1987. We require a soil analysis to be the first step in our lawn program. The results of the soil analysis allows us to treat each of our customers and their lawns as individuals with specialized needs. No guessing, and we will not sell you what you don't need. We use products such as compost teas and organic fertilizers which promote good soil structure, soil biology and long root development. Instead of only making the grass look green, we improve your lawn's natural ability to stay green through summer droughts. Safelawns technicians are trained professionals in organic practices as well as insect and disease diagnosis. They identify any problems with your lawn on the spot and initiate treatment. Our friendly and helpful office staff are always willing to ease concerns or answer questions at any time. Watch the video about why you should choose Safelawns and Landscapes. Top Why do I need to go organic when my chemically treated lawn looks green and healthy? Your lawn may be green, but that certainly does not mean it is healthy. A synthetically over-fertilized and chemically treated lawn often has poor roots, little organic matter and low micro-nutrient content as well as being deficient in the micro-organisms important in nutrient cycling. Synthetic fertilizers which have a high concentration of nitrogen contain it in the form of nitrates, which are washed right through the soil because the plant cannot utilize it. If you have a well or stream nearby, these nitrates leach right into the ground water. Organic fertilizers are derived from naturally occurring sources, and contain low amounts of nitrogen that feeds the soil micro-organisms, not the grass. Those micro-organisms are then responsible for breaking down the nitrogen into a form the plants can use. This reduces groundwater contamination and makes more of the nitrogen available for the plant. Top My current lawn care company claims to use organic products. How can I be sure? ASK QUESTIONS! The best way to make sure your lawn service is using organic products is to ask what the products are. Your lawn care company should be willing to share what is being applied, and by law is required to provide Material Data Safety Sheets when requested. Top If an application is organic, why is there a yellow sign in front of my house? Products that are used commercially to control a pest that bears an EPA Registration, whether it is organic or conventional, by law must have a yellow sign posted when it is applied. Some of our products are registered with the EPA therefore we must post a yellow sign on your property when we apply those products. Top What can I do to help my lawn become healthier? Mow your lawn high and keep those mower blades SHARP! If you hire someone to do this for you, request they keep it at 3-3 1/2 inches. This helps shade out weeds and keeps grass photosynthesizing as much as possible. Dull mower blades will leave grass blades tattered. If your lawn looks tattered, request your lawn care company sharpen their blades before they return. For personal mowers, an annual sharpening usually will suffice. Water properly. Know your irrigation system and your soil type. Actual frequency and duration of watering will depend on this! Your lawn should receive on average about an inch of water per week, including rainfall. Water as early in the morning as possible to prevent disease problems. Leave the clippings! If you mow yourself, invest in a mulching blade, or request your lawn care company let the grass clippings melt back into your lawn. Leaving the grass clippings can supply your lawn with up to 1lb of nitrogen per thousand square feet over the course of a season! That is 1/4 of its annual requirement - Free! Top How do I get my neighbors involved? You can education your neighbors by telling them what you do for your lawn care. Seeing is believing. You can also tell them to go Safelawns.org and view the website. SafeLawns.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating consumers on the “How-To’s” of organic lawn care. Top What is the Safelawns Organic Soil Health Program™? Our SafeLawns Soil Health Program™ will revitalize and balance your soil for the needs of your grass plants, not pesky weeds, insects and diseases, eliminating the need for the use of toxic chemicals. Each visit includes natural soil and foliar feeding with our exclusive SafeTea™ - a living, liquid biological amendment, and our proprietaryorganic soil conditioners, root builders, and soy proteins. Top What is the Safelawns Organic Solutions Program™? This is a customized program to meet the unique needs of your lawn. Although the requirements for proper turfgrass growth and development is consistent, every soil is different, therefore is addressed on an individual basis. Your soil analysis will be used in determining whether your soil will need lime, additional organic matter, or any other nutrients to cure deficiencies. You will receive a copy of your analysis with our customized recommendations. Top What is the Safelawns Plant Management Service™? Our trained environmental horticulturists maintain the beauty and splendor of your landscape plantings by employing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Methods. This approach involves examining your plants for insect pests, disease and cultural problems that could harm or reduce their aesthetic value and preventing or treating them during when certain thresholds are met, throughout the growing season. Top Why do I need a soil test? We believe the foundation of a healthy lawn starts with the soil. PH, nutrients and minerals play an important role in plant health. Our comprehensive soil analysis will tell us everything your soil is lacking, or has excess of, and adjustments can be made properly. We never apply anything that is not needed. Top How long will it take to see a difference? Every lawn is different, therefore some lawns respond more quickly to organic maintenance than others. As a general rule of thumb, it can take up to three years or more for some lawns to fully transition to organic methods. Proper cultural practices will help your lawn become stronger and healthier more quickly. Top Does Safelawns use liquid or granular materials in its applications? Both. Most are liquid applications but some are granular. We use both methods to allow our program to include the best products available. By not limiting ourselves, we can provide the most advanced comprehensive program for you. Slow release granular applications may include organic matter or natural pre-emergent, while our organic liquid applications may contain beneficial organisms in a water extract from compost, or quickly absorbed micronutients. Top Will the technician servicing my property tell me what was done? Always. You will know what, where, when, why, amount and by whom an application was applied. You will be notified if watering is necessary and mowing requirements.

7 great Benefits - Why Choose Safelawn - One Question You Must Ask - Get Your Soil Tested