# So you like Weed & feed for your yard ?



## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

A little food for thought, when you buy fertilizer like weed & feed, for the yard....

- study reported in the "American Journal of Public Health" has found that children whose yards were treated with herbicides (weed & feed) and insecticides had four times the risk of certain cancers. Houston Chronicle, February 27, 1995.

- "Chemical fertilizers are combined with salts that aid their solubility (in water). These salts, however, often damage the soil. Because of this plants can only absorb about 20-30% of the fertilizer applied. This means excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers are required to provide plants with the 20-30% they will use. Because excessive amounts are used, chemical fertilizers remain in the soil, resulting in chemical runoff and the pollution of streams, lakes and even wells." Acres USA, June 1993

- A series of investigative reports (copyrighted) by the Seattle Times Newspaper has found that many companies that manufacture synthetic fertilizer add hazardous waste and radioactive waste to their fertilizers. These extremely dangerous wastes then end up in our food supply or in our yards for our children to play in. July-August 1997, Seattle Times Newspaper.

- Organic Techniques are cheaper: if you compare a bag of synthetic chemical fertilizer to an organic fertilizer the synthetic appears cheaper
- synthetic will loose 40-60% of nutrition to runoff
- synthetic will add salts that poison the soil and disrupt pH
- synthetic have to be applied 4-5 times per year (vs. 2 times that will eventually go to one time, extra labor)
- synthetic encourages forced growth of plants that attract insects and diseases which require increased costs for additional synthetic chemicals and labor, increased risks
- organics require less water (often 50%) less,
- organics produce more flower and fruits
- organics promote healthier plants...less loss to insects disease, or hot or cold extremes of climate
ALL the result of healthier soil.


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## porkchoplc (Aug 12, 2009)

Where do we find said organic fertilizers?


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

porkchoplc said:


> Where do we find said organic fertilizers?


Copy and paste a little from the OP, Google it and you'll come up with a source.

Here's another Google result that's a little less "commercial":

http://www.houstonrose.org/soilfood.htm


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

My son was diagnosed with Leukemia at 19 months. Since then we have only done organic.

I couldn't imagine putting chemicals on the lawn as I look at how often we run around barefooted, wrestle, play ball, and whistle with blades of grass.

Randy Lemmon on KTRH has an organic lawn schedule that is pretty painless to follow. 

Merry Christmas all.


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## fletchoman (Nov 30, 2008)

The Organic Version of the Lawn Fertilization Schedule

Here is my Organic Lawn Fertilization Schedule. Just remember, that while a true organic schedule may make you feel good about the environment, I have yet to have anyone using it to show me a lawn as green as one you can get from the synthetic schedule.

The need for better organic products is obvious, however, as we all become more "environmentally aware."

Those who have listened to my program, or subscribe to my e-mail tips, will probably agree that there is probably a good middle ground between the two. I'm a big proponent of organic products when they work and aren't over-priced, but I'm also a fan of schedules/products that work and save money to boot. And if you've followed my schedule and enjoyed its successes, you know what I mean.

The ultimate benefit of the organic schedule: fewer things to do. Many advocates of organic fertilizers claim that they only fertilizer two or three times a year.

Also worth noting, as I did in my book, organic fertilizers can end up being a little more tedious and, in most cases, more costly. Simply put, most organic fertilizers don't cover as many square feet, but always cost about the same as — if not more than — a bag of synthetic fertilizer, which can cover 3-5 times more square footage. The best example of this chasm in pricing is Ag Org PL (poultry litter), which averages $20-$25 a bag and covers 1,500 square feet. Or Nitro Phos Super Turf (an example of a synthetic brand) which costs $17-$20 a bag and covers 7,500 square feet. You do the math! The reason it can seem tedious is related to poor soil. The poorer the soil, the longer it will take to see the ultimate benefits on the organic schedule.

Yet, having said all that, many organic fertilizers are getting much better at improving their coverage on a square-footage basis. One of the best examples is Lady Bug Natural Lawn & Garden Fertilizer, which averages $25 a bag and covers 4,000-5,000 square feet. And it doesn't smell nasty like many organic fertilizers.

Here's a brief list of organic fertilizers I think should be considered in the schedule, mainly because they are somewhat cost effective, don't smell (make me gag) bad, and are readily available. Availability is somewhat subjective, though, since they're carried mostly by independent retail garden centers that aren't part of "big box" stores. Lowe's, however, has been known to carry the Medina products.

* Micro Life 6-2-4
* Southwest Fertilizer Earth Essentials 5-1-3
* Medina Growin' Green 4-2-3
* Lady Bug Natural Lawn & Garden 8-2-4
* Maestro Gro Texas Tee 6-2-4
* Gardenville Soil Food 7-2-2
* NRG Soil Vigor 10-2-3
THE ORGANIC SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY - Corn gluten meal (as pre-emergent herbicide)
MARCH - Organic fertilizer as listed above
APRIL - Compost as top dressing
MAY - Organic fertilizer as listed above
SEPTEMBER - Organic fertilizer as listed above/or simply compost top dressing
Agricultural Corn Meal as preventative fungicide
OCTOBER - Organic fertilizer as listed above, as winterizer treatment
NOVEMBER - Corn gluten meal as pre-emergent herbicide

As you may have noticed, if comparing schedules, one of the other benefits of using a 100 percent organic schedule is the reduced need for fungicides due to all the beneficial bacteria and protozoa that will naturally fight fungal diseases. But you will also discover agricultural corn meal (for fungal treatment) and corn gluten meal (for pre-emergent herbicide treatment) are very hard to find. In fact, very few garden centers carry more than one product for each of those treatments. And I'll bet dollars to donuts that none of the mass merchandisers carry either. Thus, there's not much need to list different brands like I did for the myriad of organic fertilizers.

The good news is that this is obviously a growing market, and I witnessed many manufacturers trying to get their agricultural corn meal and corn gluten meal products into Texas nurseries and garden centers at last year's Texas Nursery & Landscape Association Convention.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

I got news for everyone, Randy Lemon is great for Radio, be he gets schooled by his guest on topics regularly ....

These are the people he brings on from businesses and companies local.

I listen to his show, and call in, but he says things that are wrong, more than often.

It's cool but he is not the end all be all ..... so just take that in consideration.

There are some other guys out there worth listening to that don't have their show sponsered by the big bucks that keep them on the air.

Like Howard Garrett aka: the dirt doctor
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/

as well as local John Ferguson
from Natures Way Resource
good back ground
http://www.natureswayresources.com/about.htm
and endorced by Randy Lemon
as well as local Master Gardners who know their $h!t...literally ...lol

In short, there is still lots to be learned by Organic Gardening, and everyone has a different situation when it comes to problems. But we can draw the conclusion, what we have been doing is not working. We know putting thing into our own bodies that is not healthy but makes us look good is bad, and in the long term, has major side effects. .... ie: Steriods ....

So why put stuff in our yards that we come in contact with? ... our kids play in, ..... and our pets use ???? ... that could very well have long term effects and hurt us down the road ???

The do nothing approach would be better than what most of us have been doing ....

Take a step back, and try not fighting nature and try working with it.

BTW

I just put a yard of 2 yr old leaf mold compost over my whole yard, to make nature work for me.

NEXT
20 lbs of corn meal glutamen will be spread out in the middle of January. and again 6 week later ... this will be a pre-emergent and fertalizer (6-0-0) ..... and all organic !


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