| At
first glance, any relationship between these two items would seem to be
laughable. But there are many similarities between the human body and
nature. Digestion is one of them. |
| Healthy
digestive activity within the human body requires a variety of healthy
bacteria tasked with the job of breaking down various types of food so
that it can be properly assimilated by the body. Digestive problems often
result when the healthy bacteria population has been reduced or has lost
its equilibrium relative to its digestive function. |
| A
healthy lawn also requires a healthy digestive system. Healthy soil is
teeming with a wide variety of microbial life, including bacteria. Microbes
decompose dead roots, stems and grass blades. This decomposition process
creates a type of compost that becomes a nutrient source for the lawn.
Without microbial life, thatch is created. |
 |
| Thatch,
the buildup of dead grass roots, stems and blades, is harmful to you lawn
in a number of ways. First, it makes a heavy mat on the surface of you
lawn. This creates two immediate problems. |
| Water
does not penetrate well. With water close to the surface the sun and wind
quickly evaporates the water, increasing usage costs while depriving the
root zone of the moisture the grass plant needs. Secondly, fertilizer
and other nutrients tend to get trapped in this thatch layer. The roots,
seeking moisture and nutrients, tend to stay closer to the surface since
that is where the nutrients have been trapped. |
| This
mat of dead organic matter becomes a great micro-environment for all kinds
of turf diseases and insect infestation. Some of these diseases can destroy
a lawn in a matter of a couple of days. Thatch harbors these lawn terrorists.
Mechanical de-thatching or power raking make help to alleviate the thatch
problem temporarily, but it is expensive and no match for the year round
thatch elimination program automatically provided by a thriving microbial
community living within the soil of your lawn. |
 |
This
all leads to another problem - hard soil. Adding thatch to poor microbial
function results in shallow roots = hard soil. Symptom relief for this
problem has been mechanical aeration; poking holes into the ground and
in some cases pulling out “cores” of earth that make a lawn
very unsightly while significantly increasing maintenance costs. The benefit
is less than 10% effective and lasts no more than a couple of months.
Nature’s microbe program is 100% effective and eliminates the expense
forever. |
| How
is the healthy bacteria killed off? With harsh chemical fertilizers that
are high in salts and chlorides. Over time these components accumulate
and make the soil too toxic for microbial life. That usually leads to
the disappearance of more complex life forms, like earthworms. |
| It
is possible to address all of the symptoms of unhealthy turf with insecticides,
fungicides, excessive watering, additional seeding and mechanical de-thatching
and aerating, which are all very expensive and don’t address the
root problem. |