Eco Gardeners

Organic lawn care practices allow homeowners to continue the enjoyment of a healthy, green lawn while maintaining a healthy, green environment. Safe for use around children and pets, our vegetarian lawn care helps you build a truly green eco-lawn.

• The last application of fertilizer is the most important one for both high and low-maintenance lawns. If your lawn tests show your soil is lacking in nitrogen, apply a winterizing organic fertilizer. THG’s organic Lawn Feed n’ Weed will not only prepare grass for winter, but also give you a head start towards achieving the green turf you’ll want next spring.

• Do not apply lime routinely to established lawns unless a soil test indicates a need. Excess can be as harmful as deficiency. Established lawn soils seldom need to be limed unless a soil test indicates a moderately to severely acid soil of pH 5.5 or lower.

• Plant or seed new lawns early.
• Aerate where needed to relieve compaction.
• Thatch buildup is a major contributor to lawn diseases. If your soil is highly compacted or a heavy clay, use a plug-type aerator that will loosen the soil, help reduce thatch buildup and allow better penetration of air, nutrients

The Happy Gardener continues to encourage gardeners, home owners and lawn growers to get educated on what you’re using around your home, family and pets. Weed control and weed killers can contain seriously harmful and toxic ingredients, and it is our responsibility to become aware of what we’re using and the safe alternatives available.

As more and more research is being done on the ingredients found in common weed killers on the market, we are learning specific ones to stay away from and the healthier choices becoming widely available. As a gardener, a mom and a pet owner, I know the annoying and time-consuming task of ridding my veggie and flower beds from weeds, especially crabgrass and dandelions! BUT I also know the harmful effects the toxins in conventional weed killers can have on my children, dogs and the wildlife playing in my backyard.

Most Harmful Weed Killer Chemicals to KEEP AWAY FROM!

Check your weed killer labels for the following toxic chemicals:

• Glyphosate: glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide on the market and has many harmful effects on both humans and animals. Found in Monsanto’s Round-Up, glyphosate studies have been directly linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and the Women’s Cancer Research Center has reported that glyphosate results in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidneys and liver. It is toxic to earthworms, amphibians, beneficial insects, birds and mammals. Glyphosate is also the third most commonly reported cause of pesticide related illness among agricultural workers.
• Atrazine: found in lawn weed control products such as Scotts, atrazine has been reported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to impair the reproductive systems of amphibians and mammals, and has been linked to cancer in both humans and animals.

So what to do with those pesky weeds? Over the past five years, I have experimented with several safe, effective and cheap ways to control weeds in the garden and lawn. Here are my organic weed control recommendations:

• Hand Pick: NOT my most favorite method but very effective and the cheapest way to get rid of weeds. If you have kids, consider adding this chore to their weekly summer list
• Boiling Water: To spot treat weeds growing up through the cracks of a driveway, patio or walkway, pour boiling water over weeds and by the end of three days they will be burned down to the roots- VOILA!
• Vinegar: Spot spraying straight, undiluted white vinegar onto dandelions, crabgrass and other weeds will burn them down to the roots; very effective method and inexpensive to buy in the grocery store.
• Organic-Certified Weed Control: The Happy Gardener offers a highly effective, inexpensive and 100% safe pre-emergent weed control. Apply the granular weed control to flower beds, veggie beds and lawns to prevent weeds from germinating. Available in 5 lb bags at www.thehappygardener.info

On the 11th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Our home & garden should be phosphate-free.”

What is phosphorus and why are so many counties and states throughout the US regulating its availability in household and lawn/garden products?

Phosphates are found in most fertilizers (the “P” in the N-P-K plant food nutrient ratio), especially formulated for lawns, and are present in consumer products such as detergent, baking powder, toothpaste, cured meats, pharmaceuticals, and water softeners.  Within the past decade research is concluding that an excess in phosphorus is very damaging to our water and marine life.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified eutrophication (over-enrichment with nutrients) as the main threat to water quality. In most cases the nutrient of importance is phosphorus.

With the inclusion of phosphorous in our waterways, the decrease in oxygen severely inhibits the growth of many aquatic organisms, especially fish (e.g., recreational catch fish such as trout) and in extreme cases may lead to massive fish kills. Excessive input of phosphorus can change clear, oxygen-rich, healthy water into cloudy, oxygen-poor, foul smelling, toxic water. Therefore, control of the amount of phosphates entering surface waters from domestic and industrial waste discharges, natural runoff, and erosion is recommended to prevent eutrophication.

The Maine Extension Office reports that 90% of lawns tested in the past five years would not have been any greener with the addition of phosphorous. This means that our lawns and lawn care budgets can stay healthy without using phosphorous. When looking for a do-it-yourself or commercial lawn care program be sure to find one with 0% phosphorus, such as The Happy Gardener’s Lawn Feed n’ Weed and Lawn Conditioner.

