If we didn't mow, our farm would be a disaster. Also a fire hazard - long dry grass is an issue. I get the need and desire to have grass or a lawn. But it doesn't have to be unhealthy.
One great tip if you are going to have a lawn is to seed your existing lawn with white clover and use a variety of grass seeds that are more drought resistant.
We have found that white clover will nicely fill in areas with poor soil.
Don't cut your grass to low. That will allow some of it to seed.
Also use a lawn mower that puts the clippings back onto the soil, rather than bagging it. Lawn clippings are like taking a bit of your soil out to the recycling bin each week.
Run a lawn mower over the leaves in the fall and sprinkle them over your lawn or put them in the compost pile.
Frankly, mown dandelions never hurt anyone - they will eventually get crowded out by healthy grass and clover.
Weed whip weeds and grass that come up in sidewalk cracks and along the edges of the house.
Finally, consider a few hens and composting their litter.
A lawn can be built easily using methods that build soil, rather than hurt it.
So I stop by my friend Hubert's house to drop something off. He was a little preoccupied with preparing a presentation for the weekly Lawn Club meeting, in which he touched upon the subtle distinctions between weed whipping and weed whacking. So I says no, Hubert, weed whipping and weed whacking are the same thing. And he says no they're not. And I says yes, they are. And he says no, they're not...
Well, things got a little acrimonious, and we wound up tussling in his front yard, coming away with grass stains and ground-in dirt all over us. Now I'm worried that we were both contaminated by lawn chemicals, since he's heavy into that stuff.
Later on, we both realized the silliness of the situation, and made our peace. In an era already rife with controversies, there's no sense in a friendship ending over alleged distinctions between -ipping vs. -acking.
My daughter thinks the same way. She is careful about not putting pesticides on the lawn, because of her dog. She loves to sit out on the front lawn with bare feet and "ground" herself...and let the chickens wander on the front lawn, too.
I have the pool area enclosed from the dogs as I like to walk on grass but hate encountering stinky surprises… I could never let the chicken roam free as I have 15 Jack Russells and 1 Standard Poodle that would make mince meat out of them; they are let out from 6 to 7 am before I let out the dogs, so they get a taste of fresh grass too
My daughter has 6 chickens...white sapphires and Rhode island Reds. They love to be out on the front lawn. She does not let the dog out at the same time. I let the chickens out, as soon as its light in the morning. They have decimated the enclosed back yard.
As a resident physician in the 1980s, my residency program participated in collecting data on Vietnam veterans who were poisoned by Agent Orange and were suffering immensely from its effects, including cancers, disfiguring chloracne, sterility, immune dysfunction, etc. We presented the data to the Veterans Administration, which had been denying benefits to the vets related to Agent Orange toxicity. Along with public pressure, it eventually resulted in the VA finally recognizing Agent Orange toxicity as a genuine cause of chronic illness and disability that justified medical benefits for the effected Vietnam veterans.
The next major endeavor should be the banning of all such toxins, including glyphosate, from public use, as well as criminal investigation and prosecution of the chemical industries, esp. Bayer/Monsanto, who have and continue to profit from poisoning the public.
The bottom-line is that we must shift to organic, regenerative farming nationwide if we are to survive and thrive as a human species, as well as protect God's gift of Nature.
I agree and it needs to start with every homeowner. If a;; people would stop buying 'fertilizer' for their lawns it would have an effect on the profits and maybe then someone will take action.
Question: Is fertilizer in itself a problem or is it fertilizers with -ides added or -ides applications, in themselves? Might folks be paying attention to just avoiding the - ides?
When I was a boy in the late 40s, I earned a few dollars cutting neighbors lawns with our family push mower. Then I would use hand clippers to take care of grass growing on sidewalks. Nobody used chemicals for their lawns. If you saw a weed, you got down on your hands and knees with a hand tool and dug the weed out. Or said the hell with it since it was green. Seems like we now care about the appearance of our lawns more than staying healthy or, God forgive, having a nice talk with our neighbors. I think Webster must redefine the word 'progress'.
