Eventually it will stop snowing, the snow will melt and homeowners will start thinking about lawn care. Some of them are already thinking about it. When you think about lawn care, why not consider natural lawn care?
When most people think of lawn care their thoughts are about the large chemical lawn care companies or the do-it-yourself products they can buy at the local big box or garden center. For some, this is the only type of lawn care they know.
As a certified arborist I have been concerned for many years about the chemical pesticides used in traditional lawn care. They have been shown to cause damage to trees, dogs and humans. I have seen firsthand the damage they can do to trees. I know people whose dogs have died from what they believe is the result of treatments applied to their lawn. There is a lot of evidence linking these poisons to disorders in children such as ADHD, autism and asthma. (See http://BeyondPesticides.org). In older humans, Parkinson’s disease has been shown to be more likely to occur in people exposed to lawn chemicals.
Dogs that walk on lawns where chemical pesticides are sprayed develop certain types of cancer at a much higher rate. Since I don’t use pesticides, my dog and I can walk barefoot on my lawn without fear of exposure to harmful chemicals. I look out my windows to see the birds, rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks at my feeders and feel good that they are not being exposed to poisons.
These are some of the reasons why a growing number of people are turning to natural lawn care.
Natural lawn care is a different way of looking at lawn care. The goal is to have a lawn that is safe for humans, animals and the environment. In nature, the soil and environmental conditions dictate what plants grow without human interference. The idea behind natural lawn care is to make the soil and environment conducive to growing the desired plant, in this case grass and hostile to the undesired plant, in this case weeds.
Traditional lawn care relies on chemical herbicides to control the weeds in your lawn. They kill the weeds that are present at the time they are sprayed and have no long term effect. This is why they have to treat on a regular basis to keep the weeds out.
By incorporating the nutrients and soil organisms that grass prefers, weeds are discouraged from growing. Using proper cultural practices such as mowing high, proper watering and overseeding the conditions in your lawn become more hospitable to grass than weeds.
In this day and age, homeowners are becoming more conscientious about the environment. The reason to switch to natural lawn care is because you feel that the chemicals used in traditional lawn care are hazardous to humans, animals and the rest of the environment.
Please contact me for further information about poison free, natural lawn care.
Chris Mest---Certified arborist #IL-1367A (847) 562-6215 or chris@theurbanarborist.com
Kade J.
6:35 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
What a fabulous idea! There are so many company's that promote the quick fix. We just don't get how dangerous these chemicals are.
Jacobsen Lawn Service
2:35 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
I definitely agree that if you cut your grass longer and use proper watering and overseeding practices, your lawn will have better results
oldschool
3:44 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
Great point, the best thing to do with a lawn during a drought like last year is NOTHING. Grass will go dormant and survive, many people water just enough and fertilize too much it to keep it growing. This results in stress and disease.
Roxy Rosen
9:38 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
Skokie has two natural lawns that the Village and Park District take care of now. The first natural lawn is in front of the public library. This lawn was requested to be a pilot site for natural lawn care by the Skokie Environmental Advisory Council, who is working diligently to reduce pesticide use on Village properties in Skokie. The lawn has transitioned to a mostly chemical free lawn over the past three years, and is now a healthy and safe lawn for kids to play on. It was being sprayed five times a year by Chemlawn. The other lawn, managed by the park district, is McNally Park. McNally Park is located right next to Middleton School. The Park District agreed to make this a natural lawn for a number of important reasons, primarily to protect children from pesticide exposures. Also, the school district and park district were having challenges complying with the state law that requires schools and childcares to notify 4 business days before application of pesticides. If you want to stay on top of what goes on in our community, make sure you are on the list for your school district's pesticide registry. No school or childcare should ever spray where children play. Natural lawn care is easy and you can do it yourself with products found at your local store. For more information on how to get a natural lawn go to spcpweb.org for free fact sheets and information.
Chris Mest
9:50 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
Ms. Rosen, it is great to hear that the Village of Skokie is setting an example for it's citizens by eliminating the use of chemical pesticides. Public lands and parks should be chemical pesticide free. As you state, children are especially susceptible to the harm caused by these poisons. It would be great to see the rest of Chicagoland adapt this policy. As you point out, it is easy to make the transition. Let's work together to save the world from pesticides---one lawn at a time!
Paul Scheufler
11:37 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
Thanks Chris. That makes sense if you can somehow eliminate the weeds that grow naturally on your lawn.
Scott P Steen
4:36 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
I love the phrase" I know people whose dogs have died from what they believe is the result of treatments applied to their lawn." This sounds more like people trying to blame lawncare products for their dog dying. Ive seen more mishandling of lawncare products by homeowners and unlicensed landscapers than the big evil lawncare company .
Chris Mest
4:45 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Scott, the person I mentioned had 2 dogs die when she had a large chemical company doing the lawn spraying. She did not do it herself or have an unlicensed landscaper do it. She told me this is what she believes happened. There is evidence to back this up. Check out Beyond Pesticides. She is free to believe what she wants and so are you.
Scott P Steen
5:00 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Chris that statement was reckless, people as well as pets do get cancer and the example you used was nothing more than a scare tatic!
Chris Mest
5:30 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
I was relating what I was told; what someone believes. Apparently you believe that chemical pesticides are not harmful. If that is what you believe I would not say your statement is reckless, just that I disagree. People can believe whatever they want.
As for it being a scare tactic, I believe people should be afraid of chemical pesticides. You evidently disagree. As I previously stated, there is evidence available for people to read and make up their own minds.
Scott P Steen
6:15 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Chris your right Its my opinion. May the public also beware of genetically enhanced food and the End of the world .
Willy Uwe
8:38 am on Thursday, April 25, 2013
Sounds like Mr. Steen is a tobacco lobbyist or something. "Nothing to see here, folks. Smoke away and roll in the good Lord's pesticides"!
Chris Mest
8:48 am on Thursday, April 25, 2013
It's funny you mention the tobacco industry. It is my belief that years from now, hopefully in the not too distant future, the same thing will happen to the chemical lawn industry that happened to the tobacco industry. That is, people will wake up to the fact that these chemicals are harmful and the industry will be forced to admit it and put warnings on their labels.