So, you want a green lawn throughout the summer?

Picture taken June 26, 2012

    

Before you can achieve the green lawn you want, you need to understand your lawn and soil. As each home maybe the same in design, there really are no identical homes and as such, your lawn is not the same as your neighbors and home are. What may work for them might not work or even be enough for your lawn.

Let’s look at the grass type you may have. These are the most common types found in our area: Blue grass, Perennial Rye grass & Chewing Fescue. Most common weed grasses found in our lawns: Annual Blue grass, Wild Bent grass, Barnyard grass, Quack grass, Twitch grass, Crabgrass, Foxtails & Timothy.

With the extreme weather (Our Blue grass lawns do not want to grow when temperatures exceed 22⁰C /72⁰ F. They will want to go dormant as they do during the winter. They love the 12⁰C/54⁰F range.), our lawns were caught off guard and under prepared due to cutting height and watering habits. These two practical habits put the balance of the lawn’s health in your hands.

Each grass type will grow well if all variables are met, but if not you will see the weed grasses creep in as well as weeds. We need to understand the grass type we want and provide the needed variables and control other variables to succeed. For example: Blue grass and Perennial Rye grass need to be cut at 2/3/4inches high, but most home owners and some lawn cutting services butcher the lawn by cutting it low to look like a golf course.

Cutting your lawn excessively short only stresses out the grass plants you want and will allow the weed grasses the ability to take hold and flourish. Take for example crabgrass; each plant can produce 5000 seeds and they can stay dormant for up to thirty years waiting for the right conditions. As such, each weed grass plant does the same. They lay dormant until the right conditions are present for them to germinate.

Let’s talk about watering your lawn. I have heard every excuse out there why the lawn is brown and dormant. Most of them are directed at the lawn care providers. Unfortunately they do not have a magic wand or product to protect your lawn from Mother Nature and her wrath. I can say that if you can water your lawn regularly to your soil types, you’ll have a better chance of having a healthy green lawn, but combine it with the proper cutting height and you will be amazed how green your lawn will look throughout the summer months.

Lawns are more than cosmetic as some would like to believe. They can change your local environment for the better by reducing temperatures around your home, increase oxygen, decreased carbon dioxide, as well as decrease noise, dust, erosion and injuries. Green lawns provide reduced rodent populations also as well as noxious weeds.

On Thursday June 4^th an MP was disappointed when his private member’s bill was defeated at loosening the rules for Ontario’s pesticide ban. Some homeowners would love the use of pesticides by commercial companies, while some cross the border to bring back their chemical warfare. Pesticides are not needed if you know what you are growing. These pesticides are a quick fix providing short term results and potential environmental impacts such as health issue for both you and me. For great results, the natural way is the best. Farming has been around from the beggining and it was only in the 1950’s that pesticides became a staple in the agricultural industry to provide grade “A” fruit and produce.

WEEDS IN OUR BEDS, GARDENS AND LAWNS!

Weeds are said to be plants out of place, but they only grow to heal the soil and will stop once what is needed in the soil has been mended by the weed itself or by you. By reading the weeds you’ll understand what the soil requires today. Just a side note, just like gray hair, weeds will always grow so try not to stress about them.

Applying N-P-K fertilizers is not enough and in fact they only force your lawn to grow through all seasons and even through stressful times. You will require more water than the natural organic approach. These N-P-K Fertilized lawns get themselves into an inevitable money pit to get the plants health up all the time. Why are they still being pushed from the corporate world? They are making money off each application sold.

Natural organic programs can reduce stress from disease, drought, insects and weeds which N-P-K fertilizer programs may increase and then would cost you more to remedy. A healthy green lawn is what the majority strive for but most do not have the knowledge to achieve this and result, and may in fact result in costing more money in the end.

I would have to say that going through the net has its pros and cons, so tread through and find what resonates with you. Finding common info from one site to another would be a great sign. There is so much to know when it comes to soils and how to work it’s magic on your plants and lawns. Look into what type of plant you want to grow, it’s needs and requirements then put it into practice and watch what it will do. Now you have the experience to make an educated decision to do again or to go forth and find further info to try again.

What do I recommend?

Stay away from pesticides! They only harm the soil environment and establish dependence for them. Once these pesticides have been used, their effect on the soil can be long term and requires a soil rebuild.

Use organic soil to top dress areas in dire straits. This will help hold moisture and reintroduce a needed eco-system. Seeding regularly works well to thicken and stop weeds from establishing themselves. If a weed does come in, read what it is telling you about what is lacking in the soil and then amend it.