"the hell with it since it's green"... If it wasn't for weeds we would have no "lawn" 🤣. We have too many trees and too much moss and finally just gave up. I might try some white clover though overseeding in a couple weeks.
Dupont at one time used the slogan "Better Living through Chemistry" . I think they finally realized it was a lie. When my Dow chemist friend told me he would provide me with a chemical that would kill the Box Elder tree that was dying, I realized how potent these chemicals can be to destroy life. We are continually poisoning the earth and destroying the microbiome that keeps giving us life. At the Polyface seminar in Swoope, VA that view was reinforced. My grandson accompanied me and when he was 3 he was exposed to Round-up being sprayed on weeds behind his house in a 40 mph wind and was exposed to the chemical. He exhibited neurological damage soon after. Humanity has become victims of the chemical industry that has shifted the liability to the user via legislation in the US. Meet a friend farmer recently who I have not seen in 30 years. Dealing with fatty tumors all over his body. Induced by the chemicals he applied to the crops. Consequently the use of the chemicals keep growing as well as cancer rates. The latest affront to humans and Mother Earth has been the declaration that Round-up is to be protect as a National Security issue. Sadly, President Trump is listening to the wrong people.
24 years ago we got a female yellow lab named her Brandy, alias Branditto. I loved that dog. She followed me everywhere and would lay on my feet wherever I sat. She got to be 14 and started throwing up late night, telling me she had to go out. Eventually we brought her in and she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I can’t help but think it was something to do with lawn treatments. We were careful not to down anything unless the dogs were away for a good week but now we don’t treat the areas they have access to at all.
Brandy was stoic with her cancer. She never showed her pain. I played ball with her the day before we put her down, she was as full of energy as ever. We buried her by the lake where she loved to swim.
The other thing to take into account are those who live in areas where they use well water. These products will ultimately leach into the ground. How many who rely on well water have their water tested for 2,4-D & other herbicides, insecticides, etc? Even if you have a water filter, it may not eliminate these products.
Whenever I’ve been to a functional medicine MD 1 of the questions on the form is always “Do you live by a golf course? Airport?” Depending on if you are chronically downwind from these places can make a big impact on you and your family’s health.
It would be interesting to do a study on landscapers and lawn care workers and see if there is a trend.
Interestingly, when the blood, urine, and hair of humans, dogs, and cats are tested for harmful indoor chemicals, human levels are high, dog levels are 10 times higher, and cat levels are 20-25 times higher in multiple studies. We are not only killing ourselves with household cleaners, VOC's, and chemicals, but we are harming our pets and children. We need to do better.
Thanks for this. We use Scotts Weed & Feed twice a year on a large lawn. This product has 2,4D (1.2%). Going to just fertilizer going forward. It doesn't work that great on the weeds anyway! I hate to think of the exposure we have given our pets over the years from this.
I wonder if St. Jude Hospital does any research in this area? That should be Question #1 on their admission forms! Has your child been exposed to lawn chemicals, or has mother during pregnancy been exposed?
Good food for thought! I have almost completely quit using chemicals both as an insecticide around the house and herbicide in my yard. Since I have quit the insecticide, my lizard population has exploded and I still have no bugs! Some of them have gotten big enough and I've been around long enough they're almost friendly to me. I do catch mice and my lizards like the peanut butter that I put in the trap and will eat it. 🤷🏽 so I put it out late at night before I go to bed and also my trap has a lid that I put the peanut butter on the top of the lid that they can't reach but to summarize a story my lizards are doing real well here in New Mexico. Tall grass also helps retain moisture in these arid areas. I have almost quit using herbicides, I do spot spraying but not yard-wise.
I do spray the doorways coming into my house to keep the ants out. And around the kitchen and pantry.
