FireBlog

This past weekend I read an article in one of my favorite local news blogs that covers the town of Northwood among several others.   Northwood Lake is a place where my family has owned a summer home since 1974 and the town beach has been closed due to a reading of high levels of bacteria caused by algae blooms.  Here is a quote from “The Forum” www.forumhome.org,

“Warnings are issued when a large bloom of possible toxin-producing cyanobacteria is identified in a lake. The warning will remain in effect until subsequent samples of algae show that levels of cyanobacteria have diminished. Lake users should avoid contact with the water in areas with blue-green globs, flecks, or clouds. This alert is not based on a toxin evaluation and is intended as a precautionary measure for short term exposure. If you notice anything resembling cyanobacteria, please refrain from wading, swimming, or drinking the water and keep all pets out of the water.

Beach advisories for either fecal bacteria or cyanobacteria have been issued for:

• Lucas Pond Town Beach, Northwood
• Northwood Town Beach, Northwood
• Veasey Park Beach on Pleasant Lake, Deerfield (This advisory was removed on Thursday, August 26.)

An advisory has been issued due to elevated levels of bacteria at the beach. Additional samples will be collected. Once the bacteria levels fall below the state standard of 88 counts/100mL of water, the advisory will be removed.”

Just last week my family and I had spent the weekend on our beloved Northwood Lake and I had noticed several of the algae blooms myself.  Of course it was my intention to write about it here and I would personally expose the culprit as being the over application of chemical and water soluble synthetic fertilizers.

As coincidence would have it our good friend Paul Tukey at Safelawns also posted a link to a story about a lake in Ohio that is literally dead as of this summer as a result of algae blooms.  You can find a link to that story and  plenty of other incredible information at www.safelawns.org/blog.

I knew right away that I had to write a letter to the Nortwood Lake Watershed Association to offer my assistance in terms of educating homeowners as to what the dangers of applying water soluble fertilizer to lawns can be.  In this particular case the issue is literally in my own front yard and it strikes a very VERY deep chord with me.  This is one of those occasions where I look at the way I spent my time over the years promoting lawn care by chemical means.  When I got my first job at Barefoot Grass Lawn Service in 1993 I had already been spending summer weeks on Northwood Lake for twenty years.  Now, almost twenty years later to think that I may have had even a small hand in increasing the general public to desire a thick chemical lawn at any cost whatsoever is literally sickening to me.  I know I need to take action.  In this case I know I can make a difference.

A funny thing happened as I was writing this essay too.  Sometimes in an effort to find photo’s quickly and efficiently I look on google images or on photobucket.  I needed a nice picture of Northwood Lake to ad an effect to my blog entry.  What I found literally makes the argument about as easy as can be, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Almost every single picture that I came across had people smiling with the back drop of well kept year round and seasonal cottages.  In front of every single one?  You guessed it, a thick green lawn leading down to the waterfront.  In recent years, many of the older cottages have been rebuilt or even torn down so that their owners could build bigger and better ones.  What they don’t know is that every time they fertilize their lawns they are contributing to the death of their lake.

Here is a copy of the letter I wrote to the Northwood Lake Watershed Association.  I hope to hear from them soon.

Dear Members of The Northwood Lake Watershed Association,

I have been meaning to reach out to you for what seems like many years now but time always passes quickly and it’s taken this long for me to make contact.

My name is Thomas Kelly and my family and I are home owners on Northwood Lake.  Our home is on Fiore Road and we have been there since 1974 when my Great Aunts purchased a cottage from Mr. Fiore.  I first began spending time on the lake when I was three years old and it holds a very very special place in my collective memory and I very much enjoy spending time there with my children and family now.

On Saturday morning, August 21st, my three year old and I took an early morning canoe ride along the island end of the lake.  We enjoy paddling through the coves before all the water skiers make their appearance and when the lake is crystal clear and as calm as it can be.  This weekend, however, I was shocked at the number of “algae blooms” through our travels.  There was one large one in front of our home but many very large and noticeable blooms were present especially in the cove by the horse farm and on the far end near Pine Point.  I was not surprised to read about the beach closure and elevated levels of bacteria soon after our stay.

