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.
"Weeds" also make good fertilizer, food for wildlife. Let them grow, when the soil is moist yank them out with dirt on the roots and put them in your compost pile. The dirt will help decompose everything else for good soil. Most of the wildflower seed I throw all over my yard could be considered weeds by the pretty lawn idiots. But the make pretty flowers. Just don't put chemicals in your land, especially if you grow food.
I know.. that is a good article.. and yes people can really get in huge arguments about "yard work".. I have mentioned in other places.. that my ex husband and I owned operated a good sized Landscaping Company .. we lived in Fauquier County but worked in Northern VA.. and we have heard it all.. we did residential and commercial.. as in huge townhouse complexes. As far a personal lawn care and trees.. we had five acres and used as organic a possible and also used Zappers etc for our yard which was loaded w/ insects.. and pests. but our children and dogs as you noted were out there too.. and we had a small fenced in yard for the kids and dogs and later a pool which was elevated .. a large above ground pool because out there an inground was not possible
back to the Customers in Northern VA.. I would get phone calls if the grass wasn't green enough or a patch of grass was sticking up.. and I finally would say. WE promised landscaping and cut lawn. and we did the fertilizing on schedule but we did not offer any kind of "pesticide remediation" as part of our services.. period..
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.
I know.. and anything growing outdoors is subject to WEATHER and ACTS OF GOD.. :) we did have insurance.. but all this taming of the outdoors.. except for golf courses.. costs thousands of dollars. and ticks.. mosquitoes etc. will always be lurking about.. ;) I know use "off" on my skin, and still like Skin so Soft.. but for some reason.. maybe it is my blood type. I don't know i get very few bites.. I have given up on the Dandelions. :) can make wine I heard. and this year there were very few and lots of clover. and my backyard looks like a jungle sigh. What CHA gonna do? I just checked my basement glue trap filled w/ grasshoppers and other "insects" and I dumped in the trash. and leave the poor Dogs out of it.. :) yes they are covered w/ stuff ... one can get poison ivy from them.. if they run through a field of.. it.
YOUR ADVICE: Don't cut your grass to low. That will allow some of it to seed.
I will add: FESCUE is some tough grass.. which some people don't like but I like it. deep roots low maintenance and hell of a competitor for space.. will crowd out weeds ;)
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... I still do that.. the lawn mowing guys.. at first didn't get it. (they don't speak English) but NOW understand why I never bag my grass.. all those lawn clippings. are naturally recycled if one does has been doing it for years. I haven't fertilized in a couple years.. and no my lawn is not a "green" turf grass model but so what?. :)
I have noticed on my walks that lawns with the most dog urine burn marks are the ones being sprayed the most. Wild lawns have no such burn marks. So lawn chemicals may not kill the grass but it weakens the grass. Sloth breeds...
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?
the government just uses the military as Ginny Pigs for any thing and every thing - just like forcing the COVID vac on them - I wonder what they shot me up with in 1965 and 66 when I enlisted in the USAF and was then later sent to England with more JAB's ?
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.
James, a tearful story of your Brandy. We lost two dogs at different decades due to Round-up and cancers. My Tessa, white mini schnauzer was no miss priss. The smartest, obedient dog I’ve had the pleasure to train. She rode in the car in the back, ran beside the cycle and loved playing on our neighborhood park. We walked her often… it was a park like neighborhood with ponds, marshes and glorious gardens and palms. Yet it drove me crazy to witness the money the HOA spent on Round-up. My husband caught the wrath of Kong when I spotted him using Round Up on our weeds. I pulled them, with patience. Still, in 10 yrs, my girl, Tessa… separated in rooms away and under tables. With one vet check, we were summoned in. The cold table was not going to be her last night. Took my stoic canine home and wrapped us both on the oriental rug with a red tartan plaid blanket and morning came to take her in her bed and tartan vest, as she shivered. I had to hold her and after the words of ‘crossing’ the rainbow bridge were used.
She was 10. Round up… yes, the historic neighborhood looked pristine. Tessa was my second dog and to think the boys all played at the parks. Furious and sad, I fight for signage, yet acres will not slow the lives we all live. It is poison to pets, kids, and tai chi, yoga and sports.
We know it. A foolish hoorah for the manicured neighborhood .
