These days, it seems like the go-to move for homeowners looking to take care of their lawns is to buy some expensive lawn chemicals. Whether they’re looking to rid themselves of a nasty pest/weed infestation or they simply want to fertilize their lawns a little better, it seems like everyone is rushing to the hardware store to pick up a big bag of chemicals for their lawn.
But what if I told you that many of these chemicals do more harm than good? What if I told you that you could actually make yourself, your pets and your family sick by using certain over-the-counter lawn chemicals? More so, what if I told you there was a way to keep your lawn in perfect shape without ever having to saturate it with a bunch of unnatural chemicals? Would you believe me? In case you’re feeling a bit skeptical and still wanting to go splurge on that big bag of this, or bucket of that, let’s take a closer look at the dangers of these lawn chemicals and how you can use alternative methods to achieve similar, if not superior results.
Most Lawn Chemicals Are a Health Hazard
Almost 3 million tons of unnatural, inorganic fertilizer is dumped on American lawns every year. This fertilizer is usually made up of potassium, nitrates, and phosphorus, all chemicals produced by either mining or synthesizing oil products. Every lawn care aficionado worth their salt knows that nitrogen is a big factor in fertilizing a lawn properly, but most aren’t aware that the nitrogen in their store-bought fertilizer comes from ammonia. It’s also commonly mixed with formaldehyde, sulfur, or urea. If you weren’t aware of the danger of these chemicals, let me enlighten you. The EPA has proclaimed that these fertilizers are safe, but over-usage of them has been directly linked to “blue baby syndrome”. This syndrome can put infants in a coma and even lead them to their deaths.
Not Just a Personal Danger
In addition to being very unsafe for young children, inorganic fertilizers are extremely bad for the environment. Runoff from lawns fertilized with inorganic fertilizer has been found in all kinds of places where it shouldn’t. Rural wells, public water supplies and other sources of formerly clean water have been known to become polluted with nitrates from fertilizer. Drinking this stuff is seriously bad for your health, as it’s been observed to cause cancer in many who have ingested it.
It’s also responsible for creating ocean dead zones and killing off the fish populations of many freshwater lakes all across America. It actually does so by increasing the amount of algae in these lakes, decreasing the amount of available oxygen for its inhabitants. The fish along with many other creatures are basically suffocated to death in the presence of these inflated algae levels.
Healthy Alternatives to Lawn Chemicals
Thankfully, there are many different ways you can care for your lawn without using harmful chemicals. Organic weed killers and pest killers can be found at almost any hardware store. These contain chemicals that won’t be quite as effective at killing weeds and pests, but also won’t be so effective at poisoning your family and the Earth. It’s a well-known fact the children are far more likely to develop a disease related to pesticides than adults are. Just that alone should have you clamoring for less harmful options, at least until they’re older. Many times, an organic solution is enough to remedy the problem entirely, despite its lower level of effectiveness compared to more poisonous methods. There are even insect-repelling plants that are proven to deter to nasty pests.
Another great way to fertilize your lawn without bringing any extra chemicals into the picture is to leave behind grass clippings on it. Fresh cut grass contains the very same fertilizer that you so desperately try to pump into your lawn. By leaving behind grass clippings scattered across your lawn, you can enjoy all the benefits of inorganic fertilizer without any of the hassle. It’s free to do, takes almost no extra time out of your day, and is completely poison-free.
Take Care of Your Lawn the Right Way
By choosing to eschew harmful lawn chemicals in favor of more natural methods and products, you are bringing all kinds of benefits to yourself and the world. Not only will you be lowering the likelihood of someone getting their well poisoned by your lawn chemicals, you’ll be fostering a safer environment for those you love most in this world.
If you liked the article, check out How to Break Into the Health Niche