I am well versed in this particular issue because I make my career out of trying to convince home owners and business’ to discontinue the use of pesticides and more importantly chemical fertilizers in their effort to create a nice lawn.  I’ve spent the last 18 years in the professional lawn care industry and have recently launched a business and product line based on “chemical free lawn care.”  I understand the damage that can be done to bodies of water from the over application of chemical fertilizers that contain large amounts of water soluble nitrogen and phosphorus.  I spend almost every day having this conversation with people looking to protect our environment from chemical run off.

Over the last ten or so years I have seen many new homes, “tear downs” and “rehabs” happen all along the shores of our lake.  With almost every new project comes a brand new lush, green chemically treated lawn.  I am certain that our lake has reached it’s breaking point in terms of accepting a nutrient load when it comes to run off from chemical fertilizers.

It is my professional opinion that the nitrogen and phosphorus that is being applied to these lawns is immediately leaching into our lake and is leading to what could be a catastrophic situation for all of us who have enjoyed the peacefulness and serenity of the lake over the years.

I would suggest to you that almost one hundred percent of the offenders in terms of lawn care do not know that they are contributing to what could potentially be the death of their lake.  If they had any idea how much harm they were doing I would sincerely believe that they would stop.  The key in this situation is education.  I am writing to you to offer my help in attempting to educate the general public about the dangers of algae blooms and the over use of chemical fertilizers.  Please understand that I am not contacting you with a sales pitch but with a truly passionate concern about what I see happening.

I am including a link below to an article published today about “Grand Lake St. Marys” in Ohio and Indiana.  Grand Lake St. Marys is essentially “Dead” as of this summer and it is due to the algae blooms that have taken over.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100829/EDIT10/308299957/1021/EDIT

We must act swiftly in order to prevent a similar fate to Northwood Lake and after what I saw this past weekend we must organize to do so NOW.

If you would like to discuss what I think needs to be done please feel free to contact me by email or by phone.

I look forward to your response.

Tom
Thomas Kelly
President, Founder and CEO
Fire Belly Organic Lawn Care
188 Elm Street
Milford, NH 03055
www.firebellylawncare.com
www.firebellypro.com
888 828 7047

“The environmental and health challenges we face no longer give us the luxury to tinker with risk reduction systems that are inherently dependent on outdated and unreasonable chemical-intensive approaches.”
Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides

Playing It Safe Video

Here is a link to the video produced by “Grassroots Environmental Education.”  If your children are going back to school this month they are sure to be playing on playgrounds and athletic fields that are likely treated with pesticides.  This video shows you what dangers could be lurking.   The evidence is presented by Dr. Leonardo Trasande who co-directs the Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (www.cehcenter.org), where he holds a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine.

A solution to caring for turf without using dangerous pesticides and chemical fertilizers is presented in a very simple form by our friend Chip Osborne as well.  This is a very well done video.

Not all chemical lawn guys are bad guys.  Every year a huge group of them and their families get together to do some incredible work at Arlington National Cemetery.

Oftentimes in an effort to promote the message of safe and truly organic lawn care we get in the habit of consistently promoting negative messages about the professional lawn care industry.  I personally spent many years as an employee in the industry and owner of a company that was firmly rooted in the application of chemicals.  I got to know many wonderful people who have made a living in the care of turf.  At this point in my career and personal life I happen to take issue with the way many of these people and companies go about handling their business but I recently read an article that reminded me of an annual tradition that I attended regularly for several years back when I was a member of the dark side.

The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) puts on an annual event that brings many of it’s members to Washington DC every July to participate in what it calls it’s “Renewal and Remembrance” project.  It’s an event that is just one part of Planet’s “Legislative Day on the Hill” promotion and is geared to bring business owners together with their legislators to promote and protect their right to freely use pesticides in their home states.  (Obviously this has been an abject failure especially here in NH.  So much for the efforts of the previous “days on the hill” at least for the New Hampshire contingency, and the New York one, and the Connecticut one.)

