Two more municipalities, Gaithersburg and Kensington, have opted into Montgomery County’s new pesticide law this year. As a result, lawn care contractors are no longer allowed to apply pesticides on private lawns throughout the majority of Montgomery County.
Many homeowners and property managers have already begun receiving an avalanche of direct mailers from contractors claiming to offer “organic” lawn care services. But the question is, do all lawn care contractors have a proven track record of managing lawns organically? After all, it was only a couple of years ago when many of these same contractors were co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Montgomery County pesticide restrictions.
Background on the pesticide law
Montgomery County’s original Healthy Lawns Act (Bill 52-14) was initially passed in October 2015. Zack Kline, owner of A.I.R. Lawn Care in Rockville, Md., played an instrumental role in educating councilmembers on the efficacy of organic lawn care. Kline’s proven success in managing lawns organically helped solidify the argument that lawns can still look beautiful without the use of pesticides.
Marc Elrich, a current county executive, was a councilmember and co-sponsor of the bill in 2015. He said the bill was about protecting basic human safety. Neither the state of Maryland nor the federal government were willing to create a law that prohibited pesticide use on private lawns. Thus, the Montgomery County Council had to act on its own in order to protect current and future generations.
Pesticide exposure is linked to numerous health conditions in both children and adults ranging from behavioral disorders and dementia to arthritis, diabetes and even cancer. Pesticides are also dangerous for pets, wildlife, insects and pollinators, and can seep into the water supply and cause further environmental damage.
The lead sponsor of the bill in 2015 was then council president, George Leventhal. He said the bill did a good job of balancing the rights of homeowners who want to maintain a beautiful lawn with the rights of homeowners who do not want to be exposed to dangerous chemicals with known health risks, such as pesticides.
Who sued to stop the pesticide law?
Despite all of the overwhelming evidence that lawns can be properly managed without the use of pesticides, the Healthy Lawns Act was challenged in court by:
- RISE, a prominent trade association for pesticide suppliers known as
- Complete Lawn Care
- Green Gardens
- Integrated Plant Care
- Rowlandscapes
- Super Lawns
- Lancaster Landscapes
- TruGreen
- Scotts
The Circuit Court for Montgomery County sided with those challenging the law. But then, in May 2019, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals reinstated it.
Where things stand right now
Since then, Montgomery County municipalities have had to individually opt into the law, officially known as 33B Pesticides of the Montgomery County Code. While most opted in right away, several municipalities took their time.
According to Mary Travaglini, program manager for organic lawn and landscape at Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection, some of the “hesitant” municipalities merely had some procedural hurdles to overcome. Others wanted to learn more about how a pesticide ban might affect the cost of lawn care. Others had questions about enforcement.
For most, all of those questions have been answered. As it stands, only three municipalities have yet to opt into the law: the Town of Chevy Chase, the City of Rockville, and Laytonsville. But everywhere else in Montgomery County, lawn care contractors cannot utilize pesticides this season.
As an alternative to pesticides, lawn care contractors can use OMRI-listed products, which means they have been given the organic stamp of approval. Additionally, contractors can use lawn care products that are classified as “minimum risk” by the EPA. Consumers are also prohibited from applying pesticides to their own lawns for cosmetic purposes.
If a consumer hires a lawn care professional, it’s important to ensure that the contractor is using products that are in compliance with the law. It is equally important to ensure that the contractor has the training and knowledge necessary to make organic lawn care work.
Not all contractors can make organics work
With organic lawn care, contractors must embrace a systemic shift in how lawns are managed. The goal is no longer to pile a lawn full of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Rather, the goal is to improve the conditions by which healthy grass can grow.
Zack Kline of A.I.R. has embraced organic lawn care since he founded his company in 2011. Back in 2015 when the pesticide law was initially being debated by the Montgomery County Council, Kline took councilmembers on a tour of a large property he was managing organically, a residential development known as the Kentlands Citizens Assembly (KCA) in Gaithersburg. That tour convinced many councilmembers to vote “yes” on the bill. A.I.R.’s work at the Kentlands presented irrefutable proof that organic lawn care can work.
Organic lawn care can also prove more cost-effective in the long run.
“Organic lawn care does require a slightly larger upfront investment to transition the lawn,” Kline points out. “But over time, because the soil and turfgrass become healthier and function more efficiently, the consumer will save money on inputs such as water and fertilizer. We have found that after a few years, organic lawn care can save the consumer money — if the person managing the lawn understands what he or she is doing.”
Characteristics of an expert organic lawn care professional
Credentials. Lawn care professionals who embrace organic lawn care seek the necessary training. Kline, for instance, is accredited through the Organic Lawn Care program of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA). Kline was initially introduced to NOFA by his friend and mentor, Paul Tukey, a renowned organic lawn care expert.
Expectation. The “radioactive green” lawn many customers have grown accustomed to is no longer the goal. The goal with organic lawn care is healthier soil and a more lush lawn. “Consumers should be comfortable with having a small amount of clover in their lawns,” Kline adds. “Clover is a great source of nitrogen which is great for a lawn. Clover is also an excellent food source for pollinators. Plus, a small amount does not impact the appearance of a lush lawn.”
Soil testing. A soil test identifies which nutrients are needed to improve the health of the soil.
Fertilizing remains an essential step in an organic lawn care program. However, truly “organic” lawn care companies use the right types of fertilizers. A.I.R. Lawn Care, for instance, uses plant-based organic fertilizers.
Compost topdressing is another step that often comes into play. “When soil testing shows that a soil’s organic matter is less than 5%, it’s important to apply a topdressing,” Kline explains. This helps supply essential nutrients to the soil to accelerate the transition process.
Aeration and overseeding. Kline says he prefers to apply topdressings in conjunction with aeration. Aerating the lawn helps relieve compaction while creating pores for the topdressing to settle in. Then, aeration also goes hand-in-hand with seeding. “Aerating and overseeding regularly helps establish a lush lawn that will choke out weeds,” Kline points out.
Proper mowing is critical
Since the goal of organic lawn care is to improve growing conditions, other lawn care practices such as irrigation and mowing play a pivotal role.
“Proper mowing could be even more important than fertilizing,” Kline points out. “In an organic lawn care program, mowing to 4 inches is really important. Keeping the grass higher will help reduce weed pressure because the soil remains shaded. Weeds are considerably less likely to germinate, grass roots grow stronger, and moisture is retained better.”
There is one other point to be made about mowing. A homeowner who hires a lawn mowing contractor could be at risk of “lawn cross-contamination.” If the contractor mows one lawn that is full of weeds or disease, those organisms could be transferred to the next lawn by way of the lawn mower blades. To protect against this, a homeowner could simply mow their own lawn with their own mower.
Another alternative is a robotic mower dedicated to a single property. Robotic mowers are electric-powered, zero-emission, low-noise mowers that mow on a more frequent basis, removing just a small percentage of a grass blade at a time. Mowing in that fashion helps improve turfgrass health — which is a great complement to organic lawn care which shares the same objective.