Challenge # 2: Keep Your Green Thumb Truly Green!
Dear Fellow Green Challengers,
This next challenge is about lawn care, but even if you live in an apartment, it is important stuff to know. Whether you take care of your own property or your building has a lawn care service, you can become informed to help rid our planet of the massive use of unnecessary petro-based chemicals!
Many lawn care products, including Miracle Gro and Scott’s products, are essentially petro-chemicals (meaning a by-product of the oil industry!) and do nothing for your plants and grass other than boost them temporarily in the same way that steroids boost muscles in the short-term and keep them addicted to these artificial stimulants. Not only are they not truly beneficial to plants, but they are very harmful to us. They can contain cancer-causing “inert” ingredients that are not required to be on the label due to gaping holes in government regulation. Also not on the label are toxic metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium. But these metals are in lawn chemicals so much that a local dump would legally not be allowed to accept them, yet packaged in a lawn care product, they can be spread on the ground, left to seep into our ground water supply!
Children and pets are especially susceptible to these chemicals because they are lower to the ground and often are putting their hands (or paws!) into their mouths. So, if the label of a product has the following warnings, it is not safe: “harmful if absorbed through skin,” “wash hands thoroughly after using,” “avoid inhalation,” “keep pets off treated areas for a specified amount of time” and other warnings.
Visit pesticideinfo.org and beyondpesticides.org for a more thorough explanation on lawn chemicals and their negative effects. Bottom line: just because it is sold in a store for private use, does not mean it is safe!
Luckily, you do not need chemicals to have a green and healthy lawn, and once you are educated, you can pass the word on to your neighbors, your lawn care professional, or your building maintenance manager. Here are the basics of truly green lawn care:
Feed the soil, not the plant. Instead of using chemical fertilizers that pump up the plant, focus on creating good soil that is the basis for healthy grass and plants. Applying ¼” of one-year-old fully decomposed compost on your lawn is the easiest, most cost-effective way to feed the soil. So get that compost pile started now!
Over-seed in the Spring and the Fall. Weeds will not compete well in a dense turf. Weeds generally take hold in bare spots, so moderate, repeat seeding will help prevent that. Simply loosen up the soil, spread ¼” of compost, and over-seed. If you are adding any product to raise pH, apply it before the compost.
Mow high. Mowing to 21/2 – 3″ inches will keep the ground shady and deter sun-loving weeds. Mowing with a good old-fashioned push mower is most environmentally friendly, and is a great work-out alternative to the gym! Leaving grass clippings lay will also return natural composting nutrients to your grass.
Finding a contractor. Not all contractors are created equal, and not all “natural” lawn and garden companies are all-natural. Do not be fooled: organic and chemical methods are not compatible, because the chemicals disturb or kill beneficial microorganisms. There are some companies trying to offer “hybrid” services. Go with the ones who are truly stewards of nature, and are 100% organic. Ask for their credentials (e.g. where did they get trained or certified in organic landscaping), and ask for three client references and call them. Also, be sure the company is licensed to do business and fully insured.
- Here in Montclair, Jose German offers Green Harmony Now, a landscaping and gardening service to help homeowners maintain their properties in a sustainable way. Call for a free consultation at 963-233-1106.
- And Lullaby Landscaping Service is a group of high school students who will do all your routine work WITHOUT ANY POWER MACHINERY. Inquire with Will at wepew@verizon.net or 973-715-1216.
And let’s add to this challenge a fun and bountiful challenge to grow at least one edible food this summer. Whether it’s a windowsill herb garden, or a potted tomato plant, or a whole array of crops in a bed, you will feel uplifted and connected to nature in a most simple and nurturing way when you enjoy something you raised yourself.
NOTE: Did you know that Peat Moss has a huge carbon footprint? It is harvested in the northern tundra and trucked from a long distance. And it is a finite resource that takes years to replenish. Better is to use organic soil, compost, or coir made from coconut shells.
Let’s not forget what sustains us every single say- a healthy, wholesome planet!
I realize that most people consider clover–specifically white–to be an undesirable weed & strive to eliminate it from their lawn. However, it is a great cover crop if you are a gardener and an excellent food for bees, who need all the help they can get from organic food sources. Seed can be purchased in bulk–check out Fedco (online)–a great, organic seed company in Maine. What’s wrong with a clover lawn, anyway? How about we get away from the suburban ideal of perfect green grass, which is completely unnatural, and have little white flowers instead?