Organic Safe Lawns Delivers A Safer Approach To Green Lawns

Jim Schanstra says you can get green, healthy lawns with all-natural products, despite conventional thinking that harmful chemicals are more effective. 

Keeping lawns green, free of pests and healthy is Organic Safe Lawns’ specialty. Whether it’s because your kids play in the grass or your pets like to run around in the yard, making sure they stay danger-free is a big deal for owner Jim Schanstra.

In fact, he says it’s why he started his business in the first place. 

Schanstra suspects that exposure to DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) as a youngster had something to do with his wife Julie developing non-Hodgkin’s large cell lymphoma cancer. DDT was widely used in the U.S. in agriculture as a pesticide and as a household insecticide in the 1940s and 1950s, only to be banned in 1973.

Julie won her fight against cancer, with help from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, but it was a constant reminder to Schanstra of the potential effects of chemicals used in the environment.

In 2006, just before a scheduled sales meeting with an organic fertilizer manufacturer, Schanstra says that one of the associates said that he’d read a recent news article that claimed Florida was using more chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides on residential properties than the rest of the U.S. combined.

“That statement hit me like a lightning bolt,” Schanstra says. “It was in that moment that I decided to do something about it. That was the conception of Organic Safe Lawns.”

In January of 2010, Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., became a Florida corporation.

“When I started out, that was my big, hard sell — how do I tell people we can really do it?,” he says. “If we can grow fruits and vegetables organically, why can’t we grow grass that way? That was the concept in my mind.”

Schanstra isn’t alone. The demand for organic fertilizers will grow 5.8% a year through 2024, according to Freedonia Group, an international industrial research company. Organic fertilizers will make up 7% of the $3-billion fertilizer market, thanks to a number of issues — including demand for organic food products and rising awareness of the potential negative effects chemicals can have on your health and the environment.

That also extends to lawns, which are gathering places for millions of families and their pets. 

Schanstra works closely with one of the top organic fertilizer manufacturers and pioneers of the industry. The products — fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides — used by Schanstra and Organic Safe Lawns are certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute or OMRI, an independent testing company that certifies organic products. He says the products use a proven technology that was originally designed for fruits and vegetables, although Organic Safe Lawns deals strictly with lawns and ornamental plants.

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., has now designed and manufactured more than 30 different organic fertilizer products of its own that are owned and trademarked by the corporation.

While most typical fertilizers are made up of synthesized chemicals, Schanstra says the products he uses are mostly mined from the shale level of the earth, where healthier and more acidic soil exists. There are richer supplies of micronutrients, enzymes and bacteria found in this soil than in other fertilizers.

“There’s no downside with our fertilizers,” Schanstra says.

Other lawn companies also use mined products, but they are converted into a granular form — those little balls you see in your grass after the lawn company has wrapped up — by incorporating binders and fillers to keep their shape. That’s where Schanstra says carcinogens are often entered into the mixture.

“Once those little balls dissolve, those chemicals end up running off into our aquifers, which are sometimes only a foot or two deep below, and can get into our water, streams and ponds and cause algae blooms,” he says.

Typical fertilizers come in two types of encapsulation. The first is water-based, meaning the fertilizer is released by coming into contact with water. The second is a polymer, or plastic encapsulation. Its releasing agent is heat. 

Schanstra says those forms of release may be fine for more moderate northern climates. However, Florida’s famously erratic weather — sometimes too much rain and often too much heat — can sometimes cause the release of a month’s worth of fertilizer in a week or even a day.

Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides may lead to greener lawns — due to their higher concentrations of nitrogen — but they also can lead to the same typical lawn problems so common here in Florida. These problems include fungi and diseases, chinch bugs, webworms and mole crickets, all of which are often found in high-nitrogen soils.

“The cheapest way to get green grass is with high-nitrogen fertilizer,” Schanstra says. “We found that by reducing the nitrogen level (in the products Organic Safe Lawns uses), we almost eliminate fungus and pests.” 

Schanstra also says that high-nitrogen fertilizers push top growth and weaken root structure. Over time, the lawn’s root system can’t sustain the foliage.

“A weakened root structure is like candy to bugs,” Schanstra says. “After using our treatment, you’ll see the bugs moving over into your neighbor’s yard.”