That’s so sad Tory. So sorry for your loss of Tessa. One sad pert of having a sick dog, depending on their illness, they can’t let you know their stomach hurts. My neighbor just lost their dog, he walked Bella everyday off leash around the block. It was their 1st dog. I told him losing a dog seems harder than losing a close relative. Dogs depend on us for everything and have unconditional love. They don’t care what you have or what you don’t have, they just want to be with you. I’ve had other dogs and miss them terribly, but putting Brandy down was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. I still feel I let her down.
Ty James.. your Brandy story encouraged my writing. You are so correct. Our canines are loyal, trusting and moods just do not prevail. It’s a special relationship.
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.
Clover makes a great lawn, or ground cover, and it's so nice to walk on barefoot. It can be mowed, and will grow back up until it's in the 90s outside, and usually will reseed itself. Crimson and arrow leaf clover will get tall, but ball and white clover stays shorter, and it is fertilizing the soil, all legumes are adding nitrogen. I plant crimson and arrow leaf around my trees to add nitrogen to their soil. Just spread seed, and either water, or wait for rain.
Same here. Lots of clover, creeping charlie, etc. I "curate" pockets in our landscape that are essentially native volunteer plants that many deem weeds. Nothing banned by the State of Minnesota, per our local city expert, who examined the landscape, and said we were fine. Why was the city expert coming over? One of our neighbors is not appreciative of our landscaping choices . . .
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.
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?
That's a great idea. I've been donating to them for many years. That would be a great place to start, and give us even more ammo in the war against lawn chemicals, big pharma, big food, who also mostly own the chemical companies too. They are all in on it.
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.
We had a more elderly lady neighbor who depended on my husband after hers passed. She called one time in a panic because of ants. Here is what my husband used:
Diatomaceous earth kills ants by dehydrating them through microscopic abrasions to their exoskeletons, while chemical repellents typically use neurotoxins to poison or repel ants. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is non-toxic to humans and pets when used as directed, unlike many chemical pesticides.
We have two cats who are excellent mousers. That keeps the mice population in the house in check. Also, when we see ants coming in the house attracted by the cat food (which is the only thing that ants can get into in our house as everything is kept in bug proof containers), we use a large flat baking pan filled with water and place an elevated food dish within so that the cats can eat moat protected food and there is nothing available to attract the ants. You have to keep replacing the water daily because your pets will drop food into the water moat, but this is very effective in protecting their food as ants are not going to swim the moat. Anything you do to wash off the trail that ants leave coming into the house helps to rid you of them. If you squash ants, that just attracts more ants because they will smell their compatriots and come to march them out. So wipe the trail with bleach if you have floors that allow that and you will destroy the chemical communication trail that they leave for one another to follow. Even just water helps. Ants are followers and if you clean the spots where the sentry leaders enter when they start the invasion, you can head off a full scale assault. Blocking them in the first place is the way to go if you are able to find and block the entry point, of course.
Clarification because I don't know how to edit in Substack: Most of the year we can leave the pet food out on the floor. As soon as we see any ants come in, we do the water moat trick until ant invasion season ends. Then we just go back to leaving the pet food on the bare floor.
If I have to spray inside, I only use Zevo, that insecticide they claim is non-toxic to pets and people. I have geckos here, and toads on the ground, and they are getting big too. Still go plenty bugs outside, but as the toads and lizards are getting bigger, they are eating more and bigger bugs. They like to feed by my back porch where I leave an LED light on at night. I use glue traps for mice inside, and sometimes catch little geckos on them that snuck inside, which I hate, but I hate mice inside worse. And with a dog, I do not use any poison for mice, I don't want my dog getting hold of a dead poisoned mouse. The last month we were getting up to 107 for about two weeks straight, and the mice invaded to cool off - I've caught several, but saw one last night.
When we still had our Airstream trailer, we would get mice over the winter. They can find the smallest of spaces to squeeze thru. We did all we could to deter them including spray foam in any areas we could. I finally found this, and these pouches went into the trailer as we winterized. They may be the same as what D D is recommending....I just know these were created by a farmer (or his wife) to keep mice from wintering in their farm equipment or trucks and chewing the wiring. Appears to be available many places including Walmart, Ebay, Amazon. They worked and smelled great!
Ordered a 24 pack, be here tomorrow. See how they do, and next week when I get my check, I plan to order more. Closets, A/C plenum, pantry, kitchen cabinets, attic, etc. The reviews were great too. Thank you again for the info.