Having participated in at least a half a dozen of these annual events in the past I thought it would be appropriate to bring it up here because I believe it is truly something that deserves recognition.  The event brings together hundreds of business owners, families and employees of those companies to put on a days work at Arlington National Cemetery.  The motive is obviously to call attention to PLANETS legislative efforts but once you get past the blatant self promotion one can not ignore the fact that it is truly important work.  When you get right down to it the logistics of the event are impressive.  This year the work included the application of 120 tons of lime, (yes tons)  the  installation of seven yards of mulch and the planting of  twenty two trees and shrubs.  They were also able to aerate thirty one acres of turf and complete irrigation repair work on the grounds of our countries most hallowed and sacred resting places.

Once you understand all of the hard work that gets accomplished on that typically very hot July day it is important, at least for me to recognize the people who get it done.  What was always the most impressive and honorable aspects of this event were the means that the business owners went through to make sure that not only their families were included but that they always managed to bring along as many employees as possible.  I can tell you that most of the companies in  the professional lawn world are extremely hierarchical.   By that I mean that the space between the “new guys” and the “owner” is usually miles and miles wide.  I suppose our industry is somewhat transient which is why it is the exception that long term and lasting bonds occur between the top and the bottom.

If there ever were great equalizers of humanity in the history of mankind it has to be death and war.  I can tell you that standing in the middle of Arlington National Cemetery with sweat building under my work shirt while a full fledged military funeral procession rolls by can make you feel emotions that you didn’t know you had.  In those moments that you stop what you’re doing and stand quietly with respect to honor a military hero’s last ride there are no distinctions between the new guy and the president of the company.  For those moments you are as equal as you were at birth and any socioeconomic distinctions that happen to have developed over the course of the living years are as important as the dust under your feet.

I think it is simply this concept that creates an environment where very few business owners dare to show up without springing the extra funds to bring along their employees.  I think it’s these ideals, the great equalizers, which prevent any president or CEO from having the nerve to use the event as a promotion for their own typically overblown ego.  You NEVER see pictures of the event posted on websites or written about in newsletters without the event being used as a great celebration of equality and patriotism even among the part timers and the lifers.  There is nobody low enough to think that the event is about his or her own self-importance and promotion.  This is why the members of PLANET show up with their wives, husbands, children and most importantly employees to put some sweat into what we cherish most as Americans.  The symbolism is set aside, the egos are nowhere in sight and for one day the sacrifices that have been made in ultimatum are the only things that are important.

Thank you members of PLANET for doing what you do in July every year.

No reason to say any more.

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/

“The adoption of pesticide-free and pesticide reduction policies have been gaining momentum across the country. Other examples include: New York State Parks; Chicago City Parks; 29 communities and townships in New Jersey; at least 17 cities in the Northwest covering more than 50 parks; and, numerous communities throughout Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as new policies and programs are continually being implemented by local and state government entities as well as schools and homeowner associations.

Eliminating toxic pesticides is important in lawn and landscape management, considering that of the 30 most commonly used lawn pesticides: 14 are probable or possible carcinogens, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 15 with neurotoxicity, 26 with liver or kidney damage, and 27 are sensitizers and/or irritants. The most popular and widely used lawn chemical 2,4-D, which kills broad leaf weeds like dandelions, is an endocrine disruptor with predicted human health risks ranging from changes in estrogen and testosterone levels, thyroid problems, prostate cancer and reproductive abnormalities. 2,4-D has also been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other lawn chemicals like glyphosate (RoundUp) have also been linked to serious adverse chronic effects in humans. Imidacloprid, another pesticide growing in popularity, has been implicated in bee toxicity and the recent Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) phenomena.”

Houses and Lawns Line the Coastline on Maine’s Casco Bay

A couple of weeks ago at an event in South Portland, Maine I met a reporter for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.  Her name is Josie Huang and she was putting together a piece about how many coastal towns in Maine are contending with the pollution caused by pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are being applied to turf and subsequently leaching and running off into water sources.  These products eventually end up in the very delicate oceanic environment that surrounds Maine’s coastline.  The piece, which recently, aired on Maine Public Broadcasting is a very well produced and thought out example of progressive journalism having a literal impact on the world in which we live.

