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One of the frustrations of lawn maintenance is that you cannot control the weather, nor can you force a person to water, or not to water. Under or over watering has an enormous impact on the appearance and long term health of the lawns here. Last summer we got quite a lot of rain, but previously we went through maybe three years in a row of drought conditions, and watering bans. That coupled with the fact that many customers almost never water, caused the lawns to suffer big time. Bare patches, weeds, and insects caught hold and many lawns have not yet recovered.
Guess what I'm getting at is, I hear you on not wanting to ditch all chemical apps. Fully organic, no-pesticide lawns can suffer quite a bit the first few years after going cold turkey, especially if the climate is harsh as well.
However, the propaganda coming from the "environmentalists" (certainly some of it warranted), has influenced the public. LCO's have to at least offer an alternative program to the old standby synthetic/pesticide types, or risk losing customers. Good news is that organic programs are not only better for the environment, but they can be just as profitable (if not more so), than traditional lawn care programs.
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