Raising healthy families in a toxic world by making changes in our own backyards

February 13, 2009
by Amy McNamara

Lush green lawns are iconic to life in the suburbs. We think of children and pets playing on them. They nicely set off flower gardens and homes. But could the products we use be a threat to our environment and our health?

Patricia Wood, executive director and co-founder of Grassroots Environmental Education, spoke to just this concern at a February 5th program jointly sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New Castle and the Chappaqua Garden Club. Grassroots is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to researching and disseminating information about chemical toxins and their impact on human health and the environment.

Wood captivated the audience by describing the risks associated with chemical lawn products and then offered advice for improving the health and beauty of our lawns and gardens without detrimental impact to our environment.

Dangers from certain lawn chemicals

Chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers can provide a quick fix to an ailing lawn.  But the fix is not always sustainable. A growing body of evidence suggests an association between certain lawn chemicals and several types of cancer, neurological and developmental problems, endocrine disruption, asthma, reproductive harm and birth defects in people. Children are at particular risk due to their rapidly developing bodies and their penchant for playing on the ground and putting their hands in their mouths.   

The chemicals don’t just stay on our lawns. We bring them into our homes on our shoes and clothing and with our pets.  Rain can wash the products into our water supply endangering our communities and wild life.

How to have a toxic-free green, lush lawn

There is, however, a way to have beautiful non-toxic turf. The first step is to develop and maintain healthy soil. You can do this by adding one half and inch to an inch of compost to your lawn each spring and fall. The bacteria and fungi in the compost help support the beneficial organisms in the soil. These organisms, in turn, release essential nutrients to the grass. 

Also, test the pH of your soil. You can do this yourself with a simple kit you can find at a garden center or you can have it tested at a co-operative extension. If it is acidic, which it usually is around here, you may need to add lime in addition to the compost. Leave grass clippings on the lawn to add nitrogen and if desired, in the spring fertilize the grass with a low nitrogen water insoluble organic fertilizer with a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) ratio of 3-1-2.

Aerate and reseed the lawn annually in the fall. A thick turf keeps weeds out and conserves moisture in the soil. Keep the grass at least three inches to three and a half inches high to again conserve moisture,  keep out weeds and to aid in photosynthesis. If necessary, water once a week.

Use an organic corn-gluten product in the spring, when the forsythia is blooming, to control weeds. Vinegar works well for spot weed control on walkways and driveways.  You can also control pests without chemicals by using beneficial nematodes or milky spore powder depending on your problem. Compost tea, which is essentially diluted compost, fights fungal diseases.

Are you confused? You can learn more about the Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program by going to www.ghlp.org. The site gives lawn care tips, lists local landscapers who have been trained in organic lawn care, and garden centers that carry organic lawn care products. To learn more about Grassroots Environmental Education, go to www.grassrootsinfo.org.

Amy McNamara is a member of the Chappaqua Garden Club and of New Castle’s League of Women Voters.