She quotes several people involved with the movement to reduce or eliminate pesticide and chemical applications but also lends credibility to her piece by reaching out to the other side of the argument.  Ms. Huang was able to quote Tom Delaney, the Director of Government Affairs for the Professional Landcare Network. (PLANET)   What Mr. Delaney says in this piece is literally earth shattering given the groups tendency to lean towards the chemical side of the argument.  I give Ms. Huang and incredible amount of credit for her informative and tastefully done segment but I’m not sure she has any idea what she may have just produced.  For the first time in what I would consider ever, the chemical lawn care industry’s national mouthpiece has conceded in the argument concerning the application of chemical lawn care treatments.

Mr. Delaney’s comments represent an incredible victory for each and every person who has worked tirelessly to increase awareness about the dangers of chemical applications to turf.  In effect, The Professional Landcare Network, the group that represents the lawn care industry in our country on an enormous scale is calling for it’s members to discontinue the application of chemical lawn care products under certain circumstances and it should be congratulated for finally making a stand in what has become an argument that is no longer worth having.

When asked about the potential for lawn care products to leach in a way that would pollute water Mr. Delaney states, “”If it’s not made properly, (a chemical lawn care treatment) if it’s made to soil, that is somewhat bare and on a slope, if some of the product gets on an impervious surface like pavement, there is certainly the possibility of pesticides and nutrients running off into water bodies.”

With this summer’s weather being as hot and dry as it has been this statement goes beyond a typical lawn care treatment scenario where the applicator is careless and gets his/her product on pavement or performs a treatment on a lawn that actually has no turf growing on it.  In this part of the country, and in most others this year, heat and lack of rainfall has been extreme.  Just about every single lawn is brown and dry even the one’s where the turf managers have attempted to keep them green with irrigation.  I would think that close to 85 percent of the lawns in our area right now would be considered “impervious.”  One heavy downpour in the midst of a thunderstorm would send any and all fertilizer or pesticides on a lawns surface rushing towards drains and lower ground via gravity.

Mr. Delaney also goes onto to explain, rather awkwardly, why stopping the application of pesticides in public areas can be a bad thing.  He states that if a municipality stops using pesticides on town property, “Sometimes the weeds and things can get to the size where they impede people being able to see around corners and stuff, and it also creates the feeling that if they’re not maintained properly, that people don’t care about it and it could encourage people to throw trash around and do other things.”

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Delaney’s resume and I’ve even met him a time or two.  He has done incredible work for the industry as a whole and his crusade to keep lawn chemicals, as a staple of American life really should not be held against him.  He is an intelligent and well-respected man and many thousands of people would immediately stand up to support him in his actions and statements.  In my limited knowledge of Mr. Delaney I feel safe in saying that he is humble and hardworking individual with a vast working knowledge of the turf care industry.  I also feel comfortable in saying that he is free of the egotism that blurs the judgment of so many lawn care service company owners.  He is working for this cause because it’s his job and he is good at it, not because he is concerned with the way he appears to his peers in the industry.

With that being said, to say that the main reason for municipalities to continue the use of pesticides is because weeds will grow so large that drivers will be endangered is flat out ridiculous.  To imply that weeds in a park setting will induce its visitors to throw trash around is literally sophomoric.  Is this what the argument has come to?  Gargantuan, sight blocking, driver hazards and trash wielding malcontents being inspired by dandelions and clover?  NO, it isn’t what the argument has come to but it’s what the chemical lobby has been reduced to and I think they continue to be their own worst enemy.  Thank you to Josie Huang and the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for making this crystal clear.  Feel free to listen to and read the entire piece here at The Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/13067/Default.aspx

I spent some time at The University of New Hampshire yesterday catching up with an old colleague who is now in charge of caring for the sports turf on campus. In recent years Lance Tibbets has converted not only his beliefs but more importantly his fields to an almost completely organic approach. The University has made a concerted effort to become more “green” and increasing pressure from student activist groups have caused many of the departments to significantly reduce their reliance on toxic pesticides throughout campus. The turf, that is almost completely chemical free is close to perfect and that is a real testament to Lance’s turf skills considering that the weather around Durham, NH has been any turf managers arch enemy this summer. Like most turf managers today, he has been able to develop incredible results on his turf by implementing an organic philosophy and as a result he has completely condemned his toxic past. It’s a story I hear almost every single day and it leads me to gain confidence in the business we run here and the manner in which we live our lives not only as a corporation but as a family.