Just found them on Amazon, they use peppermint oil mostly, several brands, but they will be better than paper with oil on it. I can use them outside, and in closets, under furniture, etc. Change them every few months. Thank You very much, I didn't know they made these. Fixin to order some now.
Thank you, I'll check it out. I have been using a combo of lavender, peppermint, and black pepper essential oils in some spots, like under my bathroom sink there is a cut out piece of sheetrock to get access to he bathtub faucets, about every 3 months, I put some of each on a wad of toilet paper, and throw in in the hole. That was by the spot I caught several under the cabinet on glue traps. I have a pier and beam foundation, and even with sealing the skirting up the best I can, but they still get under the house. I feel bad for the critters on glue traps, but they work best, and I refuse to use poison. I get this on weather extremes, in TX the summers get really hot in Aug, and when we get really cold in Jan-Feb, sometimes, but last year it was mild. I've only used Zevo on my doorway when a line of ants were coming in, but they came back two days later so put a bait for them where my dog can't get to it, but last fall I had problems with lady bugs getting in my kitchen everyday when the afternoon sun hit my kitchen window, hundreds were showing up each day, so I sprayed the window frame area with Zevo everyday and vacuumed up the dead ones. Never could find where they were coming in from, but I'm disabled and can barely walk, much less climb a ladder outside. Once we cool down some I plan on having my handy man look at it, and I have since covered that window on the inside with foam, reflective insulation to keep the heat and sun out as it faces west. We get these tiny ants, all over outside on the house, and occasionally they come in, if I see them I put a little bit of the ant bait/poison out of a syringe it comes in if they are not on the floor where my dog could get to it. I use folding glue traps and flat ones that are basically like big hotels, and have them behind everything in the kitchen, where my back door is.
Spray with what? Kitchen and pantry and doorways can be addressed by any number of deterrents that are not chemical. Even the "hotels" work and keep the poison confined. I make sure the cats can't sniff or touch them by putting them in places unreachable.
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.
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.
I managed to avoid all herbicides for many years - until I moved to Tennessee. I reluctantly resorted to Triclopyr to paint the cambian rim of a grove of mature and seedling Tree of Heavens. Now, several years later, everything else seems so happy to have some sunlight, but I still feel bad about using chemicals. At least those stinky trees are gone - and if I ever see a seedling come in, I'll yank it before it spreads. In the '80s, when I lived in an uppity suburb, I never minded weeds in my lawn. My neighbors were aghast. I sometimes thought about putting a bumper sticker on my car "Is You Lawn Toxic Green?" and couldn't believe how high the breast cancer rate was on my street. Of course, maybe it was from something else entirely...
As a viable alternative to conventional, toxic farming, there is ongoing research demonstrating the safe and effective methods of Agrohomeopathy or Homeoagrinomics, i.e., the use of homeopathic remedies to enhance the total health and productivity of plants and animals.
Yes, that was my friend and colleague, Gabrielle Traub, on the Highwire. She represented Homeopathy brilliantly. My friend and colleague, Kim Elia, another superb homeopath, and I may be on the Highwire to chat with Del about the gentle power of Homeopathy in the near future.
Just this morning, my son's small Schnauzer, who is blind, came in from the back yard and went crazy with trying to scratch herself (I'm dog sitting). I can only imaging she ended up rubbing against some nettles along the back fence area. I keep on hand both Calendula (immune support which helps with itching, and liquid Rescue Remedy, which is a composite of several plants and is immence help with stress relief). She got the Rescue Remedy dropperful 1st. It calmed her within 10 minutes and she laid down. I then added about 4 drops of calendula to her water bowl with about 1/2 cup water. She drank that after sleeping and now she seems back to normal. Thank goodness!!
Well done! If you add Echinacea and Taraxacum (Dandelion) tinctures to the Calendula solution, you may find that it is even more effective for detoxification.
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.
"Weeds" also make good fertilizer, food for wildlife. Let them grow, when the soil is moist yank them out with dirt on the roots and put them in your compost pile. The dirt will help decompose everything else for good soil. Most of the wildflower seed I throw all over my yard could be considered weeds by the pretty lawn idiots. But the make pretty flowers. Just don't put chemicals in your land, especially if you grow food.
