The Natural Way

If you hail from a humid climate, you may not be aware of the need to aerate your lawn. Aeration allows air, moisture, and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass. In Colorado’s dry climate, this is especially important. The Natural Way, Inc. uses a plug aerating machine to remove a core or plug (rather than simply a puncture) of grass from your lawn. This is one of the easiest, eco-friendly things you can do to keep your lawn healthy. Please call us to schedule a time to aerate your lawn today!

The Emerald Ash Borer is a type of beetle that feeds on ash trees. While not dangerous in its native habitat (Asia), this insect is devastating to all ash trees and will kill those that are untreated. EAB was found in Boulder in September of 2013. Please contact us if you think you have ash trees so we can measure your trees and provide options to help reduce the impact these insects will have on your property. Ash trees will need to be treated annually for their useful lifetime, so decisions will need to be made to treat or remove/replace trees. If you are going to treat your trees, please let us know as soon as possible so we can schedule your service, as timing is a key factor of successful control. Our arborists are available to discuss treatment options, timing, cost, and any other questions.

Our lawn care program has been developed over about 20 years. How is our program better for the environment and your lawn? We never broadcast spray an entire lawn with herbicide or any other chemical spray. We spot spray only. Broadcast sprays put down large amounts of chemicals that are harmful to many soil organisms, from earthworms to nematodes to micro-anthropods. These soil organisms help to naturally aerate the soil, break down organic matter, release nutrients to the plants, increase soil quality, naturally fertilize the soil with their excrement and shedding, increase water holding capacity, and many other beneficial properties. Using a “weed and feed” fertilizer or spraying an entire lawn area with herbicide will kill most if not all these very beneficial soil organism which are critical for plant health. Our lawn fertilizer is locally made in a livestock feed facility certified by the FDA. It was developed by an agronomist (soil expert) and tested by Colorado State University. It is the only lawn fertilizer that contains available, non-staining iron which is critical for a deep green color of grass, especially in mid-summer. Other fertilizers that do not have iron, or their iron is not available to plants, rely on nitrogen to green up the grass in the heat of the summer, high nitrogen pushes excess growth and creates high stress. We also use wetting agents to increase water absorption, retention, and infiltration into and within the root zone.

Our plant nutrition program is tailored to root health and soil health. We all know the adage “healthy roots equal healthy plants.” We incorporate organic sugars and other foods for plants as well as soil organisms. Plant roots have evolved to live in synergy with soil organisms. In fact, roots exude substances that soil organisms use as food while they aerate the soil, break down organic matter, and make unavailable nutrients available to the plants. Many companies sell tree or plant fertilizer programs which are mostly cheap liquid nitrogen which just forces the plant to push vegetative growth. We don’t call our nutrient program a fertilizer because we are not trying to push as much vegetative growth as possible, we are not growing an agricultural crop. Pushing vegetable growth forces the plant to expend its energy budget in one area sacrificing valuable resources in other areas of growth such as biochemical defense, strong dense cell walls, root growth, and expending reserve starches. Plants that are forced to push excess vegetative growth have many negative effects, which have been shown through extensive university research, such as; more prone to insect attacks and infestations, weak woody growth, excess growth, increased storm damage, and decreased disease resistance.

Professional arborists assess your landscape and work with you to determine whether your trees and shrubs will benefit from trimming. Proper pruning will help reduce stress and improve the health, structure, safety, and aesthetics of your trees and shrubs. The Natural Way, Inc. employs skilled arborists with a strong foundation in industry training, professional certification, and ongoing plant-based knowledge. We employ a Certified Safety Professional to empower and encourage a culture of safety on and off property. Well maintained landscape trees have social, communal, environmental, and economic benefits. We proudly offer the following tree maintenance: Pruning Bracing Rejuvenation Planting Shaping Girdling roots Exposed roots Beyond maintaining your tree’s good health, trimming may be essential for safety or compliance issues. We are well versed in the rules and regulations that pertain to trees in the city of Denver and surrounding communities. We help people and businesses solve problems with relation to: Storm damage Cable interference Line clearance Building clearance Sidewalk clearance Safety pruning Neighbor issues

Occasionally, trees do need to be removed because of disease, safety issues, or city ordinances. The Natural Way, Inc. can safely and professionally remove trees from residences or commercial areas. We provide stump grinding services as well.

Wood is a byproduct of our services; we typically take logs and chips to recycling centers, nurseries, city parks or residential customers for valuable bedding material.

Mulch provides many important cultural advantages for a landscape. A proper layer of mulch can reduce weeds, conserve moisture by reducing water loss through evaporation, enhance root growth by cooling the root system in the summer and extending root growth through the fall, as well as reduce soil erosion by preventing soil movement. When we are in your area, we would be happy to deliver free mulch. If you need a special delivery, call us for an appointment. A delivery charge may apply (typically $20).

Similar to our offer of free mulch, if you are interested in utilizing local wood for firewood or another purpose, please contact our office and we would be happy to consider your request. A delivery charge may apply.