Interesting documentation of what many of us have been concerned about for years. My comment applies to the "why spray in the first place". When we were newly weds, we lived in a regenerating neighborhood. Old folks were dying or moving and young couples moving in. My neighbor and I both worked at Fisher Body, he in late 50's, me in my late 20's. He had a heart attack, got medical retirement. After recovering, his lawn became his hobby. He thatched, sprayed, mowed compulsively. I mowed. Looking at our two lawns after cutting, his was slightly darker green, but otherwise looked the same. I learned from that that I wouldn't spend any money on lawn care the rest of my life. We now live in country on acreage and I still mow. I now tease my suburban friends when they say they've just sprayed looking in horror, "why do that??? You know it just makes the grass grow! I try to stunt mine so I need not mow as much!"
I just want to know from Doc Malone what he thinks of the current human rabbies vaccine. My daughter may be forced to get it for her vet tech class. I know doc has horses, does he have that jab, what are the safety risks? When/if will that be mRNA based? I'm frankly not interested in reading a bunch of mumbo jumbo (I have barely layman's knowledge) on a HHS/CDC website that I have zero trust in now. I'm just thankful my family had enough sense to skip the Fauci juice.
Grrr. We have used corn gluten for years for dandi control. And we wonder why there is an increase in cancers? With all the ways to have exposure affect all living creatures, by the grace of God and the incredible functions of the body, it's a wonder there isn't more illness. Research has spent so much time on money making ventures without looking out for the basics for our health. Thank you for the encouragement to contact officials. I didn't realize that your expertise was being rejected to the extent that it is. They lose, but also us!
On occasion I will use 'chemicals' on my front lawn, but on my back lawn, where animals and children spend time, I use vinegar, pulling weeds by hand, and at times, a controlled burn to manage unwanted growth. Imagine the chemicals used on a golf course that will make its way to our water supply and all of the farm chemicals that are sprayed from the air. We can try, but I think it's inevitable that all are exposed to chemicals on a daily basis.
Yes, my thought was golf courses, also! We had a condo many years ago in Myrtle Beach, and it backed up to a golf course. When they treated the grass over there, we could smell it for days!
We don't use any herbicides on our farm.
If we didn't mow, our farm would be a disaster. Also a fire hazard - long dry grass is an issue. I get the need and desire to have grass or a lawn. But it doesn't have to be unhealthy.
One great tip if you are going to have a lawn is to seed your existing lawn with white clover and use a variety of grass seeds that are more drought resistant.
We have found that white clover will nicely fill in areas with poor soil.
Don't cut your grass to low. That will allow some of it to seed.
Also use a lawn mower that puts the clippings back onto the soil, rather than bagging it. Lawn clippings are like taking a bit of your soil out to the recycling bin each week.
Run a lawn mower over the leaves in the fall and sprinkle them over your lawn or put them in the compost pile.
Frankly, mown dandelions never hurt anyone - they will eventually get crowded out by healthy grass and clover.
Weed whip weeds and grass that come up in sidewalk cracks and along the edges of the house.
Finally, consider a few hens and composting their litter.
A lawn can be built easily using methods that build soil, rather than hurt it.
So I stop by my friend Hubert's house to drop something off. He was a little preoccupied with preparing a presentation for the weekly Lawn Club meeting, in which he touched upon the subtle distinctions between weed whipping and weed whacking. So I says no, Hubert, weed whipping and weed whacking are the same thing. And he says no they're not. And I says yes, they are. And he says no, they're not...
Well, things got a little acrimonious, and we wound up tussling in his front yard, coming away with grass stains and ground-in dirt all over us. Now I'm worried that we were both contaminated by lawn chemicals, since he's heavy into that stuff.
Later on, we both realized the silliness of the situation, and made our peace. In an era already rife with controversies, there's no sense in a friendship ending over alleged distinctions between -ipping vs. -acking.
What is the difference?
My daughter thinks the same way. She is careful about not putting pesticides on the lawn, because of her dog. She loves to sit out on the front lawn with bare feet and "ground" herself...and let the chickens wander on the front lawn, too.