Pulling weeds on 3-acres of grass is problematic. Around the house is why I spot threat weeds with glypospate.
You might try spot treating them with something easily homemade. A spray bottle with 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water can work on simple weeds.
Weeds never hurt anyone, poison does
I used to pull them.. now I let them grow ;)
I know.. that is a good article.. and yes people can really get in huge arguments about "yard work".. I have mentioned in other places.. that my ex husband and I owned operated a good sized Landscaping Company .. we lived in Fauquier County but worked in Northern VA.. and we have heard it all.. we did residential and commercial.. as in huge townhouse complexes. As far a personal lawn care and trees.. we had five acres and used as organic a possible and also used Zappers etc for our yard which was loaded w/ insects.. and pests. but our children and dogs as you noted were out there too.. and we had a small fenced in yard for the kids and dogs and later a pool which was elevated .. a large above ground pool because out there an inground was not possible
back to the Customers in Northern VA.. I would get phone calls if the grass wasn't green enough or a patch of grass was sticking up.. and I finally would say. WE promised landscaping and cut lawn. and we did the fertilizing on schedule but we did not offer any kind of "pesticide remediation" as part of our services.. period..
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.
I know.. and anything growing outdoors is subject to WEATHER and ACTS OF GOD.. :) we did have insurance.. but all this taming of the outdoors.. except for golf courses.. costs thousands of dollars. and ticks.. mosquitoes etc. will always be lurking about.. ;) I know use "off" on my skin, and still like Skin so Soft.. but for some reason.. maybe it is my blood type. I don't know i get very few bites.. I have given up on the Dandelions. :) can make wine I heard. and this year there were very few and lots of clover. and my backyard looks like a jungle sigh. What CHA gonna do? I just checked my basement glue trap filled w/ grasshoppers and other "insects" and I dumped in the trash. and leave the poor Dogs out of it.. :) yes they are covered w/ stuff ... one can get poison ivy from them.. if they run through a field of.. it.
YOUR ADVICE: Don't cut your grass to low. That will allow some of it to seed.
I will add: FESCUE is some tough grass.. which some people don't like but I like it. deep roots low maintenance and hell of a competitor for space.. will crowd out weeds ;)
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... I still do that.. the lawn mowing guys.. at first didn't get it. (they don't speak English) but NOW understand why I never bag my grass.. all those lawn clippings. are naturally recycled if one does has been doing it for years. I haven't fertilized in a couple years.. and no my lawn is not a "green" turf grass model but so what?. :)
I have noticed on my walks that lawns with the most dog urine burn marks are the ones being sprayed the most. Wild lawns have no such burn marks. So lawn chemicals may not kill the grass but it weakens the grass. Sloth breeds...
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?
the government just uses the military as Ginny Pigs for any thing and every thing - just like forcing the COVID vac on them - I wonder what they shot me up with in 1965 and 66 when I enlisted in the USAF and was then later sent to England with more JAB's ?
Well, we have Tuskagee, Agent Orange, shots/jabs, abortion, death penalty, etc. All of these shorten lives and have government support.
What a pickle we're in. Left to appeal for protection and guidance to "health authorities" who foisted COVID and jabs upon us.
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.
Great point…what is happening to soil microbes!
I think he's trying to protect the economy by discontinuing Roundup more gradually.
I hope that is true, but when you read about how much is being used and they keep increasing the use. I wonder.
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.
James, a tearful story of your Brandy. We lost two dogs at different decades due to Round-up and cancers. My Tessa, white mini schnauzer was no miss priss. The smartest, obedient dog I’ve had the pleasure to train. She rode in the car in the back, ran beside the cycle and loved playing on our neighborhood park. We walked her often… it was a park like neighborhood with ponds, marshes and glorious gardens and palms. Yet it drove me crazy to witness the money the HOA spent on Round-up. My husband caught the wrath of Kong when I spotted him using Round Up on our weeds. I pulled them, with patience. Still, in 10 yrs, my girl, Tessa… separated in rooms away and under tables. With one vet check, we were summoned in. The cold table was not going to be her last night. Took my stoic canine home and wrapped us both on the oriental rug with a red tartan plaid blanket and morning came to take her in her bed and tartan vest, as she shivered. I had to hold her and after the words of ‘crossing’ the rainbow bridge were used.
