Why organic lawn and garden care is a cut above the rest

During spring and summer the desire to create an esthetically beautiful garden is something on every homeowners mind, but many have not even considered how to do it without using chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Because homeowners are still over reliant on using chemicals the quest for bigger vegetables, lush green turf and hearty plants has become an environmental nightmare. Studies show that homeowners spay and dispense of over 10 times as much chemicals on their yards, than farmers use on their crops.

This large amount of chemicals sprayed around your lawn and garden can be extremely dangerous. Children are the most vulnerable segment of our population due to their small size and their underdeveloped physiology. Children are also often the most exposed to pesticides due to their behavior (putting contaminated grass, soil and toys into mouth, breathing close to the ground). Increased vulnerability and exposure put children at an unacceptably high risk from lawn pesticides. Studies have found that children under age 5 are particularly susceptible to health hazards, including leukemia and brain cancer. Pets are also particularly vulnerable because they tend to ingest many contaminants and are lower to the ground. If chemicals are not intended for use on vegetables, Misuse of pesticides can lead to animal mutations or reduced brain function.

Not only are pesticides dangerous for your animals and children but also they can also deeply contaminate surface and groundwater. The rains of springtime can wash fertilizer, insecticides and weed killers into streams and catch basins. The compounds thus can taint drinking water in reservoirs and wells. This vastly diminishes the quality of aquatic habitats and health of aquatic life forms. Many fish and aquatic insect species are highly sensitive to fertilizers and pesticides.

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers reduce the activity of beneficial organisms and can actually degrade the over-all long-term health of your lawn and garden.

Healthy soil is alive with a variety of beneficial organisms that 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. Therefore 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 .

By cutting out chemical fertilizers and pesticides we not only ensure longer healthier lives for our children, pets and ourselves but we become one step closer to understanding and preserving natures natural cycle.