I have the pool area enclosed from the dogs as I like to walk on grass but hate encountering stinky surprises… I could never let the chicken roam free as I have 15 Jack Russells and 1 Standard Poodle that would make mince meat out of them; they are let out from 6 to 7 am before I let out the dogs, so they get a taste of fresh grass too
My daughter has 6 chickens...white sapphires and Rhode island Reds. They love to be out on the front lawn. She does not let the dog out at the same time. I let the chickens out, as soon as its light in the morning. They have decimated the enclosed back yard.
As a resident physician in the 1980s, my residency program participated in collecting data on Vietnam veterans who were poisoned by Agent Orange and were suffering immensely from its effects, including cancers, disfiguring chloracne, sterility, immune dysfunction, etc. We presented the data to the Veterans Administration, which had been denying benefits to the vets related to Agent Orange toxicity. Along with public pressure, it eventually resulted in the VA finally recognizing Agent Orange toxicity as a genuine cause of chronic illness and disability that justified medical benefits for the effected Vietnam veterans.
The next major endeavor should be the banning of all such toxins, including glyphosate, from public use, as well as criminal investigation and prosecution of the chemical industries, esp. Bayer/Monsanto, who have and continue to profit from poisoning the public.
The bottom-line is that we must shift to organic, regenerative farming nationwide if we are to survive and thrive as a human species, as well as protect God's gift of Nature.
I agree and it needs to start with every homeowner. If a;; people would stop buying 'fertilizer' for their lawns it would have an effect on the profits and maybe then someone will take action.
Question: Is fertilizer in itself a problem or is it fertilizers with -ides added or -ides applications, in themselves? Might folks be paying attention to just avoiding the - ides?
What a pickle we're in. Left to appeal for protection and guidance to "health authorities" who foisted COVID and jabs upon us.
When I was a boy in the late 40s, I earned a few dollars cutting neighbors lawns with our family push mower. Then I would use hand clippers to take care of grass growing on sidewalks. Nobody used chemicals for their lawns. If you saw a weed, you got down on your hands and knees with a hand tool and dug the weed out. Or said the hell with it since it was green. Seems like we now care about the appearance of our lawns more than staying healthy or, God forgive, having a nice talk with our neighbors. I think Webster must redefine the word 'progress'.
"the hell with it since it's green"... If it wasn't for weeds we would have no "lawn" 🤣. We have too many trees and too much moss and finally just gave up. I might try some white clover though overseeding in a couple weeks.
Dupont at one time used the slogan "Better Living through Chemistry" . I think they finally realized it was a lie. When my Dow chemist friend told me he would provide me with a chemical that would kill the Box Elder tree that was dying, I realized how potent these chemicals can be to destroy life. We are continually poisoning the earth and destroying the microbiome that keeps giving us life. At the Polyface seminar in Swoope, VA that view was reinforced. My grandson accompanied me and when he was 3 he was exposed to Round-up being sprayed on weeds behind his house in a 40 mph wind and was exposed to the chemical. He exhibited neurological damage soon after. Humanity has become victims of the chemical industry that has shifted the liability to the user via legislation in the US. Meet a friend farmer recently who I have not seen in 30 years. Dealing with fatty tumors all over his body. Induced by the chemicals he applied to the crops. Consequently the use of the chemicals keep growing as well as cancer rates. The latest affront to humans and Mother Earth has been the declaration that Round-up is to be protect as a National Security issue. Sadly, President Trump is listening to the wrong people.
24 years ago we got a female yellow lab named her Brandy, alias Branditto. I loved that dog. She followed me everywhere and would lay on my feet wherever I sat. She got to be 14 and started throwing up late night, telling me she had to go out. Eventually we brought her in and she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I can’t help but think it was something to do with lawn treatments. We were careful not to down anything unless the dogs were away for a good week but now we don’t treat the areas they have access to at all.
Brandy was stoic with her cancer. She never showed her pain. I played ball with her the day before we put her down, she was as full of energy as ever. We buried her by the lake where she loved to swim.
The other thing to take into account are those who live in areas where they use well water. These products will ultimately leach into the ground. How many who rely on well water have their water tested for 2,4-D & other herbicides, insecticides, etc? Even if you have a water filter, it may not eliminate these products.