Chemical-based fertilizers are designed to be absorbed through the leaf (called foliar absorption). All of the organic fertilizers that Schanstra uses are absorbed through the roots. And, he adds, they are all water-soluble liquids that are safe for pets, wildlife and humans.

“When we apply organic fertilizers, we’re spraying that into the soil,” he says. “The only way the plant absorbs it is into the root system. My grass will grow a little bit slower, but my roots will be stronger.”

Top-coated lawns treated with synthetic pesticides and herbicides put people and pets in danger. Why do you think people applying pesticides wear rubber boots? Because, Schanstra says, they don’t want to get any of the application on themselves.

In that case, he adds, why would you want you, your children or your pets to track that into your house?

“The dog goes over into the neighbor’s yard to pee, and they’re chewing on their paws when they get back,” Schanstra says. “Kids crawl around and play on the grass and absorb it when they walk in it.”

The chemical herbicide Atrazine is still used widely across the U.S. and Florida to prevent pre- and post-emergence of broadleaf weeds, especially during the summer. It was found by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Diseases (ATSDR) to have adverse effects on the endocrine systems of mammals and that it likely also contributes to some birth defects.

“A lot of lawn companies will blanket your yard with Atrazine,” Schanstra says. “It costs just five dollars for a 600-gallon mix. They use it because it’s cheap.”’

But, Organic Safe Lawns’ technicians offer a safer chemical solution for weed control, which is spot-treated throughout the year. It isn’t as cheap as Atrazine, he says, but generally, the stronger root system his lawns have developed lead to fewer weeds anyway.

“We are about the process and the materials,” Schanstra says, “as opposed to using harmful chemicals with regard to weed control.”

Schanstra says he recommends treatment every 30 days, and that it isn’t any more expensive than hiring the lawn care chains. 

Here are some important ways Jim Schanstra of Organic Safe Lawns says you can help keep your lawn green and healthy:

1. Check you irrigation regularly. Make sure all the heads are working properly. Check that all heads pop up through the lawn and spray fully. If they do not pop up check to see if the turf has overgrown the heads. If so, take a small spade and cut the turf away from the heads, and check spray for clogged nozzles, which may need to be removed and cleaned. Uncontrollable spray could mean a broken head, which would need to be replaced.

2. Follow Florida University Watering guidelines! Apply ½” to ¾” of water at each interval. This translates to approximately 20 minutes on a spray zone, pop up in the turf, spray heads in the bushes; 45 minutes per interval on rotor heads that spray and rotate like on a golf course; 30 minutes on drip irrigation found in the bushes.

3. Never water at night! Set up your irrigation system to complete its cycle by 8 am. This allow the water to go into the soil, and the sun will dry the leaf blades preventing unwanted fungus.

4. Never water midday! The sun will burn the leaf blades like a magnifying glass lens.

5. Proper mowing is very important! Mow every week in the growing season, April 1st through November 1st. Mow every other week in the winter months. Why is this important? Weeds grow much faster than turf. Allowing the turf to grow 10 days to 2 weeks in the growing season will allow the weeds to get to seed head, and then by mowing you will be planting weeds all over your yard. 

6. Sharpen your blades monthly for a clean crisp cut.

7. Never mow wet grass. This will cause the cut to rip and tear the turf blades weakening the plant.

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., services homes in Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes. For additional information, call (813) 393-9665, email organicsafelawns@verizon.net or visit OrganicSafeLawns.com.

Organic Safe Lawns Takes Healthier Approach To Green and Healthy Lawns!

Organic Safe Lawns will keep your grass and plants looking green and healthy using only products that are safe for you and your family.

Nick Pipitone has used other lawn service companies, and even tried to keep his yard green and healthy himself, but he says he was looking for a safer, more environmentally sound option to keep his lawn, as well as his beloved English bulldog, chemical-free.

That’s why, about five years ago, Pipitone decided to hire Jim Schanstra and his Organic Safe Lawns to take care of his lawn.

“I gotta tell you, there is stuff out there, the stuff they (Organic Safe Lawns) uses, that greens up the grass real good,” says Pipitone, a Wesley Chapel resident. “You don’t need all the chemicals. That’s what I was looking for…and they have done a great job.”

Keeping lawns green, free of pests and healthy is Organic Safe Lawns’ specialty. Whether it’s because your kids play in the grass or your pets like to run around in the yard, making sure they stay danger-free is a big deal for Schanstra.

