What landscape services do you provide?
Earthdance Organics offers safe solutions for a healthier landscape. We focus on building robust and organic soils – the foundation for lawns and plants to thrive. Our services include: Lawn & Plant Care, Lawn Renovation Services, Technical Pruning, Weed Control, Moss Removal, and Insect & Pest Control. For those looking to reimagine their landscape, we also offer Design & Build services.
Why do a soil test?
Healthy landscapes depend on healthy soils, so we start by understanding what is going on below the surface by doing a comprehensive Soil Test. Each property is unique and has been impacted differently based on a variety of factors. This information is key to prescribing the best path for building healthy, organic soils.
What locations do you service?
We are based in Tacoma, WA, and we service the South Puget Sound Area including South King, Pierce, and Thurston Counties.
How long have you been in business?
Bill Peregrine, a lifelong naturalist with more than 40 years of design and horticultural experience, noticed a need in the South Puget Sound for organics and sustainable lawn care services. He started Earthdance Organics in 2010, helping people reconnect with Nature right in their own backyards.
How does organic lawn care work?
We brew our proprietary probiotic compost tea, FertileTea, that is designed to boost plant health naturally. By adding beneficial, living microorganisms to your soils, FertileTea helps build a robust and resilient habitat for your plants to thrive. Our Organic Lawn & Plant Care Program includes 6 service rounds per season of which FertileTea is a key feature. We take care of all of your lawn and plants’ nutritional and health needs. Our goal is to reduce your service rounds as your landscape matures to a more organic, self-sustaining system. This not only benefits you, but reduces our footprint as well.
Do you provide mowing and yard cleanup services?
We do not provide routine mowing and yard cleanup services, but are happy to recommend a service provider for you.
How do you get rid of weeds in the lawn?
A well-established organic lawn has root systems that burrow deep into the soil. This resilient lawn not only requires less water, but it also outcompetes weeds and is more disease resistant. The key is to promote a healthy, deep-rooted turf where the weeds cannot get a foothold. We do have natural and safe ways to treat a troublesome weed problem. The goal is to promote good soil health that supports a robust lawn.
We have excessive moss in the lawn, especially in the spring. How do you treat moss?
The soils in the Pacific Northwest tend to be acidic (low pH) which is not optimum for lawns, but the moss loves it. Couple that with a lot of rain, shady lawns, and over-application of moss killer, and we seem to have a continual battle with moss. We monitor the pH of our customers’ soils, apply calcium carbonate (lime) to “sweeten the soil”, and build healthy turf that will outcompete the moss. Yearly core aeration and improved drainage also help to minimize moss in lawns. To learn more about how to treat moss effectively, please read our blog using this link: Lawn vs Moss.
Is it safe to walk in my yard right after the FertileTea is applied?
The FertileTea is non-toxic and completely safe for kids and pets to walk or play on. We recommend running a cycle of your irrigation first to make sure it is fully absorbed into the soil.
Does the compost tea smell?
During some services, the FertileTea may include fish meal, sea kelp, or other natural amendments that can have an odor. Please know that the smell typically doesn’t last longer than a day. Running a cycle of your irrigation will help the smell dissipate faster. From our perspective, the smell indicates that our FertileTea is biologically active and rich in nutrients.
When I mow, should I bag or mulch my grass clippings?
We highly recommend mulch mowing. Grass mulch provides excellent food for your lawn. Keep the grass blades at least 2-3” in height to help promote lawn health and reduce water needs. If you have just had a Lawn Renovation, please follow the Watering and Mowing Guideline PDF we've provided to you.
How much do I need to water my lawn?
Your lawn needs 1” of water a week during the active growing season. If there is not adequate rainfall, we recommend watering 2-3 times a week. Watering less frequently forces the grasses to build deeper root structures in the soil. For more detailed explanations, you can visit our blog post on Smart Watering.
