WHEN SWITCHING FROM CHEMICAL LAWNCARE MAINTENANCE over to organic, you should remember that problems are going to be exposed which normally would have been masked by the high nitrogen fertilizers.

Your lawn may not look as green and lush as it did before the switch (at least temporarily). Over a short time this will be corrected, but be aware that it is a possibility.

One of the things that will be happening is that your lawn is going to go through "withdrawal" symptoms because of lack of nitrogen. Chemical fertilizers typically contain about 20 to 35 percent nitrogen. Organic fertilizers will be more like 4 to 10 percent.

This is a HUGE drop, and your lawn will go into shock if you don't compensate. Therefore, I would suggest that for your first year of organic fertilization applications, put down a half dose of whatever chemical fertilizer you were previously using. For that same application put down one full dose of whatever organic you are switching to.

I know, you're probably saying, "I thought you were the ORGANIC guy. Now you're telling me to use chemicals?" Well, sort of. The truth is what I'm really saying is that you need to find an alternate source of extra nitrogen for your lawn for a little while. Chemicals just happen to be the easiest source.

If you don't care what your lawn looks like while you convert, don't apply any chemicals. You might be able to get by on a double or triple dose of whatever organic you're using. It will just be more expensive - most likely.

When it comes time for the second year of organic application, make it a double dose with no chemical fertilizer (you may have to adjust a little, if your organic has nitrogen percentages up near 10%). Then bring it down to a single dose organic application the next year. This should give your lawn an easy switch-over which won't stunt it too bad.

However, there are other problems which may need to be corrected before you will have your lawn looking its best. Organic methods tend to expose imbalances in the soil and other detrimental situations.

One of the main problems that may need to be dealth with is thatch. For information on identifying and solving thatch problems take a look at that chapter within this eBook. Also, if you have thatch, it is likely that you also have compaction and possibly high acid content.

To determine if you have a compaction problem check out our aeration info. A soil test will give you pH readings to check acidity levels. Anything below 6 or 6.5 is probably too low. A lime application can correct this problem.

By following these tips and making sure to implement our other suggestions, you should be looking at a very healthy, chemical free lawn within about a season or two. Don't get discouraged. It can take time, but it will be worth it. Feel free to e-mail us through this dealer if you run into any snags along the way. We will be more than willing to make suggestions.

.....from The LawnCare Bible, by Michael Kaufman, Guarding-Our-Earth.com (Free to Download)