http://www.cancer.ca/Saskatchewan.aspx?sc_lang=en

A great event is coming to Regina, Saskatchewan on May 10!

Magic in the Garden: Top 10 Gardening Ideas hosted by the HGTV's own Donna Balzer!
Please register at www.pesticidefreeforlife.ca

Our brand new Earth Day post!!!!!!

What did you do for the planet this Earth Day? Did you join a park clean up? Park the car and walk or bike for the day? Go to a farmer’s market and buy your food locally? How about get your lawn off drugs?

Increasingly, we are becoming more and more aware of how much impact the way we manage our landscapes is having on the Earth. Those emerald green lawns, with nary a weed in sight are the horticultural equivalent of driving a Hummer. It’s time for a change.

Saskatchewan is one of the few provinces that has no legislation protecting residents against cosmetic pesticides. Despite the fact that Saskatchewan residents have the highest incidents of certain cancers, the unnecessary use of cosmetic pesticides is still common. In light of this, it’s up to each and every individual to do their part to reduce their family’s exposure.

One of the easiest methods of maintaining a healthier lawn is the mow at a higher height of 6 cm (2.5 inches). At this height, grass has the ability to naturally crowd out other weeds and maintain a deep root structure so that the plant can reach water and nutrients deeper in the soil. It’s an easy fix that just requires a small adjustment on the mower.

Another easily adoptable change is to switch fertilizers. The nutrients in many synthetic formulations are in the highly soluble salt form. What this means is that it’s very easy for grass to absorb but it also washes away easily with watering or rain. Run-off from lawns has been known to contaminate waterways. In addition, grass that absorbs fertilizer so quickly needs to be mowed more often!

A much easier method to work with is to apply a half-inch layer of compost in the spring and run over it with the lawn mower to allow the compost to shake down to the soil level. Nutrients in compost are slow releasing and do not wash away as quickly as their synthetic counterparts.

Finally, if lawn clippings are left on the grass to recycle and return nutrients back to the soil, there is very little need to keep fertilizing. Worms and other friendly soil creatures will pull down these clippings so they won’t stay on the surface for long. And no, lawn clippings do not contribute to thatch problems. Excess fertility, however, does.

But what about those pesky dandelions? Luckily, a number of natural products have entered the market. Iron-based Fiesta® has shown great results as has a product called Sarritor® which uses a fungus to control the dandelions but keep grass safe. A serrated knife, entering the soil at an angle is also a very effective and easy way of severing the roots below the soil surface. Make sure to back the knife out the same way so that no soil is disturbed and weed seeds aren’t exposed to light.

Not only can natural lawn care reduce your exposure to harmful pesticides, it is often much more cost effective and far less work than the endless cycle of overfeeding, mowing, watering and overfeeding again. This Earth Day, do something good for both your health and for the planet.

Help ensure our children, family, pets and the environment are protected. As a horticulturalist, I encourage you to stop the use of harmful chemicals on green spaces where we work and play.
Evidence linking pesticides and cancer is suggestive and growing. The use of pesticides has no countervailing health benefit and the potential for harm exists.

Scientific evidence linking pesticide exposure and cancer risk for adults and children is suggestive and growing.
Following a literature review on the evidence linking pesticides and cancer, the Ontario College of Family Physicians (2004) concluded that there is a statistically significant association between pesticide exposure and certain types of cancer. (http://www.ccsevents.ca/site/www.ocfp.on.ca)
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and others have concluded that some substances in pesticides are known, probable or possible carcinogens.
The U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) has recognized that pesticides can be potentially cancer-causing for humans.
Individuals who do not work directly with pesticides can still be exposed to them by:

Pesticides that are sprayed can drift or runoff and mix with the air, soil, or a surrounding body of water. Pesticides can also collect on plants and objects that people can come in contact with.

STAY TUNED FOR MY UPCOMING BLOG ON BETTER, GREENER IDEAS TO MAINTAIN YOUR LAWNS AND GARDENS HEALTHY AND SAFE!!!!