No. 09 // Good Ideas Grow

I was recently chatting with a neighbor who glanced over at our OneNative.org yard sign, raised his brow and and asked, "if you're not using chemicals, then what?".  This kind of question rocks because it means the lawn sign is doing it's job; being a catalyst for change by raising questions and starting meaningful conversations.  

I started to share my experience using cornmeal gluten as our primary 'weed and feed' and to say this neighbor was skeptical would be a gross understatement.  He questioned the safety of cornmeal gluten with "isn't that the stuff everyone's allergic to?", confusing cornmeal gluten with wheat gluten.  Fair enough.  I explained the difference between the two but it was too late.  I lost him at 'gluten'. 

A few weeks prior, I was part of a conversation where a friend of ours said his neighbor has a 'no chemicals/pesticides' lawn sign but he didn't believe her because her lawn looked "too good".  

The truth is, some people are going to be skeptical.  These people might be friends, neighbors and even family members and that can be frustrating.  When you see your neighbor wielding a bottle of Round Up, it's easy to feel like you might be fighting a losing battle.  You're not.  Why? Because good ideas grow.  They start with these sometimes frustrating conversations and, over time, the funny idea of putting 'gluten' on your grass becomes a little less weird and a lot more common.  

For every one or two people who think lawns don't grow without being drenched in synthetic chemicals, there are ten more who are open to the idea of taking a more natural approach.  I've seen it first-hand and I'm excited to see the idea of natural lawn care continue to grow, even if a few weeds pop up now and then.