Organic Land Care
As the only NOFA certified Land Care professional in Southern Maine, We take our responsibility to the land and to nature seriously. We are also certified SOIL HEALTH CONSULTANTS and biological microscope technicians, associated with the Soil Food Web School. Any landscaper can claim to be organic, but only Nofa certified landscapers have pledged to strictly follow the organic standards of care.
The use of organic methods without a thorough understanding of soil ecology and of the interconnectedness of microbes, plants, animals, and climate , can easily end in failure. Conversely when a deep understanding of these principles informs one’s actions, a thriving sustainable organic landscape can easily be established and maintained.
Our services
We offer design and consulting services for homeowners and other landscapers. With the right advice and materials It is very easy for most homeowners to care for their own property. We will provide the materials and instruct you on all aspects of care for your own lawns and gardens.
We design landscapes that are not only beautiful to behold, but also ecologically vibrant. We are agro ecologists who understand how plants, animals, and soil microbes harmonize in natural surroundings.
We are also happy to consult with your current landscaper about how best to create and maintain a pest free , fully organic landscape
Landscape Design
Our design team members are The Garden Artisans. They have recently been working closely with renowned artist Andrew Goldsworthy on his Maine installations. Living Soil Company's design approach is to emphasize a diverse planting of native species. We have learned that working with plants that are happy here in Maine, increases the diversity of soil microbes as well as the diversity of above ground fauna. The goal here is to create sustainable above ground and below ground ecosystems. One cannot exist without the other. Healthy plants, healthy animals, and healthy people are the result.
Lawns
We can help you do your own lawn maintenance, or we can work with your lawn care professional.
Lawns are a unique ecosystem and need special attention. Because turf grasses are a contrived monoculture they require more maintenance than more natural landscapes. Heavily compacted soils are the main obstacle to having healthy laws. With a responsible program of aeration and overseeding, as well as the regular application of microbail soil drenches and foliar sprays most lawns can become lush and weed free. There is absolutely no need for any herbicides, or pesticides, and rarely any need for organic fertilizers
BEFORE COMPOST EXTRACT AND AFTER COMPOST EXTRACT
Our methods
We strictly follow the NOFA guidelines for organic landscapes design, installation, and maintenance. Our particular expertise is in the creation and use of microbial soil inoculants and foliar sprays. Living soil is the foundation of all healthy ecosystems on earth, Because we are trained and certified in microscopic biological soil analysis, we know which microbes to add to your soil to create the proper balance of bacteria, fungi, and predators. We then use our own expertly made biological soil amendments to nudge nature in the right direction.
Most organic methods fail because of a lack of understanding of soil biology. It is not enough to just talk about healthy soil, one must actually know how to first analyze a soil ecosystem, and then how to heal it.
Fertilizers and Pest Control
Fertilizers
We never use synthetic fertilizers and we rarely need to even use organic ones. Simply substituting organic fertiliers for inorganic ones is not a very sustainable practice. In fact, adding any type of fertilizer disrupts microbial activity, and one must apply these products year after year. When soils have established a level of healthy biology, the microbes produce all the fertilizers that your plants need to grow. Have you considered how a healthy forests or healthy meadows grow without fertilizers? Soil microbes do all the work.
Pest Control.
By far the most effective pest control in nature herself. Living soil allows plants to develop a healthy immune system that will ward off most bacterial, and fungal diseases. Plants with healthy immunity can also repel and even kill unwanted insects.
Sometimes emergency measures are needed to help a plant survive until the soil ecosystem is fully developed. In those cases we may use gentle organically approved herbal and/or biological methods to protect the plants. Because our methods work, we rarely need to use even “organically approved” harsh chemicals like copper sulfate. We absolutely never use synthetic chemicals.
