Environmental Impact of some Garden products.
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
Isn't it quite strange that "Garden care" products we directly put into our gardens contain these type of warnings?
It's good to be aware that some commercially available garden products with friendly packaging can have some pretty serious side-effects to your garden and your health.
: For example lawn fertilizers can in fact poison not only your lawn causing damage to the grass (with overuse), they also can kill lawn worm:
This is just one example of the effect these products can have on the ecosystem.
Worms are some of the most helpful creatures we have for naturally maintaining a decent lawn, these guys travel through your lawn in search of food aerating the grass in the process. The only down-side is the worm castings which is posh for worm "Poo"! or "s**t"...ahem.
Worm castings do contain nutrition, but too much can burn the grass and a build-up of this sticky natural fertilizer can form mounds which compress the grass and create a nice little spot for weed growth.
Lawn feed is mainly Iron Sulphate and nitrogen to promote a green lawn and and control moss growth,
"But my lawn is terrible, my neighbour's lawn is so nice and green..."
First of all, "the grass is always greener from the other side"...(I thank you!)
You should know that!
Fixing a bad lawn does take time. yes, it's gonna take longer, but a proper job is better than a quick fix! It's important to understand the nature of grass and it's requirements. The shortcut is to replace the lawn altogether, after surveying with some nice new turf or even some stone patio or wildflowers?!? It's your garden you decide! there are no rules. Just make it your own. Unfortunately, all lawns take a lot of work so decide how much you want a perfect lawn or just an area of grass that gets a regular cut and doesn't give you grey hairs.
It's important to work WITH nature and consider alternative methods of plant and lawn care.
I always avoid using products such as Glyphosate/Roundup...etc as though they were some kind of nasty carcinogenic, death spray. There is evidence to suggest they basically are. But I understand that in certain applications their use is currently unavoidable, but these are some very specific last resort circumstances in my view and will approach any garden task with this in mind.
I wouldn't want to pay someone to come round my house in protective clothing and casually spray a toxic mist around without breaking a sweat. in the name of "killing weeds".
As a side note, I for one happen to be very good at weeding a patio should you have any issues with pesky weeds! Get in touch if I can help at all.
Kerim - Ziggy Gardening
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