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We can have beautiful lawns and gardens and protect the health of our family, pets, local wildlife and drinking water by gardening without chemical pesticides.
Remember, the "cide" part of the word still means "to kill." Many pesticides are very potent. Not only do they kill intended weeds and insects, but they can also kill beneficial insects, damage good plants, accidentally poison pets or children, make us sick, and pollute groundwater, lakes and streams. The loss of beneficial insects, wildlife and plants diminishes biodiversity--the rich variety of plants, animals and ecosystems that support all life on Earth.
In the meantime, the target insects, diseases, and weeds develop resistance to chemical pesticides, making the pesticide game a no-win option.
Over the long run, lawn poisons and chemicals actually degrade the over-all health of our lawns and gardens.
Here are some ways to make "drug-free" gardening and lawn care successful:
- Landscape for low maintenance and healthy plants. Plant more hale and hardy plants, such as natives or those that are naturally disease resistant. If you feel like you've just got to have some hybrid tea roses or other lovely but pest-susceptible plants, then you can give them special attention while the rest of your garden fends for itself.
- Find natural alternatives to standard insecticides. If you need to take on aphids or other "leaf munchers," opt for insecticidal soap sprays that suffocate the bugs but don't leave a lethal legacy behind. "Safer" is a widely used brand available at most garden centers, or you can also make your own recipe--just use soap, not detergent.
- Reduce fungus and mildew by providing air circulation in the garden. For example, garden phlox--famous for powdery mildew--can be helped along by providing space between plants and clipping out all but six healthy stems per plant. This also provides stronger blooms. Mildews rarely kill a plant--they're just ugly. Fungal diseases, however, can be lethal to your plants, but the pesticides used to kill them are truly nasty. If a fungal disease attacks a plant, it is often easier to just get rid of the plant and start over. Planting something from a different family of plants in the old spot will reduce the likelihood of a repeat performance.
- Don't mix clippings from diseased plants in with your regular compost. While a good compost pile will "cook" at temperatures that kill many diseases, you can avoid taking chances with the victims of mildews, wilts, and viruses by disposing of diseased garden clippings in a separate pile or sending them off with the garbage. Clean your clippers, too, after working on diseased plants.
- Find alternatives to herbicides--another name for weed killers. Keep undesirable plants out of your yard by using mulches or get some healthy exercise by hand weeding. To eliminate tough invasive plants, such as honeysuckle, some experts recommend careful use (such as painting the top of clipped stems) of glysophate --the active chemical in Roundup and similar herbicides. Others prefer never to touch the stuff and opt for digging out the offenders. Probably the easiest way to say "no" to herbicides is to let go of the notion of a perfect English lawn in the American landscape. Lawns are high maintenance artificial environments. Crab grass isn't a crime, it's just crab grass.
- For your lawns, mow high. To discourage weeds, keep your lawn mower blade at a height of 7 cm (3 inches). Never cut off more than one-third of the grass stem at a time. And don't forget to "grass-cycle:" Leave your grass clippings on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil. This will reduce your need for fertilizer by 30 percent. Clippings are mainly water so they add moisture to your lawn.
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