<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Umbra on herbicides and lawns]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by azumone http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Wed, 03 May 2006 10:31:43 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/1 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


]]> 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


]]> Comment #2 by birdboy http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Wed, 03 May 2006 11:30:03 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/2 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?

]]> 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?

]]> Comment #3 by nightbow http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Fri, 05 May 2006 06:46:42 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/3 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

]]> 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

]]> Comment #4 by MikeCapone http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Sun, 07 May 2006 06:22:24 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/4 Reel Mower

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

]]> Reel Mower

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

]]> Comment #5 by erzulie http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Tue, 09 May 2006 00:54:04 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/5 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?

]]> 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?

]]> Comment #6 by nomajean http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/ Wed, 07 May 2008 04:41:23 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/lawns/6 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!

]]> 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!

]]>