On herbicides and lawns

03 May 2006

Got questions about the environment? Ask Umbra.

Dear Umbra,

My husband just spread some very toxic weed-killer on our lawn, and I told him there must be a safer way to get rid of weeds. Our children and pets were not allowed on the lawn for 24 hours. We have a well and septic system, and I was wondering if that stuff would seep into our water supply. I also worried about the birds and other wildlife that visit our yard. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Doreen
York, Maine

Ask Umbra continues below

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Dearest Doreen,

I can't tell you too much about the effects of the spraying without knowing the specific herbicide. So, of course, I'm going to give you the resources to figure it out on your own. But first, let's talk about getting rid of weeds.

Is it safe?

Photo: iStockphoto.

The obvious primary problem is deciding that certain plants are weeds in the first place. A grass lawn is actually an unhealthy monocrop. Other plants present in the lawn provide visual diversity, nutrient cycling, pest diversions, etc. In addition, wide and frequent application of pesticides of any sort (herbicides are a subcategory) without regard to the life cycle or ecological setting of the target plant is a waste of money and creates more problems than it solves.

Unfortunately, this argument doesn't get far with most people, who are hypnotized by lawn-company pabulum. One example of a prevalent home herbicide is 2,4-D, a component of popular "weed and feed" products. It kills broadleaf plants, so of course it is in the interest of the producing companies to discourage broadleaf plants as part of a proper "lawn"; they wouldn't be able to sell their product otherwise.

If you do wish to rid yourself of certain plants, you must stop them from spreading by pulling them out. I've written about this before, and I have a great example of it in two friends who love their lawn, mow it weekly, and for two years have hand-pulled every non-grass plant. Their all-grass lawn looks great, I gotta say, and they get lots of fresh air and exercise.

Nothing I've said will make any dent on a serious lawn-lover. Time to turn to the pesticide resources. There are many, so once you start looking you'll be able to spend hours reading. For an introduction to the contents of pesticides, try Beyond Pesticides; you'll be able to get fact sheets about specific 'cides there as well. The Pesticide Action Network is a similar resource, with a database instead of fact sheets. The EPA maintains a pesticide page, if your husband would find government data more persuasive.

Once again I am going to plug cooperative extension, the agriculture and forestry outreach programs funded by our very own government. Most extensions have a horticulture program with information for homeowners on reducing horticultural pests (this includes weeds), and sure enough, your own Maine Cooperative Extension has a section about this very topic. Your local land-grant university, a great resource for every American.

'Tis of Theely,
Umbra

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Please send Umbra any nagging question pertaining to the environment -- but first check out her FAQs!

The claims made in this column may not reflect the views of this magazine. Neither the magazine nor the author guarantees that any advice contained in this column is wise or safe. Please use this column at your own risk.

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

Comments: (6 comments)

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Additional Links

Another link that may be useful:

gardening resource from the Cornell Cooperative extension.

There is this publication available as well:
Lawn Care without Pesticides:

from ecocny

by azumone at 5:31 PM on 03 May 2006

Bayer makes what now?

I sat in disgust last night while Bayer played their new commercial for a pesticide for your lawn. They showed a perfect lawn instantly transformed into a brown weed patch, and then revealed the evil underground culprits- bugs. The same bugs that I watch the mother and father bluebirds and robins and mockingbirds pick from my beautiful green (pesticide free) lawn and feed their nestlings every day. Perhaps this is why I see so many birds with deformities and why the frogs are disappearing. It is so that folks can have perfect grass (perfect grass not guaranteed), free of ugly bugs, noisy birds, and anything else that isn't welcome on the living room carpet.

Do people really think this stuff is safe, just because they are allowed to sell it? Or do they just not care?

a liberal in redsville

by birdboy at 6:30 PM on 03 May 2006

pet health and lawn chemicals

Well, this isn't the witty, urbane post I'd hoped would be my first comment on Gristmill, but so be it. I'm a filmmaker producing a documentary on just this topic, and I can't help but put my 2 cents in, especially now that lawn-spraying season is here!

Umbra is right on, and I'd like to underscore the point that these things probably aren't as innocuous as we'd like to imagine. There is a growing body of scientific evidence that some commonly used lawn care chemicals persist in our lawns long after application; the chemicals also get tracked into our homes and get into our pets' bodies, putting them at increased risk for cancer and other woes. A 2004 study from veterinary scientists at Purdue University (published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) showed that Scottish terriers living in homes where 2,4-D was used on the lawn have a 4 to 7 TIMES increased risk of bladder cancer; other studies funded by folks like the National Institutes of Health and the EPA suggest links between lawn chemicals and canine lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases. And the evidence just keeps on coming.

In addition to the excellent websites Umbra and other commenters have listed already, you might want to have a look at http://refusetousechemlawn.org If Doreen's husband is feeling open to change lawncarewise, I suggest he visit the website run by the terrific folks at the Living Lawn Project in Marblehead, MA (http://www.livinglawn.org)--they have the word on how easy it is to have a beautiful, healthy lawn that's also safe for kids and pets. (And they're not that far away from York, ME.)

For more about pet health and lawn chemicals, you're all invited to my website: http://catsdogslawns.org

Next time, a funny post. I promise.

nightbow

by nightbow at 1:46 PM on 05 May 2006

Reel Mower

And of course, the mowing should be done with a reel mower..

--
SUVs are squared-out minivans.

by MikeCapone at 1:22 PM on 07 May 2006

Just one problem

I really agree with Umbra that the problem is us and that we should learn to love everything that grows in our yards. The yard I have right now has the most plant diversity I've ever seen in one lawn. I have grass, dandelions, clover, wild violets, creeping Charlie, and countless plants I can't name. I actually find it entertaining just to walk around and study all the different plants, and I think anyone who wants just grass covering their entire lawn must be out of their mind. There is only one plant I have that I don't want: poison ivy. I recently discovered it growing on my house, and I've been just trying to stay away from it while I look for some safe way to deal with it. I was hoping Umbra would suggest something to kill those few plants we have a reason not to want. Her "pull it up by the roots" suggestion, though practical, is not something I feel comfortable doing in this case. Does anyone else have a suggestion for safe disposal of poison ivy?

by erzulie at 7:54 AM on 09 May 2006

Removing Poison Ivy

I am allergic to poison ivy (not everyone is). I do however find that I can keep it under control without most chemicals. I suit up in the spring to do battle. I put Crisco on my hands and arms (sounds gross but think of it as cold cream), then I wear waterproof gloves and pull out the poison ivy with as much root as I can (using a very long screwdriver as a weed puller). I am very careful to NOT let it touch my skin. I place the ivy in a black plastic trash bag, seal it tightly and let it cook in the sun next to my compost. I have been filling the same trash bag for 4 years and it is no where near full (ivy shrinks up over the years).

I admit that eventually I will need to figure out how/where to dispose of the bag but that shouldn't be for a few more years.

Remember to wash as soon as you are done using ammonia or a strong grease cutting soap. The oil fro the ivy is removed as is the Crisco and you are protected from the itch!

by nomajean at 11:41 AM on 07 May 2008
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