IWU Environmental Wellness: Safer Path: By Yard Smart: Call Nature's Service Back

Bloomington resident Alison Bailey was confronted with a choice in lawncare when she answered her doorbell recently. A uniformed man peddling chemical lawn services informed her she had dandelions and other broadleaf weeds in her yard. He could take care of them and make her yard “beautiful”. Would she be interested?

“You have no idea how much I am NOT interested” retorted Alison, who enjoys tossing the tasty “weeds” in salad. She teaches environmental ethics at Illinois State University and proceeded to give him an earful on harms of biocides to pets, kids, our water and more. “Why would I want biocides on my lawn?” The serviceman persisted with his sales pitch, proud of 14 sales already on her street. She finally insisted he leave. In closing he replied, “We occasionally run into earth-loving types like you.”

Perhaps, as the serviceman implies, “earth-loving” Alison is in the minority. An estimated one-in-ten US households contract chemical lawn services and one-in-five apply lawn chemicals themselves. But she is among a growing movement of people turning away from industrialized lawn care’s life-killing arsenal of diluted war chemicals. From California to New York and across Canada, welcome signs replace warnings to “keep off the grass”. “Come in good bugs” invites a child-drawn sign in Long Island. And brochures accompanying Ontario’s sign “This is a beautiful lawn” picture happy kids on lawns, which like Alison’s, sprout a motley mix of grass, clover and other mowable greenery otherwise branded “weeds” since the 1950s when modern chemicals enabled controlling them.

Here local lawn companies offer far more than the offensive smelling ammonia fertilizers and pesticides. They stock earthy-smelling alternatives like organic fertilizers that are friendly to thatch-busting earthworms, corn gluten to discourage weeds, milky spore bacteria for grubs, garlic or hot pepper spray to ward off bugs, and other non-toxic solutions to common yard problems. And landscapers promote low maintenance native plants over high maintenance turf-grass or other ornamentals that wither without added water, chemicals, and human intervention.

Lawn companies may soon be peddling these non-toxic choices in Alison’s neighborhood. The movement is beginning in the twin cities, through a campaign Yard Smart. Spearheaded by two local ecology non-profits, JWP Audubon Society and Living Upstream, Yard Smart encourages homeowners to use ecologically-sound yard practices: avoiding potentially harmful chemicals, inviting native diversity, and conserving natural resources. Beginning early summer, local homeowners can certify their yards with the option of displaying a yard flag award, currently being designed by school children. For a beautiful AND truly healthy yard, follow these two simple tips.

TIP 1: Keep It Safe With Earthy-Smelling Organics. Choose organic fertilizers and pest-control products for lawns and gardens when needed. For lawns, nourishing soil health and making simple changes in daily maintenance practices has a big impact on turf health. For organic products: Gardens Alive catalogue www.gardensalive.com (also check local stores, like A.B. Hatchery, Casey’s, and others. For pest problems/alternatives: PANNA http://panna.igc.org, select Pesticide Advisor; BIO Control Network www.biconet.com

Four Steps to a Non-Toxic Organic Lawn
Step 1	Change Your Maintenance Practices	Day to day lawn care has a big impact turf health.	Mow high (3”) Water infrequently & deeply Seed with a local blend
Step 2	Nourish Soil Life	Healthy grass grows in healthy soil, rich in organic matter that supports beneficial microbes and earthworms.	Microbial inoculants Compost and liquid compost Organic fertilizer
Step 3	Boost Soil Mineral Balance	These balance and condition your soil, and add trace elements, which are essential for healthy plant growth. Test soil periodically.	Lime Kelp extract Rock dust minerals
Step 4	Control Pests - weeds - insects	Don’t panic & reach for chemical poisons! There are effective organic solutions for weed & pest outbreaks.	Corn gluten (don't seed for 6 wks) Nematodes Milky spore
Step 4	- fungus	Reconsider tolerance for lawn green diversity like self-fertilizing clover.	Weeding & spot control

For more details see: Neighborhood Network Research Center, 516/541-4321, www.neighborhood-network.org.

TIP 2: Invite the “Service” of Nature With Native Plants. Challenge yourself to reduce lawn area by 25% this season, replacing with native plants. Once established, native plants need less care, water, chemicals, equipment and fossil fuels to run it, money and more. When familiar food plants are landscaped along with clean water for drinking and bathing, shelter, and places to raise young, you’ll invite the “service of nature” to keep damaging pests in check at minimal cost and time to you. You’ll also invite the delights of nature. Butterflies like purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan. Songbirds like sunflowers and white prairies clover. Hummingbirds like columbine and native phlox. For more ideas (also check local stores): Audubon Society www.audubon.org/bird/pesticide.html; National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat; US EPA www.epa.gov/greenacres/; Wild Ones www.for-wild.org; Prairie Nursery www.prairienursery.com/Quickguide.htm

For more information on Yard Smart, contact the Ecology Action Center 454-3169. Soon available at www.jwpaudubon.org.