Whenever I’ve been to a functional medicine MD 1 of the questions on the form is always “Do you live by a golf course? Airport?” Depending on if you are chronically downwind from these places can make a big impact on you and your family’s health.
It would be interesting to do a study on landscapers and lawn care workers and see if there is a trend.
Interestingly, when the blood, urine, and hair of humans, dogs, and cats are tested for harmful indoor chemicals, human levels are high, dog levels are 10 times higher, and cat levels are 20-25 times higher in multiple studies. We are not only killing ourselves with household cleaners, VOC's, and chemicals, but we are harming our pets and children. We need to do better.
Thanks for this. We use Scotts Weed & Feed twice a year on a large lawn. This product has 2,4D (1.2%). Going to just fertilizer going forward. It doesn't work that great on the weeds anyway! I hate to think of the exposure we have given our pets over the years from this.
I wonder if St. Jude Hospital does any research in this area? That should be Question #1 on their admission forms! Has your child been exposed to lawn chemicals, or has mother during pregnancy been exposed?
Good food for thought! I have almost completely quit using chemicals both as an insecticide around the house and herbicide in my yard. Since I have quit the insecticide, my lizard population has exploded and I still have no bugs! Some of them have gotten big enough and I've been around long enough they're almost friendly to me. I do catch mice and my lizards like the peanut butter that I put in the trap and will eat it. 🤷🏽 so I put it out late at night before I go to bed and also my trap has a lid that I put the peanut butter on the top of the lid that they can't reach but to summarize a story my lizards are doing real well here in New Mexico. Tall grass also helps retain moisture in these arid areas. I have almost quit using herbicides, I do spot spraying but not yard-wise.
I do spray the doorways coming into my house to keep the ants out. And around the kitchen and pantry.
Interesting documentation of what many of us have been concerned about for years. My comment applies to the "why spray in the first place". When we were newly weds, we lived in a regenerating neighborhood. Old folks were dying or moving and young couples moving in. My neighbor and I both worked at Fisher Body, he in late 50's, me in my late 20's. He had a heart attack, got medical retirement. After recovering, his lawn became his hobby. He thatched, sprayed, mowed compulsively. I mowed. Looking at our two lawns after cutting, his was slightly darker green, but otherwise looked the same. I learned from that that I wouldn't spend any money on lawn care the rest of my life. We now live in country on acreage and I still mow. I now tease my suburban friends when they say they've just sprayed looking in horror, "why do that??? You know it just makes the grass grow! I try to stunt mine so I need not mow as much!"
I just want to know from Doc Malone what he thinks of the current human rabbies vaccine. My daughter may be forced to get it for her vet tech class. I know doc has horses, does he have that jab, what are the safety risks? When/if will that be mRNA based? I'm frankly not interested in reading a bunch of mumbo jumbo (I have barely layman's knowledge) on a HHS/CDC website that I have zero trust in now. I'm just thankful my family had enough sense to skip the Fauci juice.
Grrr. We have used corn gluten for years for dandi control. And we wonder why there is an increase in cancers? With all the ways to have exposure affect all living creatures, by the grace of God and the incredible functions of the body, it's a wonder there isn't more illness. Research has spent so much time on money making ventures without looking out for the basics for our health. Thank you for the encouragement to contact officials. I didn't realize that your expertise was being rejected to the extent that it is. They lose, but also us!
On occasion I will use 'chemicals' on my front lawn, but on my back lawn, where animals and children spend time, I use vinegar, pulling weeds by hand, and at times, a controlled burn to manage unwanted growth. Imagine the chemicals used on a golf course that will make its way to our water supply and all of the farm chemicals that are sprayed from the air. We can try, but I think it's inevitable that all are exposed to chemicals on a daily basis.
Yes, my thought was golf courses, also! We had a condo many years ago in Myrtle Beach, and it backed up to a golf course. When they treated the grass over there, we could smell it for days!