Is Your Lawn a Lawn Junkie?

Lush, green weed free lawns - they are the dream of every homeowner in America, but the price we pay for those luscious grass carpets may be more than the dollars spent on fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides not to mention the hours spent on mowing and trimming. The price may be your health and the health of our children and pets.

A study by Dr. John Peters of the University of Southern California (July 1987 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute) showed that children living in houses where garden pesticide sprays were used on a regular basis faced a risk of contracting leukemia that is 61/2 times greater than normal. Another study published in the October 1991 issue of the same publication showed that dogs whose owners used a herbicide called 2-4-D were twice as likely to develop lymphatic cancer.

At last there is an alternative to chemical based lawn treatments. Leo Malantis, President of Millennium Lawns and a Consultant to the Golf Course Industry states: Fertilizers or Plant Foods alone cannot provide the biological balance to the soil and likewise; no biological solution by itself can maintain a nutritional balance in the soil. The soil is the stomach for the plant and it needs the the soil based organisms to break down the nutrients,to make them available to the plant in a digested form. Since many microbes are killed by herbicides and pesticides, it stand to reason that replacing them should be the first consideration of a fertilization program Malantis states, "The soil can only hold so much food, after that, the excess nutrients are wasted or even worse become toxic to the plants itself. (fertilizer burn) This toxicity will kill the "soil microbes".

Microbes are necessary in the soil for the bacterial decomposition of roots and stems that create organic matter. The whole chain of microorganisms must work in the soil to break this organic material into humus, which then becomes nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, which the plant takes up as food.

That's the life cycle in the soil and too many chemicals can wipe it out." Once your soil becomes lifeless the grass is dependent upon nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash from an outside source - Generally synthetic fertilizers purchased by the homeowner and/or applied by the lawn service companies.

Your lawn has become a "Lawn Junkie" dependent upon chemicals to be green and weed free. These chemicals pose health hazards to our children and pets. The over-application of synthetic chemicals also creates other stress conditions for the turf.

SOIL TOXICITY
All fertilizers and herbicides are water soluble salts. Grass plants are like sponges and will absorb all nutrients available until they become saturated. Once saturated, like a wet sponge, they cannot absorb any more food and the excess nutrients, as much as 60%, will become nutrient run off that pollutes our underground water supply, or will remain tied up in the soil as a salt. This salt build-up prevents the roots from penetrating the soil begin to feed at the surface of the lawn causing a compact soil and mat and thatch.

SOIL COMPACTION
Ideally, a "friable" soil is composed of 45% minerals, 5% organic matter, 25% air and 25% water. Roots in the soil decompose to form the organic matter that is the glue that holds the air and water in the soil. Without organic matter, the soil readily compacts CORE AERATION MYTH "Core aeration is not a solution," states Malantis. Soil compaction takes place deep in the soil as clay, silt, and sand, lacking organic matter, begins to stratify. When you core aerate you will bring up soil cores that contain weed seeds. Once exposed to surface heat and moisture the weed seeds germinate and grow requiring a chemical herbicide to control them.

MAT AND THATCH
The compact soil now has forced the roots to feed at the surface of the lawn. This mass of roots at the surface is called mat & thatch. Mat & thatch has a number of negative impacts on lawns. First: Mat and thatch limit the rhizome growth and result in a thin lawn. Secondly, weed seeds wilL germinate more readily in a thin sparse lawn, Thirdly: Mat & thatch becomes a breeding ground for insects and disease, DETHATCHING MYTH. Dethatching is another myth that Malantis attacks. "Thatch, as we said before is organic matter. Thatch should be decomposed with enzymes and returned to the soil, not removed to a waste dump."

ORGANIC-BASED SOLUTIONS
The Millennium Probiotic Lawn Care program uses natural-organic and bio-based formulations to accomplish in three years what it would normally take Mother Nature on hundred years to accomplish. They consist of: Catalytic enzymes which reduce and cleanse the soil of Chemicals; Enzymes that open tight soils and encourage the penetration of air, water and nutrients to stimulate deeper natural root growth; Hormones, minerals that will encourage the plant to heal from wounds and grow aggressively to fill in bare, thin areas, and form dense grass growth; Microorganisms which give life back to soil, promote natural decomposition of mat & thatch, and provide the energy which encourages aggressive root, foliar and rhizome growth; Balanced nutrients that encourage strong turf grass growth while creating an environment not suitable for weed growth.

NATURE'S RHYTHM
"Following Mother Nature's Rhythm is very critical," states Malantis. "Each season presents a different set of weather conditions and opportunities that the homeowner should be aware of.

MOWING
Nutrients are converted to food in the leaf by the sun. Photosynthesis- Mowing too short reduces the food supply to the plant. A longer blade also shades and cools the soil, preventing weed germination. Adjust your lawn mower to its highest or second highest level and never cut more that 1/3 off of the blade at a time, avoiding the possibility of the lawn going into shock. It's better to mow more often and leave the grass clippings on the lawn to decompose and return to the soil as organic matter. Contrary to popular belief, grass clippings decompose rapidly, and do not contribute to mat and thatch.

WATERING
Regular water saturation of the soil is a necessity for deep root growth. Frequent, light watering will result in shallow roots. It is recommended to water about one inch on the surface of the lawn. This can be measured by setting a rain gauge or coffee can on the lawn and timing how long it takes to fill to a one inch level. Lawns should be watered once a week through out the growing season or more frequently if weather is extremely hot for long periods. During dry spells if the lawn cannot be watered regularly, it is better to let lawn go dormant rather than water infrequently.

"The Millennium Probiotic Lawn program will give you a step-by-step guide to grow your lawn intelligently, and in harmony with nature," says Malantis.