In fact, he says it’s why he started his business in the first place. 

Schanstra suspects that exposure to DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) as a youngster had something to do with his wife Julie developing non-Hodgkin’s large cell lymphoma cancer. DDT was used in the U.S. in agriculture as a pesticide and as a household insecticide in the 1940s and 1950s, only to be banned in 1973.

Julie won her fight against cancer, with help from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, but it was a constant reminder to Schanstra of the potential effects of chemicals used in the environment.

Jim Schanstra says his Organic Safe Lawns technicians go beyond just fertilizing grass — they will check your plants for health and your irrigation system to make sure it’s properly functioning.

In 2006, just before a scheduled sales meeting with an organic fertilizer manufacturer, Schanstra says that one of the associates said that he’d read a recent news article that claimed Florida was using more chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides on residential properties than the rest of the United States combined.

“That statement hit me like a lightning bolt,” Schanstra says. “It was in that moment that I decided to do something about it. That was the conception of Organic Safe Lawns.”

In January of 2010, Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., became a Florida corporation.

“When I started out, that was my big, hard sell: how do I tell people we can really do it?,” he says. “If we can grow fruits and vegetables organically, why can’t we grow grass that way? That was the concept in my mind.”

Schanstra works closely with one of the top organic fertilizer manufacturers and pioneers of the industry. The products — fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides — used by Schanstra and Organic Safe Lawns are certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute or OMRI, an independent testing company that certifies organic products. He says the products use a proven technology that was originally designed for fruits and vegetables, although Organic Safe Lawns deals strictly with lawns and ornamental plants.

Trademarked Products 

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., has now designed and manufactured more than 30 different organic fertilizer products of its own that are owned and trademarked by the corporation.

While most typical fertilizers are made up of synthesized chemicals, Schanstra says the products he uses are mostly mined from the shale level of the earth, where healthier and more acidic soil exists. There are richer supplies of micronutrients, enzymes and bacteria found in this soil than in other fertilizers.

“There’s no downside with our fertilizers,” Schanstra says.

Other lawn companies also use mined products, but they are converted into a granular form — those little balls you see in your grass after the lawn company has stopped by — by incorporating binders and fillers to keep their shape. That’s where Schanstra says carcinogens are often entered into the mixture.

“Once those little balls dissolve, those chemicals end up running off into our aquifers, which are sometimes only a foot or two deep below, and can get into our water, streams and ponds and cause algae blooms,” Schanstra says.

Typical fertilizers come in two types of encapsulation. The first is water-based, meaning the fertilizer is released by coming into contact with water. The second is a polymer, or plastic encapsulation. Its releasing agent is heat. 

Schanstra says those forms of release may be fine for more moderate northern climates. However, Florida’s famously erratic weather — sometimes too much rain and often too much heat — can sometimes cause the release of a month’s worth of fertilizer in a week or even a day.

Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides may lead to greener lawns — due to their higher concentrations of nitrogen — but they also can lead to the same typical lawn problems so common here in Florida. These problems include fungus and disease, chinch bugs, webworms and mole crickets, all of which are often found in high-nitrogen soils.

“We found that by reducing the nitrogen level (in the products Organic Safe Lawns uses), we almost eliminate fungus and pests,” Schanstra says. “The cheapest way to get green grass is with high-nitrogen fertilizer.”

Schanstra also says that high-nitrogen fertilizers push top growth and weaken root structure. Over time, the lawn’s root system can’t sustain the foliage.

“A weakened root structure is like candy to bugs,” Schanstra says. “After using our treatment, you’ll see the bugs moving over into the neighbor’s yard.”

Chemical-based fertilizers are designed to be absorbed through the leaf (called foliar absorption). All of the organic fertilizers that Schanstra uses are absorbed through the roots. And, he adds, they are all water-soluble liquids that are safe for pets, wildlife and humans.

“When we apply organic fertilizers, we’re spraying that into the soil,” he says. “The only way the plant absorbs it is into the root system. My grass will grow a little bit slower, but my roots will be stronger.”

Top-coated lawns treated with synthetic pesticides and herbicides puts people and pets in danger. Why do you think people applying pesticides wear rubber boots? Because, Schanstra says, they don’t want to get any of the application on them.

In that case, he adds, why would you want you, your children or your pets to track that into your house?

