It's easy being green: Start with less-toxic insecticides and herbicides

Saturday, September 9, 2006

By MINDY PENNYBACKER  NATURAL HOME

To get rid of insects and weeds, U.S. homeowners spend more than $2 billion a year on poisonous lawn and garden insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. Many of these products threaten unintended targets, including people, animals, birds and fish.

  
   
  Americans spend $2 billion a year on poisonous lawn and garden insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. Many of these products can be dangerous to people, especially children and pregnant women.
Studies indicate that even incidental exposure to these poisons, through touch or inhalation, may pose dangers, particularly to pregnant women and young children.

Fortunately, less-toxic pest control and soil-enrichment alternatives abound, and gardeners are making use of them.

Pesticide hazards

Synthetic pesticides are of particular concern because they attack the nervous system, can cause developmental delays in children and are linked to cancers and hormonal and reproductive system disruption. Children who were frequently exposed to household pesticides, including some insecticides used on plants and lawns, had twice the risk of childhood leukemia as a control group, according to a French study (Occupational and Environmental Medicine, January 2006).

Women who are pregnant -- or who plan to be -- have good reason to avoid pesticides in light of recent studies linking common pesticides and herbicides with infertility, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery and birth defects in lab mice.

Frogs, salamanders, fish, birds and other wildlife are also threatened by runoff from residential and agricultural lands. The U.S. Geological Survey has found that more than 95 percent of streams sampled contained at least one pesticide, and the contribution of nitrate fertilizer to "dead zones" in bays, gulfs and oceans has been well documented.

Battling bugs naturally

The following tips can help you keep your yard truly green. Remember to handle all pest treatments -- conventional as well as the least-toxic ones -- with caution, keeping them out of reach of children and pets. Follow instructions carefully; use gloves and wear long sleeves and goggles as necessary. Wash your hands or shower thoroughly afterward.

Read labels to avoid toxic synthetic chemicals. At a minimum, avoid products that contain some of the most dangerous and ubiquitous chemicals.

Dislodge weeds with tools, not chemicals. Try the Wrist Easy Ergonomic Hand Rake ( www.cleanairgardening.com) and the long-handled Speedy Weeder ( www.improvements catalog.com). Spiked Lawn Aerator Sandals may help improve soil health ( www.planetnatural.com).

Buy less-toxic herbicides. Natural brands may contain acetic acid (vinegar), corn gluten, fatty acids and plant oils such as clove. Safer brands include TurfMaize to prevent crabgrass and dandelions from sprouting ( www.environmental factor.com) and St. Gabriel BurnOut Weed and Grass Killer ( www.agorganics.com). Caterpillar Killer Concentrate ( www.kalyx.com) employs a safe bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis, that's used by organic farmers.

Make your own less-toxic insecticides. Liquid soap kills aphids, sawflies, spider mites, scale and whiteflies. Mix two tablespoons of plant-based liquid soap (such as Dr. Bronner's) with one gallon of water and spray. For extra strength, add a few drops of plant oils such as rosemary, peppermint or clove.

Try ground red pepper and powdered garlic or onion. Soak two to five handfuls in a gallon of water, then filter out solid matter. Water your vegetables with the liquid two to three times a week.

Dehydrate crawling insects. Use diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic powder made from the crushed fossils of single-celled, algae-like organisms. As insects crawl through diatomaceous earth, it lacerates their outer shells; they then dehydrate and die. Apply it around the edges of your lawn or at the base of plants ( www.extremelygreen.com).

Don't overfertilize. Eliminate ammonium nitrate fertilizers by using compost and leaving grass clippings on lawns.

Select native plants. Native plants often are resistant to area pests. Contact the nearest USDA extension office ( www.csrees.usda.gov) for free advice about local climate and growing issues. Ask if it sells soil-collection test kits, which help you choose plants to suit your soil.

 

Non-lethal gardening

Read more about home pesticide use at these Internet sites:

Beyond Pesticides -- www.beyondpesticides.org

Bio-Integral Resource Center -- www.birc.org

EPA's Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment booklet -- www.epa.gov/pesticides/controlling/

garden.htm

The Green Guide's Nontoxic Lawn and Garden Product Report -- www.thegreenguide.com

National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns -- www.beyondpesticides.org/

pesticidefreelawns

Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides -- www.pesticide.org

"Organic Land Care" brochure -- www.organiclandcare.net

Pesticide Action Network North America -- www.panna.org

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- www.epa.gov/pesticides

 

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Excerpted from Natural Home, a magazine that provides practical ideas, examples and expert advice about healthy, ecologically sound homes. www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com, 800-340-5846. Distributed by Ogden Publications Inc.

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