Whether you take care of your lawn using your own two hands or you’ve hired a lawn care company to provide regular maintenance for you the sheer number of lawn care treatments available can seem overwhelming. At any given big-box home improvement store you’ll find hundreds of sprays, seeds, and shakers – but which one is right for your yard? If you’ve ever wondered about the benefits of choosing organic, natural substances for your lawn here are a few to consider.

Organic lawn care products are generally regarded as safer for your family and pets. While tests are inconclusive the EPA suggests using as few chemical pesticides as possible to help reduce the risk of ingestion. Though all known pesticides undergo a thorough review every 15-years to test for product safety there have been numerous studies that show organic substances are less likely to cause undesired side effects. Particularly if you’re growing vegetables or herbs, natural food and pest treatments are highly recommended.

Another reason so many families choose to go with organic lawn compounds is the potential impact pesticides have on the environment. Due to the nature of lawn care – soil soaks up compounds and spreads them for miles during a rain – chemicals used in one yard can potentially impact water runoff for great distances. Particularly if you live near a large water source like a lake it’s advisable to control your use of pesticides to reduce contamination of the water.

Many people are under the assumption organic lawn care products like plant food and pesticides are costly and don’t work as well as their chemical counterparts. There is simply no data to back up these claims and time and again organic substances have been shown to work just as well as chemicals when it comes to producing a healthy, green lawn. While some natural seeds and pesticides may cost a bit more upfront, homeowners report having to use less product in the long run.

You’ve got options even if you’ve hired out your lawn care needs. A handful of national lawn care providers now offer totally-organic treatment plans meaning you won’t have to worry about potential impact of chemicals on your family or your yard. Talk to your lawn care provider about their preferred method of treatment and if they don’t offer organic, feel free to shop around.

Going organic won’t save the planet on its own but reducing the number of chemical pesticides and growth substances in the soil and water goes a long way to helping Mother Earth. If you’ve been particularly pleased with an organic lawn care product, tell us about it in the comments below!