I believe that chemical lawn care is one of those things that we will one day look back on in wonder, scratching our heads in an attempt to understand how we could have done something that makes so little sense.  Not only does the practice of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides destroy the life of the soil which is the necessary ingredient to healthy plants of any kind, but it is dangerous and deadly to our children, our pets, the song birds we try to attract to our yard with bird feeders, our groundwater, our neighbors and ourselves. And we spend a great deal of time and money in order to accomplish this.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency backs this up. They have banned the use of diazinon on golf courses and sod farms because of the huge number of birds being killed. They are phasing out the use of diazinon altogether because of the danger to humans and wildlife. Do you still have a bag in your garage? Can you still find it in the stores? Probably yes to both...

 

A century or so ago only the wealthy had large lawns. They were taken care of by several gardeners. With the invention of the lawn mower lawns became accessible to a larger number of people. They have always been a status symbol in America. The larger the better. Until World War II and the advent of petrochemicals, lawns were a mix of grasses and broad leafed plants. Clover was always included in lawn seed mixes because it fed nitrogen to the grass. Because of its deep root system it stayed green during hot dry weather when the grasses went dormant in many parts of the country. Clippings were left on the lawns to feed the soil. Over time - primarily because of advertising by the large lawn fertilizer companies - we began to believe that the only good lawn was one that had only grass. The way you accomplished this, we were told, is with herbicides.

 

Lawn mowers now had bags to remove the grass clippings. The petrochemical fertilizers we were now using on our lawns every spring and fall in order to achieve the "perfect lawn", killed all the micro-organisms and earthworms and other life forms that maintain the healthy soil needed to grow healthy plants. With only 3 nutrients being given back to the soil to feed the grass plants the soil became more and more deficient and compacted (no earthworms and other soil creatures to keep it loose and friable). This lead to weak grass plants that were now attacked by disease and insects and so more chemicals were dumped on our already stressed lawns to treat these problems.  Thatch builds up where there are no micro-organisms and earthworms and so our lawns became more and more work to maintain - demanding an ever increasing amount of chemicals. Large lawn care companies formed to deal with the burgeoning problem of maintaining the perfect lawn - now deeply engrained in our culture as a symbol of status and success.

 

We are told by chemical companies that the chemicals used in lawn care products are harmless to anything but the "weeds" and insects "when used properly". But as scientific studies have been done on these chemicals, many have been found to be a serious hazard to human health.  One by one they have been pulled off the market.  In the last five years it has come to our attention that chemicals are tested for their effects on adults - not on children. Children's smaller bodies and faster metabolisms react differently to chemicals than adult bodies. And so now the "approved" chemicals are being re-tested and many are being found to be harmful to our children.

 

As I have said several times in previous articles the process of removing a dangerous chemical from the marketplace is a long one.  You will find these products available at your local lawn and garden center long after they have been proven hazardous to your health. This is strictly a profit issue. Stores that bought supplies of these products can still sell them until they are gone and not lose money.  And the chemical companies won't lose money. Somehow the profit margin became more important in this whole process than our health and welfare.

 

According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, residential lawns and gardens receive heavier doses of pesticides than most other land areas in the United States, as much as ten pounds per acre of lawn versus two pounds per acre of soybeans.

"A full 40 percent of pesticides used in the U.S. mimic hormones in our bodies, causing reproductive disorders and interfering with fetal development....consider diazinon, one of the most commonly used home and garden pesticides. One ounce of diazinon is enough to exceed government aquatic life guidelines for 94 million gallons of water. This residential chemical has also killed more birds in the last five years than any other pesticide. If only 1,000 of us stop using pesticides on our gardens and lawns, we'll protect the environment from 700 pounds of toxins each year. "

 

The following was taken from the World Wildlife Fund Canada website at:

http://www.wwfcanada.org/satellite/prip/factsheets/whyditch.html

 

Ten Reason to Stop Using Lawn Chemicals:

 

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers contaminate surface and groundwater.
 

Chemical pesticides threaten the health of children.

Children are often the most exposed to pesticides due to their behavior (putting contaminated grass, soil and toys into mouth, breathing close to the ground).

 

Chemical pesticides threaten the health of outdoor pets.

Outdoor pets are highly exposed to lawn chemicals due to their behaviour (licking contaminated paws and coat, breathing close to the ground, eating contaminated grass, soil and toys) and are highly vulnerable due to their small size.
 

Chemical pesticides threaten the health of local wildlife.

Turf-dwelling and feeding species such as the American robin, Canada goose, American widgeon, European starling, common raccoon and eastern gray squirrel are highly exposed to lawn chemicals. Granular formulations diazinon and chlorpyrifos can severely impact birds that mistake the granules for seed or other food items. Diazinon, a common lawn insecticide, is associated with large bird kills and is banned for use on American sod farms and golf courses.
 

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers reduce the activity of beneficial organisms.

Healthy soil is alive with a variety of beneficial organisms that actually kill pest insects, decrease the spread of disease and help plants gather nutrients and water. For example, earthworms improve air and water circulation, decompose thatch, deposit nutrient-rich castings and help to neutralize soil (plants prefer this pH). Many of these beneficial organisms are highly exposed and highly sensitive to lawn chemicals. Pesticides and fertilizers reduce their activity levels, thereby reducing a lawn's natural ability to control pests and diseases, gather nutrients and water and maintain overall health.
 

Chemical fertilizers are a waste of money.

Chemical fertilizers usually contain three macro-nutrients - phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. They lack other macro as well as micro-nutrients and include no organic matter or microbes. In contrast, finished compost from your backyard bin is an organic and natural soil amendment which provides a more complete package of nutrients, organic matter and microbes. Finished compost is a free resource that also constitutes sustainable waste management, extending the lifespan of local dumps and landfills.
 

Chemical pesticides have the potential to cause damage throughout their lifecycles.

All stages of a pesticide's lifecycle - production, transport, storage, use and disposal - have the potential to degrade environmental and human health. Explosions, spills and volatilization may occur in manufacturing plants, storage facilities and en route, exposing potentially huge numbers of non-target organisms to pesticides. Disposal is an expensive and controversial proposition as people campaign to keep stockpiles out of their communities.
 

Chemicals actually degrade the over-all long-term health of your lawn and garden.

Chemical lawn care is the wrong approach. By frequently applying pesticides to your lawn, you may create a chemical-dependent landscape. As pest species become resistant to the chemicals designed to kill them, more concentrated doses and frequent applications are required and a never-ending cycle of increasing pest resistance and pesticide use is established. When this happens, your lawn's health is spiraling downhill.
 

Lawn chemicals are unnecessary.

Historically, organic lawn care has been practiced for much longer than chemical lawn care and it can easily be implemented on any lawn. Safe and effective alternatives exist for most chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There is no need to expose our families, communities and local wildlife to chemicals that are known or potential hazards

 

Sue Pitman gives us the following Hints for Contracting for Lawn Services:

 

If you contract for lawn services you need to ask five questions and evaluate the answers.

* What do you use for fertilizer? The good answers include seaweed, compost, composted manure, bone meal, blood meal, cotton seed meal, peat moss.

* How short do you mow? The good answer would depend on the species but should not be under 2 inches.

* Do you bag the grass clippings? The good answer is no, they use a mulching mower.

* How do you treat for weeds? The good answer is creating a healthy lawn. The bad answer is using herbicides.

* What do you do for insect problems? The good answer is soaps, beneficial insects, antitranspirants, horticultural oils, baking soda, baits. The bad answer is pesticides.