She was 10. Round up… yes, the historic neighborhood looked pristine. Tessa was my second dog and to think the boys all played at the parks. Furious and sad, I fight for signage, yet acres will not slow the lives we all live. It is poison to pets, kids, and tai chi, yoga and sports.
We know it. A foolish hoorah for the manicured neighborhood .
That’s so sad Tory. So sorry for your loss of Tessa. One sad pert of having a sick dog, depending on their illness, they can’t let you know their stomach hurts. My neighbor just lost their dog, he walked Bella everyday off leash around the block. It was their 1st dog. I told him losing a dog seems harder than losing a close relative. Dogs depend on us for everything and have unconditional love. They don’t care what you have or what you don’t have, they just want to be with you. I’ve had other dogs and miss them terribly, but putting Brandy down was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. I still feel I let her down.
Ty James.. your Brandy story encouraged my writing. You are so correct. Our canines are loyal, trusting and moods just do not prevail. It’s a special relationship.
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.
Clover makes a great lawn, or ground cover, and it's so nice to walk on barefoot. It can be mowed, and will grow back up until it's in the 90s outside, and usually will reseed itself. Crimson and arrow leaf clover will get tall, but ball and white clover stays shorter, and it is fertilizing the soil, all legumes are adding nitrogen. I plant crimson and arrow leaf around my trees to add nitrogen to their soil. Just spread seed, and either water, or wait for rain.
Thank you!
Same here. Lots of clover, creeping charlie, etc. I "curate" pockets in our landscape that are essentially native volunteer plants that many deem weeds. Nothing banned by the State of Minnesota, per our local city expert, who examined the landscape, and said we were fine. Why was the city expert coming over? One of our neighbors is not appreciative of our landscaping choices . . .
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.
I've asked my sister in CA that exact question as she always proclaims how 'good' her well water is.
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.
Yes, and isn't there some ongoing controversy that was commented on here about the expansion of that golf course in the DC area? What about that?
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.
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?
That's a great idea. I've been donating to them for many years. That would be a great place to start, and give us even more ammo in the war against lawn chemicals, big pharma, big food, who also mostly own the chemical companies too. They are all in on it.
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.
We had a more elderly lady neighbor who depended on my husband after hers passed. She called one time in a panic because of ants. Here is what my husband used:
Diatomaceous earth kills ants by dehydrating them through microscopic abrasions to their exoskeletons, while chemical repellents typically use neurotoxins to poison or repel ants. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is non-toxic to humans and pets when used as directed, unlike many chemical pesticides.
We have two cats who are excellent mousers. That keeps the mice population in the house in check. Also, when we see ants coming in the house attracted by the cat food (which is the only thing that ants can get into in our house as everything is kept in bug proof containers), we use a large flat baking pan filled with water and place an elevated food dish within so that the cats can eat moat protected food and there is nothing available to attract the ants. You have to keep replacing the water daily because your pets will drop food into the water moat, but this is very effective in protecting their food as ants are not going to swim the moat. Anything you do to wash off the trail that ants leave coming into the house helps to rid you of them. If you squash ants, that just attracts more ants because they will smell their compatriots and come to march them out. So wipe the trail with bleach if you have floors that allow that and you will destroy the chemical communication trail that they leave for one another to follow. Even just water helps. Ants are followers and if you clean the spots where the sentry leaders enter when they start the invasion, you can head off a full scale assault. Blocking them in the first place is the way to go if you are able to find and block the entry point, of course.
Clarification because I don't know how to edit in Substack: Most of the year we can leave the pet food out on the floor. As soon as we see any ants come in, we do the water moat trick until ant invasion season ends. Then we just go back to leaving the pet food on the bare floor.
use the three dots to the upper right
Thank you, D D! You may guess that I am not a user of social media except for Substack...
If I have to spray inside, I only use Zevo, that insecticide they claim is non-toxic to pets and people. I have geckos here, and toads on the ground, and they are getting big too. Still go plenty bugs outside, but as the toads and lizards are getting bigger, they are eating more and bigger bugs. They like to feed by my back porch where I leave an LED light on at night. I use glue traps for mice inside, and sometimes catch little geckos on them that snuck inside, which I hate, but I hate mice inside worse. And with a dog, I do not use any poison for mice, I don't want my dog getting hold of a dead poisoned mouse. The last month we were getting up to 107 for about two weeks straight, and the mice invaded to cool off - I've caught several, but saw one last night.
