Biosolids Partnership Critical to Healthy Turf
The Virginia Turfgrass Council and its members promote turfgrass improvement and best management practices by encouraging high quality research, education and engaging in advocacy efforts to ensure quality practices across the Commonwealth. Critical to this effort is understanding soil health – which is why the Council has had a close and long-term relationship with the biosolids community.
“Scientific studies, research and decades of use provide evidence that biosolids build soil. The turf then requires less inputs such as fertilizer, which is beneficial for the environment, including the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed,” comments Tom Tracy, Executive Director of the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Tracy speaks confidently about the value biosolids provides to the broader turf grass industry. Composted biosolids products are routinely recycled and provide good use by adding long lasting benefits to the soil while protecting Virginia’s waterways, including and importantly the Chesapeake Bay.
Wes Bray of Lawns and Gardens Plus provides high-end residential landscaping services to clients in the Virginia Beach area. He focuses on soil improvement and uses compost to provide an excellent base for his work. According to Bray, “it’s not rocket science; it’s earth science.” In his 31st year in business, he fully recognizes the benefits of using a biosolids based compost, and, most importantly, that a little goes a long way to renovating a beautiful lawn.
A 2017 Virginia Turfgrass Award Winner, Lawns and Gardens Plus is a Business for the Bay Member of the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Bray’s company has been recognized for the voluntary and measurable actions taken to support protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Not only does the company practice what it preaches, it helps the public understand the valuable role of landscape in sustaining the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed by utilizing well its resources.
Bray likens his building the soil to a “salt and pepper” approach; his clients certainly know when he’s been working due to application of compost; however he educates his clients about the application and the necessity of building the soil so that they may take pride in their lawn and landscape.
Word travels quickly. The proof is in the pudding when neighbors soon call, not to complain about the unique aroma after application, but to inquire when Bray can next pay them a visit.
To learn more about the functional properties of biosolids that can improve soil physical, chemical and biological attributes of soil, click here.