Of course before he gave me a tour of the campus athletic fields and before I put the sales pitch on him we had to do the perfunctory exchange of “what were we thinking” stories. He actually had a couple that I had not heard before and I will ad them to my traveling list of scary lawn guy tales. Lance actually chalked it up to our age at the the time. “Hey, I was like, 22 years old” he said after telling me the story of a dead seagull behind his old lawn care branch in Portland, ME. I hadn’t heard this one before but he told me about how one time a fellow lawn guy took a half eaten cheeseburger from his truck and poured a handful of “Turcam” onto it. He said he wondered “if this stuff really was toxic to birds” and threw it up in the air for a seagull to catch and eat. As he was telling me this story the tone kind of went from the masculinity associated with the old school pesticide applicator badge to a more somber and sensible tone. He said, “The seagull ate the cheeseburger and was dead in parking lot within a couple of minutes.” He shook his head and somberly said, “Man, I guess it was just because we were kids” followed by a not completely assuring, “Right?”

I agreed, laughed, told one of my own war stories that involves Dursban and black flies and we got in his Kubota and drove off to the first field he takes care of now without the use of insecticides like Turcam and Dursban.

When I got back to the office after my UNH tour I noticed that the “Beyond Pesticides” daily blog had posted a video from Harvard University. It was a professor, Marc Weisskopf, of the Harvard University School of Public health discussing a study that links Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to exposure to a certain class of insecticides. Organophosphates are group of pesticides that kill insects by attacking their central nervous system. The two insecticides that Lance and I were just talking about are members of the organophosphate classification and it wasn’t long ago that we as lawn care applicators used them all day long during certain times of the year. We were literally covered in them from head to toe for ten hours a day. So much so that our companies required blood testing to make sure we weren’t “over” exposed.

Pesticides tied to ADHD in children from Harvard SPH on Vimeo.

So, here is a professor who is associated with the most prestigious university and research institution in the history of the world saying that products that we knowingly used and evidently abused on a regular basis is potentially responsible for one of the greatest maladies to affect our children in modern history. If there were ever a wake up call for significant change and an instance where government action was needed I would think that this may classify as a blaring alarm clock on which you can’t hit snooze. We applied those products to kill grubs, sod webworm and chinch bugs in our customers lawns back in the nineties. I can hear a certain group of emotionally charged, lawn dinosaur, pesticide zealots standing up right now. With a Kruschevian shoe they are pounding on the table of potential pesticide regulation. HARDLY ANYBODY, ALMOST NOBODY USES THOSE PRODUCTS ANYMORE!

Which brings me to part two of this story.

So far this season the vegetable garden that I grow in our back yard is doing really well. My tomato plants are six feet tall, the cucumbers are prolific and everything else is pretty much growing out of their shoes. I’ve always been an “organic” gardener, not because its cool or fashionable but mainly just because I’ve always known that if my soil is healthy so will my plants be healthy. It’s just a small garden so there really isn’t any need to go overboard with any preventative tactics and i know that if I treat the plants and soil with products that promote soil biology they will be just fine. Over the last two years, in addition to a couple of compost tea treatments, I’ve treated my vegetable garden with the same exact products that I treat the lawn with. My garden is just an extension of my lawn and it too gets the Firebelly Six Step Organic Program.

It all came crashing down on me the other day when I found the biggest infestation of Tomato Horn Worm I’ve ever seen in my life.  In just one night they had taken my six foot tomato plants and turned them into spindly looking four footers.  It’s typical to see two or three of these scary tomato plant torchers in any given summer but I had to have had a dozen in clear view.  I panicked, my tomato plants were in danger.  What was I going to do?  I did what we all do nowadays, I took a picture and posted it to Facebook with the caption, “Tomato Horn Worm, Panic Ensues.”