How often should I feed my lawn and plants? Does this one time do it? NOPE! You need to be consistent. Does eating one meal a day do it for you? How about eating candy all the time? You will get results by repeating what works. A lawn or any kind of plant requires feeding and then water to dissolve the food found throughout the root area so it can be picked it up by the roots in a soluble form to feed itself.

For lawns, cutting at the mowers highest level will provide great success. It will promote a healthier, thicker and a strong stand of turf. Some mowers do not have adjustable wheels. If you have one of these, get rid of it and step up to one that can be adjusted. You need to be cutting over 2 3/4/inches for the start of some best results. Cut often and leave the clippings on the lawn to reintroduce the natural nitrogen that has been supplied to the plant.

How much water? Well water is dependent upon soil type and climate conditions. Since you live at your home, you will have the experience to know how much water is enough and what is not. Water does cost and unfortunately, all plant life requires. Do your best.

Progressive Conservative MPP Ted Chudleigh argues there is little scientific proof that using pesticides can lead to serious long term health problems.

Pesticide ‘junk science’ challenge 2

By Terry Davidson, Toronto Sun

Saturday, June 2, 2012 5:33:07 EDT PMTORONTO - You win some you lose some.

Progressive Conservative MPP Ted Chudleigh is disappointed his private member’s bill aimed at loosening the rules around Ontario’s controversial cosmetic pesticide ban was defeated at Queens Park on Thursday.

That doesn’t mean he won’t fight on.

Chudleigh knows the ban is a polemic subject and will now push for the PC party to make it an election issue. He told the Toronto Sun on Friday that the bill was a reflection of what many homeowners have been asking themselves since pesticides were banned by Ontario’s Liberal government in 2009: Just how hazardous are pesticides to human health, and does it warrant such sweeping prohibition on using them?

Like many others, Chudleigh believes the report that prompted the ban - a 2004 Ontario College of Family Physicians study that found “consistent links” between pesticide use and cancer, neurological impairment and birth problems - is based on “junk science.”

He argues there is little scientific proof that using pesticides can lead to such health problems.

“It is frustrating that good science has been conquered by junk science,” said Chudleigh, whose private member’s bill would have amended the Pesticides Act to allow lawn-care professionals to apply some currently-banned pesticides to lawns and gardens. “The physicians ... I don’t think their area of expertise extends to the use of pesticides. I’d like a doctor to look after me in his office, not on my lawn.”

Chudleigh is far from alone in his criticism of the OCFP report, a study based on the compilation of other research papers examining pesticide use and health.

Shortly after its release, the United Kingdom’s Advisory Panel on Pesticides, a governmental regulatory body, cited “serious flaws” with the OCFP report. It cited points such as “failure” to take into account studies with results running contrary to OCFP findings, and examining pesticide exposure in agricultural areas - where pesticides are allowed, and regularly used - instead of domestic, urban areas.

As well, Health Canada stated that the “OCFP report is a review of epidemiology studies selected from the public scientific literature,” and that it lacked sufficient scientific data. And the Canadian Institutes of Health Research issued its own reaction to the OCFP study, stating that “more ... well-designed studies that provide reliable and valid exposure measures” were needed.

Ontario’s pesticide ban is not based on science, but on a political agenda, says Pierre Petelle, vice-president of chemistry for Crop Life Canada,

“This was an ideological, politically-motivated decision that played on people’s fears and lack of scientific knowledge,” said Petelle. He pointed to a recent poll that found 78% of Ontarians feel the current legal methods of weed and insect control are inadequate, and that almost half believe commercial pesticides are safe provided directions are followed.

“The consequences are coming to light in the urban sector, on homeowners’ properties, sports fields and municipal areas,” said Petelle, adding that the OCFP study neglected to look at toxicology data to back up its findings. “Even Health Canada ... looked at this study and said there was nothing in (it) that warranted further regulatory action, that it was a selective gathering of studies and that it didn’t represent the body of scientific evidence they rely on.”

Ontario is not the only province where there is debate around pesticide use: British Columbia Premier Christie Clark has been hankering for a ban there, but an all-party committee on pesticides said in May that, after considering more than 8,000 submissions, there lacks enough scientific evidence to warrant a ban, and instead made 17 recommendations around tightening rules around pesticide use and educating the public.

Dr. Cathy Vakil, who helped pen the OCFP report, disagrees with those who say her paper lacks scientific weight. She says the authors took a “systematic approach” and searched “enormous databases” to find “peer-reviewed” collections of studies,

“It was ... pretty well the gold standard of any kind of review you can have,” said Vakil, who vehemently disagreed that OCFP excluded studies with conclusions running contrary to the use of pesticides being hazardous. “It is computer-driven. You plug in the key words, and it spews out ... collections of studies in a completely unbiased way.”

