1. What's wrong with my lawn? It looked good last spring.
2. What are signs of poor soil?
3. How do I correct the problem of poor soil?
4. What are these natural mineral products?
5. How often do I fertilize?
6. Will these products solve all my lawn problems?
7. How Do You Balance Water, Air and Sunlight?

What's wrong with my lawn?

   Most lawns in new subdivisions are sod, laid over poor soil. Sod comes with a thin layer of high humus-content soil attached to it. By the third season, the roots will have completely absorbed the rich humus, leaving nothing but an interwoven layer of living and dead roots (matted thatch) sitting on top of compacted, “dead soil”. Water and air cannot get into this type of soil and so the lawn begins to rot. We call this condition Fusarium or Summer Blight. In older neighborhoods or where lawns have been seeded on these poor soils, the grass just dies away.

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What are Signs of Poor Soil?

  Weeds are the first sign. They become the predominant plant that grows in unhealthy soil. Fungus lawn diseases also thrive in this setting. Grubs will often be found because fungus from root rot is their favorite food.

  Moles and skunks will often be attracted to the grubs. They burrow under the mat and thatch in search of grubs that are eating the fungus. In most cases these lawns are being treated with fast-acting, soluble salt fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides all being used to control the visible symptoms when the real problem is trying to grow a permanent on dead lifeless soil.

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How Do You Correct the Problem of Poor Soil?

  There are two approaches, but only one corrects the problem of poor soil - if the other three basics are also in place.

   Conventional Lawn Care uses toxic chemicals to kill weeds, insects and diseases caused by the problems associated with trying to grow lawns on dead soil. This approach will not build or balance a biologically active soil that grows permanent, healthy lawns. The chemical approach is designed to get rid of the visible symptoms of poor, dead sol. But it poses a toxic hazard to all living creatures and only produces short term controlled results for a few growing seasons. This approach does not correct poor soil conditions.

  Pure Prairie Organics uses dry applied mineral products that balance the natural chemistry of soil to create a biologically active or living soil (humus) that will support the growth cycle of healthy plants year after year. These products are non-toxic, friendly to the eco-systems, and will correct poor soil conditions.

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What are these natural mineral products?

The basic minerals used in these products come from glacial rock powders found in Colorado and Montana and have rich amounts of trace minerals. We also use minerals mined from Idaho, Utah, and New Mexico; such as rock phosphate (Idaho), humates, which is petrified humus or coal, (Utah, New Mexico), Silica (New Mexico), and sedimentary trace minerals (Utah).

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How often do I fertilize?

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Will these products solve all my lawn problems?

Probably not. These products will lay down the basis for a balanced, active soil (humus). But we are only dealing with one of the basics. We need to have the other basics, water, air, and sunshine in balance, too.

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How do you balance water, air and sunlight?

   Sunlight: Even shade tolerant grasses require 60% sunlight. Pruning or thinning shade trees may help but without sunlight, plants will not grow, no matter how healthy the soil is.

   Water: Healthy soil contains humus that acts like a sponge to hold moisture and can help carry a lawn through drought conditions. Occasional watering may be necessary to maintain biologically active soil.

   Air: Core aeration and ranking can help “jumpstart” your lawn when it is completed.

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