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6 Natural Alternatives to Lawn and Garden Chemicals

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In the recent years, potential hazards associated with lawn and garden chemicals have been on a steady rise. With extensive scientific studies it has been proved that several pesticides and chemicals used in lawns and gardens are tracked into our home and can be found in carpets, on tables or other surfaces. Many municipalities have banned certain chemicals to bring an end to the dangers caused by their use.

Why Natural Alternatives?

Many lawn and garden chemicals not only pollute water and environment but are also hazardous for children and pets. Since the internal organs of the children are in the developmental stage, it is difficult for them to detoxify toxins. The pesticides used commonly in our homes consists of several carcinogens, some chemicals could even cause birth defects, damage to liver, kidney and disrupt the endocrine system.

Refuse Lawn and Garden Chemicals

This is the high time to prevent your family and environment free from harmful chemicals by adopting natural and safer alternatives to these chemicals. Here is the list of six natural alternatives to lawn and garden chemicals.

1. Lawn Care: The first and foremost step is to know about your garden. Have your soil tested and determine its pH and nutrient needs. Accordingly, choose the right grass; mow it to the right height and water wisely. This will keep your lawn free from weeds and healthy.

2. Companion Planting: It is a planting in which different crops are planted in proximity so that they could help each other in pollination, nutrient uptake and pest control. When a certain crop is planted in a garden for a long time it becomes a permanent target of a particular pest. This could be avoided by growing certain plants which repel a variety of pests. These plants include asters, marigold, garlic, petunias etc. This method hence cuts down the use several lawn chemicals.

3. Composting: This method effectively reduces the dependence on fertilizers. It provides free soil amendment as it increases the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients. It also protects the plants by providing mulch (a protective covering of organic matter to prevent evaporation of moisture, growth of weeds etc.).

4. Biocontrol: It is a method to control weeds and pests in your garden. Select the plants which can attract the insects and animals that destroy the weeds and bugs in your garden. You can purchase beneficial insects such as ladybugs, ground beetles and praying mantis which eat the harmful insects. Loose them in your garden. Certain plants such as garlic, petunias, chives etc. also repel aphids.

5. Aerate and Dethatch your garden: It is very important to aerate the soil in order to reduce the dependence on fertilizers. Remove the plugs of soil by using aerating machine. Dethatching involves removing the woody parts of the grass on the surface of lawn. For this dethatching rake could be employed. These methods will keep your lawn healthy in a greener way.

6. Hot water: Hot water could be effectively used for weed control. Pour the boiling water directly on the weeds. This will stop the growth of the weeds. Pull out the weeds from the surface and then pour boiling water where the weeds were in order to destroy the roots completely. Hot water could also be employed for killing pests. Pour hot water on the ant nests to destroy them completely.

The Bottom Line
In addition to the above methods, there are certain chemicals which are non-toxic and can effectively be used as an alternative to lawn and garden chemicals. These include hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, epsom salt etc. Certain natural and organic chemicals are also available in the market if you don’t want to make your own garden chemicals; for example: bone meal and blood meal.

Going for natural alternatives is worth it as it will not only make your lawn and gardens healthy and free from toxic and hazardous chemicals but is also safe for your family and environment

Paul is a freelance writer that loves to share tips when it comes to gardening. You can have a look at his site where you will be able to buy wall fountains as well as large wall water fountains.







Protect Your Flower Garden With These Safe and Organic Methods

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If you want your flower garden to flourish and blossom beautifully, then you have to protect it against pests. Garden pests are the biggest enemies of flower gardens. Not only do they destroy the flowers, but some of them even eat through the roots and stems, killing the whole plant and destroying the beautiful look of your garden.

To avoid this, you can make use of pest control products that can keep pests away from the plants. However, there are some dangers to using commercial pest control products though, and more often than not, they do more damage than good not only to the flowers but to the environment as well. For this reason, here are some safe and organic pest control methods for your flowering plants.

Pest Prevention Tips

If you don’t want pests in your flower garden, then you have to prevent infestation in the first place. One of the reasons why pests invade your garden is because the garden’s not healthy. There are too many weeds; the grass is long; the shrubberies are unkempt; there are puddles of stagnant water; and there are garbage and dead leaves everywhere. An unhealthy and unkempt garden is an invitation for pests to stay.

To prevent pest infestation, you have to maintain a clean garden. Pull out weeds and make sure they are not invading the space of your flowering plants. It’ll be better too if you leave the soil around the flowering plants clear of any grass or weeds.

If there are weak plants near the healthier flowering plants, you also need to pull them out. These plants may have already been infected with pests, and you don’t want it attracting more and infecting the neighboring healthy plants. Of note though; be sure to dispose of them properly and see to it that you keep the debris away from your flower garden.

It’s also recommended that you remove debris and garbage in the garden. Keeping the flower garden free of dead leaves, twigs, cut grass, garbage, etc. will minimize insect habitat and prevent pest infestation.

Pest Control Tips

If there are pests in the garden, you can minimize their population by making use of seaweed mulch. Seaweed mulch contains important trace elements that can keep the soil healthy and the plants strong. Some of these include iron as well as calcium. There’s also zinc as well as sulfur and magnesium. By making your flowering plants healthy, they can withstand diseases better. Of note; seaweed mulch can also keep pests like slugs away.

Another way to get rid of pests is to make your own homemade sprays. They are organic and non-toxic, so they’re both safe for the plants, the environment, and humans. One such homemade spray that can get rid of earwigs and slugs is the pepper sauce spray. You only need to mix about a couple of teaspoons of cayenne pepper, a quart of water, and about a few Ivory soap drops. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray directly onto the infected plants.

If the garden has a severe pest infestation, a call to your local pest control company will be a very good help.

Attached Images:

Jennifer Daleo writes for RovePestControlReviews.com. Keeping a garden healthy is easy, but if there’s severe pest infestation, then the services of a professional pest control provider will be very beneficial to you.

Vegetable garden 2008 slideshow

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Here is my attempt at producing as much food as possible in my back garden at home in Scotland. Being self sufficient would be a lot harder than I originally thought. I’m hoping to get some chickens soon though 🙂

Try and spot these:
Potatoes, gooseberries, peas, cabbage and cauliflower, onions, kale, beetroot, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrant, Ollie the dog! tomatoes and lettuce.

Duration : 0:1:2

[Read more…]

How to prepare soil for gardening shrubs in a flower bed?

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I recently purchased some organic compost not realizing that it was inorganic compost that I really wanted. So when I got home I mixed the organic compost I had just purchased with the inorganic compost i had layed out a week before. So my question was, what will happen when these two types of compost are mixed? Is my soil ruined because of this careless mistake or can I still salvage my soil? The reason I started with the inorganic compost was because I live in the Southwestern part of Texas where the soil is clay like and I was advised to use the inorganic type to soften the soil. Any suggestions out there or any similar issues any one has encountered?

Any type of soil can be improved with the addition of organic matter, unless you are one of the few who have perfect soil. The organic will rot and add water retaining humus to your soil, the inorganic will not rot and serve to help aerate. If you have clay soil, you NEED to add organic matter, period. Sand also helps as a cheap inorganic. One question…..compost is rotting ORGANIC material. I have never heard of inorganic COMPOST.

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