Gideon Forman of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, is adamant the science behind the OCFP report is strong.

“But let’s say it wasn’t,” he said. “Why would you want to take the risk? Why would you take that risk, when the only thing you are changing is the appearance of your lawn?”

terry.davidson@sunmedia.ca

WEEDS - WEEDS & MORE WEEDS!

GOT WEEDS?

For years both the lawn care industry and home owners have been using synthetic fertilizers and chemicals (prior to the 2009 ban) to produce lush green lawns. Synthetic fertilizers are still being used by all, as well as the homeowner crossing the border to bring home chemical warfare for their weeds.

Each time one of these products is applied, an imbalance occurs within the soil area, so you will find that beneficial earthworms, nematodes, bacteria and microorganisms have been either killer or repelled by this imbalance. These products will also runoff into waterways, contribute to salt build up, burns, depleted organic matter affecting fertility, poor soil quality and reduced holding capacity for water.

Science has proven that the end result will be inadequate protection against insects and diseases, as well as an increased population of weeds!

STANGL’S HAS THE SOLUTION!

Stangl's has become a "Steward" of our lands to provide you with the best in GREEN SCIENCE. A balanced soil energized with Microbial Life produces a massive root system for a natural lush green lawn. It`s time to get rid of your "junk" fertilizer program and step up to a healthy soils approach for your results.

As a homeowner, Stangl’s understands your concerns about weeds appearing in your yard. Did you know that each weed will identify what is going on in your soil? Did you know that weeds grow to heal your soil conditions? Once we have corrected these conditions; they will go away until needed again.

Our trained professionals understand what each weed in your lawn means. We can provide what is needed to rid your lawn of these weeds. Each application we do is like a brick in a foundation. With each additional brick, a structure appears and the end result is near.

To sustain any healthy eco-system, you need to provide consistent nurturing and maintenance. Stangl’s Classic Program is the first step of our Healthy Soil Process to stimulate soil earthworms, nematodes, bacteria and micro-organisms. This will then increase your soils organic matter to hold more water while increasing your lawns defences to provide you with the best results against disease, insects and weeds.

DO YOU LIKE FREE FERTILIZER?

Stangl’s Enviro lawn Care provides your lawns with the best of our GREEN SCIENCE products that will turn any lawn into a machine that will naturally pull in FREE NITROGEN! How you may ask? The air we breathe is 78% Nitrogen. That is free nitrogen for your lawn! HEALTHY SOILS will provide the best results to increase your soils activity of the Nitrogen fixing bacteria that will naturally pull the nitrogen from the air. Now that’s value!

Stangl’s Classic program keeps our planet green by absorbing more carbon dioxide than the lawn not treated. The healthier your lawn, the healthier our planet and the more you are helping to reduce global warming.

A Greener Tomorrow Starts With You.

"Kyoto for Canada is in the past. As such, we are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw," Environment Minister Peter Kent said Monday December 12, 2011. I applaud Canada for taking this bold move. Mother Earth requires everyone’s support on all levels.

We all recognize that greenhouse gases need to be decreased, so what are you doing about it? Being upset with any government will not create anything more than stagnation and furthering the planet into a brown tomorrow. Be as bold as Canada and take action right at home.

To start, take advantage of a home energy audit. There are grants available for energy renovations that maybe required. You’ll be amazed at how much money you will save each month by doing any of the audits recommendations. Investing in greener energy renovations can reduce your personal greenhouse emissions.

Next, let’s look at the lights in your home. We’ve all seen the commercials and heard the radio advertisements, but replacing lights with green light bulbs and turning off lights can save you money. What about those electronics that sleep when not in use? Yep, they use electricity even when sleeping. Unless you really need them on, turn them off. I remember my father saying (yelling) “wait until you own your own home, you’ll be turning off the lights then!” He was right with that and many more insightful quotes.

Then there are our vehicles? How many do you own? Have you maintained them for peak performance which provides the best fuel efficiency for reduced greenhouse gases? You can also reduce unnecessary trips by combining them as “a milk run.” This will save money on fuel and greenhouse emissions.

The blue, gray, and green box collection has been implemented for a greener tomorrow. Let’s keep it up and continue the great work. If your area has not implemented any of these boxes; stand up and be heard.

Unless you truly like spending money vie waste, everything you do to reduce greenhouse gases will in turn reduce waste and save you money. Sure there is upfront out of pocket money for investment, but the savings is like a residual cheque each month. Money that never leaves the account is a great thing, right?

With spring on the way, mother earth’s green plants will return to reduce greenhouse gasses the natural way. All you can do is to do your best.  With that said, I congratulate you for taking action to provide a greener future by example!