The Facebook comments began to come in even faster than i could scare my kids with a paper plate full of the nasty looking worms.  “Tastes like chicken” one guy said.  Most of the comments revolved around how gross they were but the methods of control started to roll in too!  Actually, through a conversation on the phone with my father, who doesn’t quite use Facebook yet, he suggested I call the the neighbor up the street who had some Chlordane left over from the seventies.  He was just kidding, about using it, not about the neighbor having some, but his best old school, insect control remedy was, “a hand can full of “Sevin”….triple strength.  That’ll take care of them” he said.  A couple more remedies came in via Facebook too.  The guy who says they taste like chicken typed, “Sevin dust!!!! MUUHHHHAAA!”  Obviously the general consensus of controlling Tomato Horn Worms on the tomato plants, that contain the tomatoes that my family will eat, including my one, three and nine year olds was Sevin.  Liquid Sevin, Sevin Dust, any formulation of Sevin.

Sevin is an Organophosphate.

I immediately thought of the Kruschev shoe and the Pesticide Companies pounding it on the table, “Nobody uses those products anymore!”  So just now I went into the Agway down the street to check out my local selection of Organophophates.  Here is what I found:

The active ingredient in Sevin is Carbaryl, a dyed in the wool organophophate.  Just like the ones that Lance and I nervously joked about earlier in the day.  Just like the ones that the Food Quality Protection Act tells us need to be reduced.  Just like Dursban, Dylox, and Diazinon that are no longer available.  The same organophosphate that Professor Weisskopf just told us is very likely causing ADHD in our youth.   Professor Weisskopf of Harvard University that is.

When I bought the products above the woman behind the counter said to me, “Looks like you’ve got quite the battle on your hands.”

I said, “Yeah, I do.”

She said with bravado, “Good Luck!”

Obviously, knowing what I know.  I didn’t touch my tomato plants with the recommended chemical assault.  Unlike most everybody else I’m pretty confident in my Integrated Pest Management approach and would NEVER spray or sprinkle or dust anything my kids are going to eat with “Carbaryl” even though the person at Agway wished me luck in my assault.  I picked a good deal of the bugs off one day only to find that the assault continued overnight again.  I took the last resort and sprayed the effected tomato plants with OMRI Certified Neem Oil.  It has a “zero days to harvest” statement meaning that if the tomatoes were sprayed with Neem oil today my kids could safely eat them on the same day.   One application of Neem Oil completely eradicated the infestation of Tomato Horn Worm and my tomato plants are back on the path to success.

The Sevin Dust I just bought has a 21 days to harvest recommendation.  Here is what else the label says,

“Do not apply this product in a way that will contact any person or pet.”

“This pesticide is extremely toxic to acquatic invertebrates.”

“To protect the environment do not allow product to run off into storm drains, gutters or surface waters.”

“BEE CAUTION, MAY KILL HONEY BEES AND OTHER BEES.  This product is extremely toxic to honey bees and other bees.”

So far the label doesn’t carry any warning about the fact that it may be causing ADHD and it certainly doesn’t state anything about making pesticide zealots look ignorant and misinformed.  It doesn’t mention anything about egomania not counting as evidence that organophosphates aren’t used anymore,  although it probably should.  So far it’s just going to have to stick with “Sevin Lawn Insect Granules  Kills Over 30 Pests on Lawns, Ornamentals and Around Homes.”

Here is a picture that was taken behind the scenes on the set of Good Morning America last week.  For us to see one of our products on the national stage only six months after we opened for business lends serious credibility to the fact that the average American consumer is truly interested in finding better ways to treat their lawns.  It looks like truly organic lawn care isn’t just a fad!  Thank you to Paul Tukey for helping promote the movement and cause!

Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking about the issues that surround our industry here we forget for a few minutes about the actual focus of our industry; grass.  We thought that as we sit squarely in the midst of the summer and approach the dog days we should reflect for a few minutes on a couple of very basic tips for getting the best out of your lawn.  It’s this time of year that we spend more time than any other time of year outside playing on, hanging out with and generally relaxing in the confines of our yards.  We want our lawn to looks its best and feel it’s best too.

So far this summer has been a difficult one in most parts of the country in terms of heat and drought stress.  If you look at your calendar and then look out at your lawn and then look back at your calendar you need to know that at no other time of year is your lawn going to be faced with more perils than right now.  The sun is blazing, the water is at a premium, (except in some parts of the country where it has been measured in feet per day recently) and your lawn is flat out STRESSED out.  If your not thrilled with the way it looks I want you to work on an exercise next time your driving around the neighborhood.  Take a good hard look at every other lawn.  How are they looking?  The saying goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” but in July that is usually not the case.  Now, once you get out to the main road take a look at the turf in front of all the businesses and municipal buildings, you know, the ones that usually look REALLY good.  Probably not so good right now.

Some of the major ills that are effecting the majority of lawns can be summed up in a couple of words; three to be exact, crab grass, weeds and brown spots.  The simple fact is that grass just doesn’t do well in this type of weather and it begins to shut itself down and go dormant to preserve it’s ability to recover in the future.  When it turns brown,  stops growing and the soil temperatures skyrocket it’s prime time for weeds and crabgrass to move into a more prevalent role in your yard.  Even though your best approach to this situation is to just wait it out for cooler temperatures and rain to arrive there certainly are things you can be doing to prevent things from slipping further into the summer doldrums.

Watering

The most basic of concepts comes into play here, if your lawn is stressed out from heat and drought.  If your lawn could speak to you it would politely ask you to make up your mind as to whether you are going to water regularly or not.  You really need to decide one way or the other because doing just half the job can really make things worse by constantly teasing the root system into thinking there is a regular supply of water.  Roots will become very shallow and potentially create an opportunity for permanent damage to occur if the stressful weather is extended for any long period of time.  If you are not going to water regularly, just let it go dormant.  Your lawn will thank you when it returns later in the season.  If you are going to water, it’s very important to water DEEPLY.  In place of fifteen minutes every day you should settle on 45 minutes every three days but just be consistent.  We all know that our organic lawns are much more resilient and have a stronger root system than chemical lawns but this summer has been a real tough one.

Here is an extra tip, if you are going to commit to watering your lawn regularly and your in the middle of a real hot stretch you can do what many pro’s call “syringing.”   During the heat of the day when the sun is high in the sky try to water your lawn for ten minutes per zone, every day.  You will not accomplish anything in terms of getting any water to the roots of your grass but the quick spritz of water will reduce the air temperature directly above your lawn big time, allowing for less stress.

Mowing

I think it’s fair to say that we do more harm to our lawns with our lawn mowers than we even know.  Here is rule number one when it comes to having a nice lawn, probably even ahead of the products that you apply to it.  Rule number one is to never, ever under any circumstances mow your lawn in the heat of the day if temperatures are above eighty five degrees.  Don’t do it.  Really, just don’t do it.  If you have no choice in the matter make sure your mowing first thing in the morning or in late afternoon, again, to reduce as much stress on the plants as possible.

We kind of consider them no brainers but it’s important that you keep the blades on your mower sharp and you mow the lawn as high as you can stand it.

Be Patient

Like all things, this too shall pass.  If your lawn looks absolutely horrible, it’s not a permanent thing!  Your lawn will begin to bounce back when temperatures decrease and water is more available.  It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever to worry about it, don’t yell at your lawn guy and try not to think negatively about it.  It’s all going to be okay!  We promise….especially if your using the Firebelly Six Step Organic Lawn Care Program.

Last night on a bit of a whim, Deb and I attended a showing of “A Chemical Reaction” up in South Portland, Maine.  We were able to send the kids down to Grammy’s and were looking forward to spending a few hours together, even if in the confines of a comfortable silence during a two hour car ride.

