Turf
vs. Trees
Chemical
Lawn Care Programs Can Have Deadly Impact on Trees
| In the October
2003 issue of “Turf, for Turf Care Professionals”,
writer Tracy Powell interviewed a number of industry professionals
about the different nutritional needs and potential hazards of the
unnatural relationship between your trees and your lawn. |
| First of all,
trees were designed to grow with other trees in a forest, not as
part of a beautifully manicured and often heavily chemicalized lawn
program. |
Secondly, we
think of trees with deep root systems and assume that they receive
their
nutritional needs from much deeper levels than lawn grasses. That
is largely untrue. The majority of tiny root hairs that draw in
the nutrients needed by trees are in the top 6-12 inches of soil
and are competing directly with your lawn for many of the same nutrients,
including water. |
| As challenging
as the competitive environment may be between lawn grasses and trees,
a major health challenge for trees is trying to survive on the wrong
kind of lawn care products.¹ Many commercial lawn products,
including fertilizers and particularly weed killers, can be absorbed
through the root-hairs, weakening the tree. This can cause stunted
growth, poor color, greater susceptibility to disease and even death.
According to Turf: |
“This
intermingling of roots is touchy, as broadleaf herbicides
have the potential to kill trees if picked up by the trees’
roots.”² |
| “That
is why integrated plant health care, using nature’s own ingredients,
is so critical”, says Keith Maurer, Horticulturist and product
specialist with Nature’s Pro®, manufacturers of organic-based
lawn, tree, and shrub health care products. “Today’s
beautifully landscaped properties require a professional who knows
both trees and lawns and the inter-relationships between the two.
Just as importantly, we have three decades of experience using the
right products. The Nature’s Pro® Comprehensive Turf Nutrition
& Soil Conditioning Program is based on the use of a proven,
highly effective combination of organic and natural ingredients
that have low salt and chloride content. The use of chemicals is
dramatically reduced in favor of less toxic, organic products, supporting
the natural processes of Nature”. |
| Nature’s
Pro® is a national company specializing in advanced organic
plant health care products for healthier landscapes and a safer
environment. For more information, call Keith Maurer at 1-866-609-4172
x1. |
¹ Jim Skiera, Associate
Executive Director of the International Society of Arboriculture,
Turf, October 2003, pp. A14.
² Turf, October 2003, pp. A14. |
|