“The dog goes over into the neighbor’s yard to pee, and they’re chewing on their paws when they get back,” Schanstra says. “Kids crawl around and play on the grass and absorb it when they walk in it.”

The chemical herbicide Atrazine is still used widely across the U.S. and Florida to prevent pre- and post-emergence of broadleaf weeds, especially during the summer. It was found by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases (ATSDR) to have adverse effects on the endocrine systems of mammals and that it likely also contributes to some birth defects.

“A lot of lawn companies will blanket your yard with Atrazine,” Schanstra says. “It costs just five dollars for a 600-gallon mix. They use it because it’s cheap.”’

But, Organic Safe Lawns’ technicians offer a safer chemical solution for weed control, which is spot-treated throughout the year. It isn’t as cheap as Atrazine, he says, but generally, the stronger root system his lawns have developed lead to fewer weeds anyway.

“We are about the process and the materials,” Schanstra says, “as opposed to using harmful chemicals with regard to weed control.”

Schanstra says he recommends treatment every 30 days, and that it isn’t any more expensive than hiring the lawn care chains. He said he also works with his customers to ensure they are watering and mowing their lawns correctly — two extremely important ways to keep your lawn in tip-top shape that are often overlooked and under-appreciated.

Organic Safe Lawns, Inc., services homes in Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes. For additional information, call (813) 393-9665, email organicsafelawns@verizon.net or visit OrganicSafeLawns.com.

Organic Safe Lawns Lives Up To Its Name & Its Promise To Keep Your Lawn Healthy

Jim Schanstra and his dog Angel want to keep your lawn safe for your pets, too.

Consumer demand for organic items, whether it be food, healthcare products or even lawn care items, has grown by double-digits nearly every year since the 1990s.

According to a 2015 report by the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic products have increased from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $43.3 billion in 2015.

Jim Schanstra, the owner of Organic Safe Lawns Inc., is well aware of the trend. He says his past experiences working with chemicals and his wife’s battle with cancer have helped shape his current business into one where he and his crew work hard to safely make sure your lawn will stay healthy, green and free of pests, while also making sure your family and pets are protected from harmful chemicals.

“When I started in this business, places like Whole Foods were just starting to creep into peoples’ awareness,” Schanstra says. “Now, we’re seeing significant growth, with people seeking us out.”

The products — fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides — used by Schanstra and Organic Safe Lawns are certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute or OMRI, an independent testing company that certifies organic products. He says the products use a proven technology that was originally designed for fruits and vegetables, although Organic Safe Lawns deals strictly with lawns and ornamental plants.

Schanstra says there are many advantages to going organic. One of those is the most simple — it is simply better for the lawn and plants, and better for the people and pets who touch them. It’s may not be equally effective with regard to weed control, but Schanstra says it is more effective with regard to fertilization.

Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides may lead to greener lawns — due to a higher concentration of nitrogen — but it also can lead to the same typical lawn problems so common here in Florida. Lawn problems like fungus and disease, chinch bugs, webworms and mole crickets are often found in high-nitrogen soils.

“We found that by reducing the nitrogen level (in the products used), we almost eliminate fungus and pests,” Schanstra said. “The cheapest way to get green grass is with high- nitrogen fertilizer.”

Schanstra says he uses an application of chelated iron and manganese to get a deep green color, if Home Owner Associations are strict about the lawn’s shade of green.

Sustainable Growth

Schanstra also says that high-nitrogen fertilizers push top growth and weaken root structure. Over time, the root system can’t sustain the foliage.

“A weakened root structure is like candy to bugs,” Schanstra said. “After using our treatment, you’ll see the bugs moving over into the neighbor’s yard.”

The nitrogen in Schanstra’s fertilizers is derived from chicken urea, a natural source. With synthetic fertilizers, inorganic salts accumulate in the soil, causing it to “bind up.” Schanstra says the soil can get so full of salts that it won’t grow anymore.

“I have tried all the best, with no results,” one customer, John from South Tampa, posted on Organic Safe Lawns’ website. “With large oaks, I thought it was impossible to keep St. Augustine (grass in my yard). Organic Safe Lawns proved they can grow St. Augustine in difficult conditions.”

Chemical-based fertilizers are designed to be absorbed through the leaf (foliar absorption). All of the organic fertilizers that Schanstra uses are absorbed through the roots. And, he adds, they are all water-soluble liquids that are safe for pets, wildlife and humans.

