Organic and Regenerative Lawn Care Systems


In 2005, Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc. began transitioning from conventional lawn applications to organic and regenerative lawn care systems. We have since developed superior knowledge of the role that lawns play in our landscapes, communities, and ecology and have made it a top priority to balance ecological consciousness with lawn functionality and aesthetics.

We appreciate that community members are concerned about the synthetic chemicals that are applied during traditional lawn maintenance. Their harmful effects to our health (even in low-dose exposure) have been well-documented. Our approach has proven that the use of hazardous synthetic materials commonplace in traditional lawns is not only unacceptable but also no longer necessary. Without compromising quality, we have cost-effectively provided our clients with healthy green lawns and flourishing landscapes while facilitating the rebuilding of our vital local ecosystems.

Our organic and regenerative turf programs and à la carte items (see below) are designed to deliver value, simplicity, and satisfaction to our clients. Let us handle the complexity of the science, while you enjoy the ease of an ecologically stable, safe, and healthy lawn and landscape. After all, that’s why you have decided to work with the best.

A Shared Commitment

Just as we are committed to our clients and the organic process, we ask that you share our commitment to this process and trust in our experience. We recommend against approaching this process with the mindset of simply “trying” organics for a year. If you are a new client of McCoy Horticultural and a new participant in the organic method, we ask that you understand that this is a multi-year process. We are very open and honest and do our best to convey every scenario to our clients and to be as transparent and as proactive as possible when we see the potential for an issue begin to arise.

Most importantly, we recognize that it may be challenging to determine which organic lawn care provider has the integrity to be honest and forthright about their lawn care programs. Our longevity in providing these services and willingness to educate the general public and green professionals on the best practices of organic lawn care systems is a testament to our leadership, transparency, and commitment to the practice of organic lawn care.

Three Turf Programs & What To Expect

For the best results, we suggest beginning with the two Regenerative Lawn Programs: First Transition Level – The Awakening Program, followed by the Second Transition Level – The Essential Seven Program. The goal of McCoy Horticultural is for all of our clients to reach passed the two regenerative programs to the third and final level, the Organic Level – Just the Organics Please Program. By following this carefully calculated three-step process, you should see a reduction in your overall turf application and water costs.

Our Regenerative Lawn Programs are the first step in the process of becoming organic. Our two programs, The Awakening and Essential Seven, focus on reducing weed pressure, beginning to balance the soil chemistry, and rebuilding soil biology which is the cornerstone of any successful organic turf system.

Note: A key component of our programs is flexibility, and with that, there may be times when we suggest and manage an alternate route. The following is a common scenario and an example of what could be expected under optimal conditions. Your individual results may vary – it is important to remember that weather conditions will always play a key role in any stand of turfgrass.

  • First Transition Level – The Awakening

    This first step aggressively addresses the keystone component of a healthy organic turf system: soil health. By taking a solid foundation for an organic turf system. Improving the soil’s biological health will also stabilize soil pH, increase percentages of organic matter present in the soil and make nutrients available that are otherwise “tied up” in the soil and eliminate nutrient run off and nonpoint pollution sources.

    • – By adding an array of food sources, we begin to restore and regenerate microbial life in the soil biology. This process is sustained as part of your routine application program.

    • – By balancing the pH, we establish a more comfortable living area for soil microbes, which makes soil nutrients more readily available to the grass plants.

    • – By adding well-aged compost topdressing and core aeration, we reduce soil compaction, providing a more favorable soil profile for air and water absorption, thus establishing a healthier and more vigorous root system that grows deeper and becomes more resilient in the face of drought.

    • – Bio-herbicides (EPA-registered products derived from naturally occurring materials) are applied to reduce weed pressure.

    • – The introduction of hand-selected grass seed blends is customized by our team based on their expert knowledge of the best cultivars for our organic programs.

  • Second Transition Level – The Essential Seven

    The Second Transition Level – The Essential Seven Program is similar to the Awakening Program. We still need to manage turfgrass weeds with bio-herbicides, make pH corrections, reduce soil compaction, add new and improved grass seeds, and continue the regenerative process to improve the soil biology. If any further adjustments to pH or additions of organic matter are made during the second transition level, they should be minimal in comparison to the first transition level.

    If any further adjustments to pH or additions of organic matter are made during the second transition level, they should be minimal in comparison to the first transition level.

    • – Improve the soil biology. This process of feeding the soil will continue throughout the life of your organic turf system and become a part of your routine maintenance application program.

    • – Monitor the pH. The first transition level began to establish a more comfortable living space for soil microbes. Monitoring the pH will keep the microbes active and, in turn, make soil nutrients more readily available to the grass plants.

    • – Core-aeration and compost topdressing will help decrease compaction and allow air, water, and food sources for soil microbes to become more abundant, adding to the stability of the soil biology

    • – We continue the use of bio-herbicides (EPA-registered products derived from naturally occurring materials) to reduce weed pressure. As turfgrass becomes healthier and thicker, these applications are reduced

    • – As in traditional or conventional lawn care, the fall season is the ideal time for the introduction of new and improved grass seed blends. In an organic turf system fall season seeding is an important step in building a dense turf. New selections introduced each year add to your lawn’s resistance against drought and disease.

    • – Improve cultural practices. Ensuring that your lawn is cut at an appropriate height to maximize photosynthesis and improve turf density plays a vital role in the health of your lawn. Proper irrigation is also critical. Lawns are commonly damaged by overwatering. In most cases, frequent, quick, and ill-timed watering will lead to shallow, weak roots and top growth that becomes susceptible to fungal diseases.

