Picture a beautiful
Summer day, enjoying the outdoors with your pets. Perhaps you’re
kicking back on the porch while Fido takes a nap in a shady
bed of grass, or playing
fetch in-between walks around the neighborhood. Even better,
imagine that shady bed of grass is green and plush, free
of prickers, Dandelions, Creeping Charlie and Crab Weeds.
Sounds great, right? It’s tempting to do whatever it
takes to create that green Utopia we call our yard. The products
most often used to achieve such a result are fertilizers,
which make the grass thick and green, along with herbicides
and pesticides, which are used to control unsightly weeds
and bothersome insects. The problem is that most people go
to the lawn and garden center and grab the products they
think will work the best without considering the health effects
they may have on their families and their pets.
Truth is,
chemical fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and pesticides
are not only toxic to weeds and insects – but
also to people, animals, and the environment. According to
the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, of
the 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are probable or possible
carcinogens, 14 are linked with birth defects, 18 with reproductive
effects, 20 with liver or kidney damage, 18 with neurotoxicity,
and 28 are sensitizers and/or irritants. Fertilizers, pesticides
and herbicides do undergo federal and state safety testing.
And large companies in the lawn-care business like Scotts say
that when applied appropriately, EPA-registered pesticides
are perfectly safe. But more and more research is suggesting
that some commonly used synthetic pesticides may pose health
risks, including cancer and kidney or liver damage, particularly
to children and pets. The Environmental Protection Agency website
says kids are at greater peril from pesticides because their
internal organs and immune systems are still developing. Other
studies, including one published in the Journal of the American
Veterinary Medical Association, have suggested that exposing
dogs to some herbicide-treated lawns and gardens may increase
their chances of developing canine malignant lymphoma or bladder
cancer (Wall Street Journal April 2006), as well as other dog
health problems.
Environmentalists
are also concerned about chemical runoff resulting from pesticide
use. After all, what we use in and around our homes ultimately
ends up in our streams and rivers. Studies of major rivers
and streams have found that 96% of all fish, 100% of all
surface water samples, and 33% of major aquifers contain one
or more
pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org).
The toxic hazards of
chemical lawn care are so serious that in many states it is
required to post a flag or a warning sign
when lawns have been chemically-treated and many products require
that people and pets not enter the area within 24 hours of
application. Nearly two dozen states, including New York and
Wisconsin, now require public notification when pesticides
are being applied by lawn care professionals.
Without such
postings, it’s impossible to know if you’re
dog is sniffing in a recently-treated yard as you walk through
the neighborhood. Suddenly I never want to walk my dog again
except back and forth in my own organically treated yard. Yes,
that’s right, organic lawn care. It’s out there
and you can even find it at mainstream lawn and garden centers.
These products are natural and safe for your pets, your family,
and the environment. Organic and natural lawn care is part
of a ten-step process that you can follow for a healthy, green,
and most importantly non-toxic lawn:
1. Mow high. Setting your
mower's cutting height to 2.5 or preferably 3 inches will discourage
invasion by weeds and insects.
This encourages growth of longer, healthier roots that help
lock in moisture.
2. Leave grass clippings on the lawn. Doing
so ensures that this mulch becomes your lawn's fertilizer,
thereby reducing
the need to add additional fertilizers by 30%. Compost wet
mulch.
3. Water "deeply." Your lawn needs
about 1 inch of water, applied once a week. Watering more frequently
encourages
shallow, weak roots. Water in the morning or evening to avoid
evaporation.
4. Use ecological methods of pest control.
Spraying a mixture
of dish soap and water during warm weather is an effective
way to discourage insects from eating your greenery. Eliminate
bare spots by avoiding traffic on the affected areas and
by over seeding. Remove the odd weed by hand and try to get
as
much of the root as possible to prevent re-growth.
5. Reduce
the area of grass that needs maintenance by planting perennial
flower beds, expanding your herb and/or vegetable
garden, or naturalizing your lawn with local wildflowers
and plants.
6. Raking to gently remove thatch (the layer
of dead grass compacted over winter) can increase water absorption.
Rake
in late Spring or early Summer; any sooner can damage
roots.
7. Fertilize twice a year if possible. Although
it is not essential, fertilizing in Spring can help maximize
your
lawn's health
and immunity against pests. If fertilizing only once,
do it in the Fall. Use 100% organic fertilizer.
8. Aerating
your lawn by removing small plugs of earth will decrease
soil compaction, increase water retention
capacities
and improve air circulation to the roots. June or
autumn is the best time for aeration.
9. Top-dress with compost.
If you don't have your own compost heap, buy composted cow
or sheep manure.
Spread
it around
at 100 pounds per 1000 square feet. Apply immediately
after aeration,
anytime between June and August.
10. When combined
with aeration and top-dressing, overseeding will fill in
the bare patches that
invite weed invasion.
First, loosen the soil, spread compost or peat
moss, then sprinkle
grass with seeds of a hardy species.
Changing
the focus from eradication of pests to prevention of pest
problems by following the
steps
above will
lead us to accept the sight of occasional weeds
and insects
as a
sign of a normal, non-toxic lawn. Source: Sierra
Club
Looking for an organic professional lawn
service in your area? Visit http://www.naturalawn.com.
If you
want to
know more about
your own state policies regarding posting
requirements for pesticides, visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org/states/index.htm or contact Beyond Pesticides at 202-543-5450.
If you notice your dog or cat acting strangely,
stumbling,
salivating, vomiting, or having seizures
(especially
if you have
recently
applied
a lawn care product) call your veterinarian
or the National Animal Poison Control Center
(1-888-4
ANI-HELP)
immediately.
Don't forget to have the product in hand
(or your neighbors
product information) so you can tell a veterinarian
what chemical your pet may have been exposed
to.
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Copyright ® 2006
Sojourner Farms. All rights reserved.