Typical fertilizers are granular and come in two types of encapsulation. The first is water-based, meaning the fertilizer is released by coming into contact with water. The second is a polymer, or plastic encapsulation. Its releasing agent is heat. Erratic Florida weather — too much rain or too much heat — can sometimes cause the release of a month’s worth of fertilizer in a week or even a day. Schanstra says this is what causes run off and those nasty algae blooms in lakes and ponds.

With an organic, liquid fertilizer your plants and grass will absorb what they need, when they need it.

Exposure To Harmful Chemicals

Top-coated lawns treated with synthetic pesticides and herbicides puts people and pets in danger. Why do applicators of pesticides wear rubber boots? Because, Schanstra says, they don’t want to get any of the application on them.

Why would you want you or your pet to track that into your house?

“The dog goes over into the neighbor’s yard to pee, and they’re chewing on their paws when they get back,” Schanstra said. “Kids crawl around and play on the grass and absorb it when they walk in it.”

The chemical herbicide Atrazine is used widely across the U.S. and Florida to prevent pre- and post-emergence of broadleaf weeds. Schanstra says that Atrazine was banned by the European Union in 2003, and has been studied to determine its carcinogenic effects on humans and other mammals. It was found by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases (ATSDR) to have adverse effects on the endocrine system of mammals and likely contribute to some birth defects.

“A lot of lawn companies will blanket your yard with Atrazine,” Schanstra said. “It costs five dollars for a 600-gallon mix. They use it because it’s cheap.”

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, was used in the U.S. in agriculture as a pesticide and as a household insecticide in the 1940s and 1950s, only to be banned in 1973. Schanstra suspects that exposure to DDT as a youth had something to do with his wife Julie developing non-Hodgkin’s large cell lymphoma cancer.

Thankfully, Julie’s fight with cancer was won with the help of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. But, it was a constant reminder to Schanstra of the potential effects of chemicals used in the environment.

In 2006, just before a scheduled sales meeting with an organic fertilizer manufacturer, Schanstra says that one of the associates said that he’d read a recent news article that stated, “Florida uses more chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides on residential properties than the rest of the United States combined.”

“This statement hit me like a lightning bolt,” Schanstra said. “It was in that moment that I decided to do something about it. That was the conception of Organic Safe Lawns.”

In January of 2010, Organic Safe Lawns became a corporation.

Schanstra’s three licensed technicians don’t spray weed killer, either. Instead, they rely on a healthy root system to suppress weeds and when needed, they go with the good ol’ fashioned yanking them out.

“We are about the process and the materials,” Schanstra says, “as opposed to harmful chemicals with regard to weed control.”

He notes that it takes time and regular application to have a weed-free, organic lawn in a way that’s safe for people and pets. That’s why Organic Safe Lawns recommends treatments every 30 days. Schanstra says his property has been on the Organic Safe Lawns service for nine years, and that if he gets three weeds in a month, it’s a lot.

“We had Tru-Green before, with absolutely no results, and what a hassle to terminate their contract,” says a client named Lisa. “After just six months, our lawn is thick and healthy and the weeds are gone! No hidden charges. We recommend Organic Safe Lawns.”

It’s also prudent to treat the lawns or ornamental plants around your property, including those that may closely border your neighbors. That’s why Organic Safe Lawns offers a referral program. Every referral made by a current customer will earn that customer one free month of service.

“The concept is to create a safe environment and a chemical-free buffer zone around it,” Schanstra said. “We’ve found that the best way to pick up new business is with existing customers.”

Organic Safe Lawns services Tampa, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes. For more info call (813) 393-9665, email organicsafelawns@verizon.net or visit OrganicSafeLawns.com. Existing customers can pay their invoices on the website, too! Prospective customers can fill out a contact form on the site to get a free estimate and $10 off their first treatment.

Protect Your Lawn & Your Family’s Health With Organic Safe Lawns

_IMG_8256By Anu Panchal

Here’s a scenario that makes Jim Schanstra feel sick: Your lawn starts to look brown and your homeowners association gets upset. So, you call a lawn service, and they come down and blanket your yard with pesticides and herbicides loaded with chemicals. Later, your children and dogs frolic on the lawn, getting the chemicals all over their hands/paws and putting them in their mouths.Continue reading