  • Third Transition Level – Just The Organics Please

    By reaching the Third Transition Level – Just the Organics Please program, your lawn and landscape have transitioned to an economically efficient, ecologically balanced, healthy environment that is teeming with life.

    • – Now, your soil is a living ecosystem full of microorganisms, living creatures that need to be fed and stimulated into action from time to time. You need to continuously improve your soil’s biology. The food sources for this biology may change, but this act of feeding the soil will continue as part of your organic maintenance program.

    • – You must monitor the pH of your soil. Once we have balanced the soil pH, we’ll take soil samples and provide a soil test every third year. Our soils are naturally acidic, and to keep the pH at the appropriate level, we apply lime seasonally.

    • – Compost topdressing is applied only when necessary.

    • – Substituting annual fall mechanical core aeration with biological means is a possibility as your organic lawn matures.

    • – By removing bio-herbicides from the program, we have accomplished our goal of requiring just the organics.

    • – Spring and fall introductions of improved grass seed blends can become the best way to have a weed-free, organic lawn. Our team continually reviews new grass seed science to bring you the best seed blend for your organic lawn.

    • – Maintain cultural practices. McCoy Horticultural will make sure that we follow current best practices and strict cultural practices when weekly lawn mowing visits take place. Routine irrigation system checks ensure that sprinkler heads are operating correctly and plants are watered properly.

À la Carte Application Services

Either add to your selected program or, for the most flexibility, order on-demand as required.

  • Additional pH adjustments as indicated by a soil test

    Optimum pH range 6.0–6.5


    As per the results of a third-party testing lab

  • Building organic matter: organic matter improvement as required by soil test results

    Optimum organic matter content range 6–8%

    Top dress compost


    Granular application of humate-coated worm castings

  • Turf weed controls

    Post-emergent bioherbicide


    Pre-emergent herbicide

  • Introduction of improved seed varieties

    Spring spot seeding


    Fall complete lawn overseeding

  • Soil testing

    Chemical analysis


    Soil bioassay

  • Soil decompaction

    Mechanical core aeration


    Compost topdressing

  • Other applications

    Core aeration

    Post-emergent herbicide

    Summer stress relief

    Grub treatment (not routinely needed when organic turf is balanced with native plants)

    Insect control (not routinely needed when organic turf is balanced with native plants)

    Fungal pathogen disease suppression (not routinely needed when organic turf is practiced properly)

Details of The Organic Lawn Care Services We Offer

  • Soil Testing

    As a crucial first step in any lawn/land care undertaking, soil testing is the only way to tell what types of minerals, nutrients, and biological components are in your soil. It will also tell you if you have a harmful high salt content from previous synthetic fertilizer applications. With this information in hand, we will be able to determine what inputs your soil will need. Always remember that a healthy lawn starts with healthy soil.

  • Core Aerating

    An essential practice for any turf management service; when performed correctly, it helps relieve compaction, which is detrimental to the health of soil biology and allows for more oxygen and water infiltration into the soil.

    However, what sets us apart is that we do this aeration in conjunction with our compost topdressing.

  • Compost Topdressing

    An excellent way to add much needed organic matter to your soil is compost topdressing. Organic matter helps soften soils, aids in water retention, and provides a food source for the microbial life in your soil. By ‌implementing this topdressing along with our core aeration, we can incorporate the compost into deeper layers of the soil profile, where it is even more beneficial.

  • Compost Tea Applications

    Compost tea is an application used to introduce, increase, and invigorate the microbial life in your soil. In many soils, the microbial life has been dramatically depleted by the use of synthetic pesticides and salt-based fertilizers that kill these organisms.

    By applying a concentrated source of live microorganisms, we will begin the process of rebuilding your soil’s health.

  • Organic/Natural Fertilizer Applications

    Now that we have started to rebuild the health of your soil, the last thing we want to do is to set it back again by using salt-based synthetic fertilizers. By using only natural and organic fertilizers, we can supplement any nutritional needs of your soil while building the cornerstone of your organic program.

  • Overseeding

    The best way to compete organically against weeds is to have a thick, healthy stand of turfgrass. We accomplish this by seeding twice a year. We seed once in the early spring to help thicken your lawn and out-compete any germinating weeds. We will overseed again in late summer when weed pressure is decreasing, soil temperatures are still warm, and cooler, damp nights aid with speedy germination. An optimal fall seeding value consists of core aeration, overseeding, and compost topdressing. This three-pronged approach is a can’t-miss recipe for quick germination and a way to get the most results from overseeding during the optimal time of the year.

  • Lawn Mowing Services

    Cutting your grass can be one of the most critical factors in maintaining its long-term health. We always cut at 3.5 to 4 inches, which is the appropriate height to ensure the plant is not overly stressed. This correct mowing height maintains enough leaf tissue for the grass plants to perform their daily life functions. Also, a taller mowing hight keeps the surface soil shaded to help to inhibit weed seed germination, aids in moisture retention and will also help keep the surface soil cooler.

  • Bio-herbicide

    These applications (EPA registered products derived from naturally occurring materials) are used to reduce weed pressure. As soil quality improves and stands of turfgrass become more healthy and thicken up, these applications are reduced to spot applications or eliminated.


Phone

1-866-622-6995

Address

420 Rt 31
Ringoes New Jersey 08551

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