The event was being put on by a couple of groups in the Portland area who have been working hard to protect our environment from the perils of chemicals.  I was happy to be able to meet Mary Cerullo of “Freinds of Casco Bay” with whom I’ve chatted on the phone a few times.  I also ran into several other acquaintances, one being Bob Berger, who has almost perfected a system that analyzes home lawns for pesticide residues.  The event was also sponsored by “Green South Portland” and “The South Portland Land Trust.”  I guess when you scratch the surface, just about anywhere you can find a healthy and active movement to reform the way we treat our lawns.  Congratulations to those who put on a great event.

The event itself was fairly typical of many of the events I’ve attended before, especially during screenings of “A Chemical Reaction.”   A group of concerned citizens getting together to educate themselves about an important issue that they truly care about.  There is always a question and answer period after the movie and the typical questions usually revolve around compost, Japanese Beetles and drought stress.  I enjoy answering the questions and it’s always fun to meet new people.  This event, however, had a very important turning point in what I believe at it’s core is an argument that really isn’t even worth having.  About halfway through the question and answer period a gentleman stood up and instead of asking a question about how to kill grubs he somewhat tentatively went into an unrehearsed soliloquy about his job as head of sports turf management for the City of South Portland.  It was the first time I had heard of or seen Rick Perruzzi, but I could tell right away that he was, more than anything, just a “lawn guy.”  He looked like a “lawn guy,” sounded like a “lawn guy” and was just like plenty of other hard working “lawn guys” I know of that for some reason get involved with the industry, learn the trade and dedicate their professional lives to making grass look nice.

What was truly inspiring, at least to me, about Ricks five minute description of his practices at The Wainwright Recreation Complex wasn’t the fact that he’s been using strict organic methods for a few years.  What caught me a little bit off guard was the fact that this lawn guy was having a little bit of a coming out in front of a crowd and the crowd, including the moderators were almost completely taken off guard.  Here was a group of people coming together to promote safe lawn care in their neighborhoods and little did they know that their movement already had a true leader right in their own backyard.  Rick and his staff has been making a big time difference on city land and he should be applauded for his actions.

Here is the best part and the part that everybody needs to know about.  Rick treats his fields organically.  He treats them without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  He probably does it partially because he believes that many chemical lawn care products are dangerous to the people who use his fields and he knows that chemical fertilizers will leach into his water, exactly what the “Friends of Casco Bay” want you to know.  But what most everybody needs to know is that the main reason Rick treats his fields this way is because it really works.  It really actually works and it isn’t terribly difficult to do either.  In fact, I’ll bet Rick would tell you that it’s just as easy as blasting the turf with chemical fertilizers and pesticides seven times a year.  I bet he’d even go a step further and tell you that the cost associated with maintaining his fields organically is similar, if not less than doing it with chemicals.  This is what I mean about the fact that we are all in the midst of an argument that isn’t even worth having.  Sure, activists  are always interested in a crusade and dinosaurs are always interested in selfishly preserving the status quo but when it comes to the health of our families and the environment, is it really worth the time spent?

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Rick after the event but I wanted to say publicly, “Thank you Rick.  Keep up the good work even if it is just second nature to you!”  I want to congratulate you on substance over symbol and I want to acknowledge the fact that caring for turf without the use of chemical fertilizers and dangerous pesticides is truly becoming the norm, especially all over the Greater Portland area!!!!!

We’ve always tried to preach that the products that you put on your lawn only represent a small part of equation when it comes to maintaining a healthy yard.  Take a look at this house that typically has a very nice lawn that accentuates the appearance of the home and the whole property.  The homeowner mowed the lawn with a ride on lawn mower last week while temperatures were in the high nineties.

The lesson to be learned here is that if temperatures are over eighty five degrees or if hot, dry humid weather is in the foreseeable forecast you should just leave it alone.  There is no doubt that the actions that we take in terms of mowing and watering have a far greater impact on our organic lawns than the products themselves.  In fact when you really drill it down and take a look at pesticides, they represent a tiny portion of the equation when it comes to caring for your property.  This lawn could have had all the chemicals in the world applied to  it and it still wouldn’t stand a chance when it comes to the battle versus the mower.