Check the ingredient list when choosing garden & lawn fertilizers. Products that include animal manure will also contain high levels of phosphorous. Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Sciences & Natural Resources reports that one of the major concerns associated with manure application is the buildup of phosphorous in the soil. This occurs because manure contains more phosphorous than the crops/vegetation require. Choose products that do not contain manures such as The Happy Gardener’s full line of organic, vegetarian plant foods, pest control, weed control and lawn care.

Spring is here and more and more Americans are turning to our backyards to provide us and our families with healthy produce.  Growing our own vegetables, fruits and herbs allows us to monitor specifically what we put into our garden soil, which in turn will feed our edibles, which in turn will feed our bodies.

Whether the home gardener eats a vegetarian diet or not, it is a smart idea to start treating our gardens and lawns like one. By eliminating the use of animal by-products as plant fertilizers, we  significantly decrease the risk of bacteria contamination such as E. coli & salmonella (bad for us) and excess phosphorus buildup (bad for water supplies).

Animal by-products and manures have been used by home gardeners as routine fertilizer for garden plants and lawns and are found in most conventional and organic products sold in stores and garden centers. However, choosing vegetarian alternatives (plant and herb based) will provide us with health benefits for our families and the environment without sacrificing effectiveness and quality.

By checking the ingredient list on the product label you will be able to see if the particular plant or lawn fertilizer contains animal by-products. The vegetarian gardener wants to stay away from products containing ingredients such as urea, poultry litter, manure, bone meal, blood meal, feather meal. Vegetarian alternatives include plants, herbs, vegetables and grains as the nutrition source for garden and lawn performance.

The Happy Gardener has offered home gardeners a full line of high quality, organic, vegetarian plant foods, pest control, weed control and lawn care since 2006.We are committed to helping gardeners learn effective, easy and affordable ways to ‘grow your own’ healthy and safe plants.

For more information or to have your questions answered, please call us at 877-798-9280 or visit our main web site www.thehappygardener.info

Your friendly neighborhood lawn care service may be consistent with their monthly visits but are they keeping the safety of you & your family’s health in mind?

Two months ago I received a call from a national, commercial lawn care service requesting permission to come out to my home & apply a FREE application of lawn care with the agreement of contracted (3) months of service. Since I own an ORGANIC LAWN CARE manufacturing company, obviously I was not interested, however, I was interested in learning more about what they had to offer.

The salesperson explained to me that the first application would kill all existing weeds in my lawn. I asked her if the product used was safe to use on my grass where the microorganisms lived. She assured me that while the ‘product’ would kill the weeds, it would not harm the bugs & worms. I asked what the ingredient was that they would be applying and I was told the product name, Q4; I was not told the active ingredient(s).

The salesperson proceeded to attempt to schedule the first application to my lawn. I needed to explain first that my 11 year old daughter has a neurological disease and that it is important for me to know the product ingredients before using it around my home. I requested a copy of the MSDS report (Material Safety Data Sheet) which lists out all product ingredients and the hazards, if any. She did not know what an MSDS report was & stated that they did not have any such report. She attempted once again to schedule the application to my lawn. Is it not my right to know what they would be putting on my lawn?

I was adamant about needing to see an MSDS report before allowing anything to be applied. She put me on hold to speak with a manager. After waiting 26 minutes on hold, a gentleman came on and after I explained my daughter’s neurological disease risks with chemicals, he explained that his supervisor was gone for the day (at 2:45 pm) and that he would call me back the next day. He took my phone number & I gave him my fax number to send the MSDS report. He then attempted to schedule the first application to my lawn.

It has been 8 weeks and I have not received a phone call nor received a fax detailing the product this commercial lawn care company wanted to apply to my lawn. This is appalling to me and proves, once again, the importance of using a safe and organic product. It is the responsibility of us as consumers, parents and pet owners to ask the right questions and put our families’ safety first.

Winter is a season usually overlooked for soil conditioning, however, during lawn dormancy, the soil is still capable of improving in structure and aeration.  Providing nutrients now will condition the topsoil and help nourish grass roots. While colder climates will require gardeners to wait a month or so for the snow to thaw, warmer climates should begin treating lawn soils now.

Applying compost to your lawn in winter will provide the grass with a much better start and stronger root system in improved soil for superb spring re-growth.  Here’s what to do:

1.     Use Fine-Textured Compost:  Start with rich, fine textured compost. The best and cheapest compost is the kind you make yourself by recycling your kitchen and garden scraps. (Want to learn more about DIY composting? Go to www.eco-gardeners.com for lots of helpful info).
2.    Spread the Compost:  You can simply use a shovel to disperse compost over lawn area.
3.    Rake Evenly: With a garden rake, spread the compost over your lawn to about ¼ inch thick. It doesn’t take a lot to do a lot of good. The thin layer will break down quickly and release its nutrients into the soil and lawn. You won’t be able to see the compost once raked in.