| Toxic Lawns?
We all love seeing
our dogs run and frolic on turf - but we seldom consider the chemicals
that may be dangerous to their health
Does your dog go bananas every time
you drive past a green, grassy park?
Most of us enjoy
taking our dogs to play on public lawns whenever possible, to enjoy
the open space, fresh air, sunshine and perfect footing for fetching.
And dogs enjoy it, too, as evidenced by that excited whining that
builds in volume as you approach your favorite park.
Unfortunately, those
grassy spaces we all love so much may pack a lethally toxic punch
for our canine partners. Lush, green lawns are often maintained
on a regular program of pesticide applications, with potentially
poisonous effects on our pets.
Not all lawns are
maintained with chemicals, but many of them are. According to a
study in an April 1999 Newsweek article, the number of Americans
treating their own lawns with a chemicals has risen from 55% to
67% in the last 10 years. Businesses generally engage professional
gardening services to maintain their lawns-and most commercial services
do use chemicals. Cities and school districts, too, generally rely
on chemical sprays to help them control weeds and pests.
According to the
pesticide Management Education program (PMEP) at Cornell University,
there are some 223 chemicals that have home lawn uses, though the
majority are used infrequently. PMEP estimates that 35 active ingredients
are used in more than 90% of lawn treatments, which have various
purposes. These are pre-emergence crabgrass treatments, broad leaf
weed controls, and fungicide treatments for control of lawn diseases.
We know that these
chemicals have the potential to hurt humans and animals- they can
cause reproductive and neurological problems, organ damage, endocrine
and/or immune system dysfunctions, and are potent carcinogens.
One of the basic
tenets of holistic health care is to reduce exposure to toxins whenever
possible. This is much more easily accomplished if you are a human
than if you are a dog, however. Undoubtedly, they have more exposure
to these chemicals than humans do.
In 1991, a survey
conducted by the national Cancer Institute, found rates of lymphoma
to be twice as high in dogs whose owners used preparations that
contained 2,4-D on their lawns as in dogs whose owners did not use
chemicals.
It is well documented,
however, that long-term exposure to even low doses of pesticides
exposure can cause myriad health problems in people. Pesticide residues
can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, where they can cause
central nervous system disturbances and affects organ function.
However, if you are
not aware that you had been exposed to pesticides or any other lawn
care chemicals, it would be difficult for a doctor to make a link
between any ill-effects you had suffered and the chemicals. Poisonings
with these substances can cause symptoms that mimic flu, allergy,
or other minor ailments, such as headaches, nausea, fever, breathing
difficulties, and high blood pressure. This is also true of animals.
Herbicide poisonings often mimic other diseases. It can be very
difficult for a veterinarian to establish a true-cause-and-effect
relationship between the exposure and the illness. Blood chemistry
tests that could make that link are rarely ordered do to the high
cost.
Given what we know
pesticides are highly toxic to all animals, and that their use is
prevalent in public lawn care programs, it is prudent to be vigilant
when bringing your dog to public fields for recreation. If you observe
spraying in progress, avoid that field for a while. How long? The
label directions for every lawn-care chemical suggest that people
and pets should be kept off treated lawns until they are dry, which,
depending on the weather, could take from an hour to several days,
We'd give it at least a week or two.
Keeping Your Lawn
Green Organically
Organic gardeners
will eagerly tell you: pesticides and herbicides are not
needed to keep your lawn green and thick. You Do have to
understand your grass, however! Basically, a beautiful lawn is a
place where the desirable species of grass is winning a war against
weeds.
Your role is to
supply your grass with the nutrients it needs to grow well, and
to water and mow the lawn in a fashion that suits the grass and
discourages weeds. Fortunately, grass and weeds have fairly different
needs and growing styles. As long as you are aware of these differences,
and cater to the grass, you'll be rolling in green. Your local nursery
can be a great source of help and there are numerous
books on organic
lawn care.
Here are some basics...
- It doesn't hurt
grass to be mowed frequently, but it does damage weeds. However
cutting grass to short does dicourage the plant. Weeds, in contrast,
need their tops intact to thrive. So adjust your mower to it's highest
setting - three to four inches is perfect - and mow as frequently
as you like. This suits the grass just fine, and the practice will
kill weeds in just a few weeks.
- Remove the bag
attachment from your mower. Contrary to popular beleif, this does
not "choke" the grass, but helps nourish the soil, which
can become more rapidly depleted without his mulching.
- Water your lawn
as infrequently as possible, but when you do sprinkle, water it
deeply. Many experts suggest leaving a cup in the area where you
are sprinkling and leaving the water running until there is at least
an inch of water in the cup. This practice encourages your grass
to send its roots deep into the soil after the water as the soil
dries. Because weed roots cannot grow as deeply, they will dehydrate
and die before you water again. This practice seems to be the most
difficult to accomplish for many amateur gardners, who worry that
the grass will die if it's not watered every other day. But unless
the grass roots are encouraged to dive deep for a drink, they will
remain within the top few inches of soil, where they will have to
compete mightily with the roots of weeds, who thrive under a program
of frequent shallow watering.
- Ask someone at
your local nusery about soil amendments tailored to the local soil
conditions; they may suggest a soil test so you can adjust the soil
pH with lime ( for over acid soils) or gardner's sulphur ( for over-alkaline
soils) to get it just right for growing grass ( which thrives at
pH 6.5)
- Nursery staff can
also recommend an appropriate organic fertilizer. Most lawns require
only two "feedings" a year. Although additional applications
of organic liquid seaweed (available at nurseries) will thrill your
already happier grass.
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© 2000 |
