Company Takes Organic Approach

(Turf Magazine, March 2010)

There are a number of small-scale companies specializing in organic lawn care, but many of these seem to be recent start-ups specializing in the care of a limited number of small, residential lawns.

 

Borst Landscape and Design takes a little different approach. The Allendale, N.J. company has been around for 20 years and got into the organic niche more than 12 years ago. Borst is also a large, full-fledged landscape firm with 70 employees offering design, tree care, landscape design and installation, seasonal displays and outdoor lighting, in addition to lawn maintenance. They provide organic lawn and tree care to commercial and residential customers.

 

"When we go out and estimate properties, whether it's commercial or residential, we always give them a choice of whether they want to take an organic approach, but we always try to sway them to go with an organic program, for both lawn care and tree care," explains Bob Malgieri, a manager with Borst.

 

Given the fact that it oftens requires more manual labor (IPM scouting, spot applications, etc.). "Usually, the organic approach is going to be a little bit more expensive, though not that much," says Malgieri. "In the long run, it's well worth it. Our organic customers have lawns that look awesome." In fact, even with a bit of a price premium, some 80 percent of Borst's lawn care customers opt for the organic approach.

 

Providing a successful organic lawn care program also requires a bit of extra effort. For example, says Malgieri. "Many lawn care companies will just create a mix of fertilizer or weed control or pest control, and they'll blanket the entire property with that mix. We don't put weed control in any of our mixes, we spot-spray all of our weeds. That takes more time."

 

The same is true with Borst's organic tree care program. The company offers customers a basic tree care option, as well as a more comprehensive organic "Guardian" program. "With our Guardian program, we make seven visits each year instead of five, and on each visit we inspect all of the trees and shrubs, and spray only what needs to be sprayed. It takes a little more time and training to do those inspections," Malgieri explains.

 

Borst has also adopted more environmentally friendly treatment techniques. "When you're spraying trees, more than 50 percent of the material can miss the tree," says Malgieri. "So, about two years ago we began getting into tree trunk injections. That's great on commercial properties. For example, we have a commercial property in Hackensack where there was a whole line of cherry blossoms that had an insect problem. They're right along a busy walkway next to a hospital, so they just couldn't be sprayed. We injected them all. The material is a little more expensive, but you use a lot less material, and 100 percent of the material is confined in the tree. Plus, the residual of the insecticide last about two years."

 

Malgieri says the complex organic fertilizer, which the company has specially formulated for its use and also sells to homeowners under the private label Borst Organic, keeps the soil and turf healthy and cuts down on the need for additional, costly maintenance. "There's natural aeration in the material. Rarely do we have to manually aerate the lawns, because this material really helps to break things down. The same is true with the dethatching agents in the material. It's a very good organic material. You can go to any garden center and find organic products, but nothing like this."

 

The material comes in liquid bulk, as well as a dry form. "It's concentrated, so we basically just add water and we're ready to go," he says. Last year, the company introduced Borst Organics, its own private label of environmentally lawn and tree care products.

 

Borst Landscape works to educate customers that it may take a little time to truly see results when switching to an organic lawn care program. "Usually in about a year, after the organic applications are established, you can really see a big difference," Malgieri explains. "As the turf gets healthier, there will be fewer weeds, because the healthy grass will crowd the weeds out."

 

Borst starts by conducting a soil test. "When the soil test comes back, it tells us exactly what the soil needs, whether it needs humic acid or lime or organic matter, etc. We'll put down a special application for exactly what the soil needs," Malgieri explains. Again, there's a little extra cost, but the result is a healthy soil capable of growing a healthy lawn.

 

To help reduce incidents of disease in the turf, Borst Landscape adds an organic product called Sugar Cal to its fertilizer at the beginning of each season. "Last year we had a lot of moisture in this area, and we did see some diseases in the lawns, but not nearly as much as if we hadn't put that material in our mix," he says.

 

Cultural practices also help to naturally reduce disease and insect pressure. Borst Landscape mows at about 3.5 inches high, slightly higher than other lawn care companies might opt to do. "Once you start cutting the grass at a low height, you're allowing more disease, weed and insect activity to come in," says Malgieri. "By mowing a little higher, the turf is healthier and uses less water. We also encourage our customers to water more at one time as opposed to watering frequently with a small amount of water. The goal is to get the moisture down into the soil where the roots are."

 

Whenever possible, Borst mowing crews leave grass clippings on the lawns. "The way we look at it is, why remove an organic material?" says Malgieri. For the most part, in the cooler seasons the clippings are left on the lawn, and in the warmer seasons, when growth is highest, they're collected.

 

Malgieri says the organic approach holds appeal to commercial clients, as well as residential. "Businesses want to look after their employees, and their clientele that come to the property."

 

Borst's advertising materials also focus on its organic approach, so many customers who contact the company already know how it operates when they call. From a business standpoint, the organic niche helps the company compete and stand out from the competition. "It absolutely does. We're one of the very few companies in the area that use an organic approach," he says. To help convey that point, staff members put on presentations at local garden clubs, community groups and other places about the benefits of taking a green approach to landscaping.

 

To help document its success in reducing chemical applications, Borst Landscape is in the third year of a voluntary five-year study to track all pesticides used in its operations. "Each year, that figure has gotten lower and lower for us," says Malgieri. Taking part in that Pesticide Environmental Stewardship program run by the EPA has helped motivate the company to continually search out organic alternatives to traditional materials and practices, he adds. "We're now doing organic mosquito, flea and tick control using garlic oils. Garlic is a great product, it repels mosquitoes and kills soft body insects without harming beneficial insects," he explains.

 

Along those lines, Borst is currently exploring the possibility of using beneficial insects to help control pests that damage turf. "Biological insect control, sending other insects out there to do the job of your pesticides, is very interesting stuff, and it works, so that might be something we'll be getting into. We're always looking for new and different ways to do things. We do a lot of our own research and testing in the winter. Our guys also take a log of courses at Rutgers to help them understand how to use an organic approach. At some point, the state is going to come forward and mandate reduced use of pesticides, and when they do that, we'll already be there."

 

Malgieri concedes that not every single lawn care customer is going to be interested in an organic approach, but those who do tend to be loyal, he says. The mutual desire for an organic approach creates a bond that is less likely to be formed by a customer simply flipping through the Yellow Pages to find a lawn care company with the lowest price.