When we still had our Airstream trailer, we would get mice over the winter. They can find the smallest of spaces to squeeze thru. We did all we could to deter them including spray foam in any areas we could. I finally found this, and these pouches went into the trailer as we winterized. They may be the same as what D D is recommending....I just know these were created by a farmer (or his wife) to keep mice from wintering in their farm equipment or trucks and chewing the wiring. Appears to be available many places including Walmart, Ebay, Amazon. They worked and smelled great!
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516Of-eT66L._SL600_.jpg
Gene, we just got some mouse deterrent that is a combo of essential oils "Rodent Repellent " by Nameiec.
Ordered a 24 pack, be here tomorrow. See how they do, and next week when I get my check, I plan to order more. Closets, A/C plenum, pantry, kitchen cabinets, attic, etc. The reviews were great too. Thank you again for the info.
Just found them on Amazon, they use peppermint oil mostly, several brands, but they will be better than paper with oil on it. I can use them outside, and in closets, under furniture, etc. Change them every few months. Thank You very much, I didn't know they made these. Fixin to order some now.
Thank you, I'll check it out. I have been using a combo of lavender, peppermint, and black pepper essential oils in some spots, like under my bathroom sink there is a cut out piece of sheetrock to get access to he bathtub faucets, about every 3 months, I put some of each on a wad of toilet paper, and throw in in the hole. That was by the spot I caught several under the cabinet on glue traps. I have a pier and beam foundation, and even with sealing the skirting up the best I can, but they still get under the house. I feel bad for the critters on glue traps, but they work best, and I refuse to use poison. I get this on weather extremes, in TX the summers get really hot in Aug, and when we get really cold in Jan-Feb, sometimes, but last year it was mild. I've only used Zevo on my doorway when a line of ants were coming in, but they came back two days later so put a bait for them where my dog can't get to it, but last fall I had problems with lady bugs getting in my kitchen everyday when the afternoon sun hit my kitchen window, hundreds were showing up each day, so I sprayed the window frame area with Zevo everyday and vacuumed up the dead ones. Never could find where they were coming in from, but I'm disabled and can barely walk, much less climb a ladder outside. Once we cool down some I plan on having my handy man look at it, and I have since covered that window on the inside with foam, reflective insulation to keep the heat and sun out as it faces west. We get these tiny ants, all over outside on the house, and occasionally they come in, if I see them I put a little bit of the ant bait/poison out of a syringe it comes in if they are not on the floor where my dog could get to it. I use folding glue traps and flat ones that are basically like big hotels, and have them behind everything in the kitchen, where my back door is.
Spray with what? Kitchen and pantry and doorways can be addressed by any number of deterrents that are not chemical. Even the "hotels" work and keep the poison confined. I make sure the cats can't sniff or touch them by putting them in places unreachable.
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.
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.
I managed to avoid all herbicides for many years - until I moved to Tennessee. I reluctantly resorted to Triclopyr to paint the cambian rim of a grove of mature and seedling Tree of Heavens. Now, several years later, everything else seems so happy to have some sunlight, but I still feel bad about using chemicals. At least those stinky trees are gone - and if I ever see a seedling come in, I'll yank it before it spreads. In the '80s, when I lived in an uppity suburb, I never minded weeds in my lawn. My neighbors were aghast. I sometimes thought about putting a bumper sticker on my car "Is You Lawn Toxic Green?" and couldn't believe how high the breast cancer rate was on my street. Of course, maybe it was from something else entirely...
As a viable alternative to conventional, toxic farming, there is ongoing research demonstrating the safe and effective methods of Agrohomeopathy or Homeoagrinomics, i.e., the use of homeopathic remedies to enhance the total health and productivity of plants and animals.
See https://homeopathychoice.org/ag/#research, https://www.homoeopathicjournal.com/articles/1834/9-3-280-752.pdf, https://www.homeobook.com/agro-homoeopathy-a-boon-to-agriculture/, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/65759.
Also, I highly recommend watching the movie, 'Introducing Homeopathy' to discover the many benefits of homeopathic medicine for agriculture and people: https://introducinghomeopathy.com/en/, https://new.introducinghomeopathy.com/, https://www.youtube.com/@IntroducingHomeopathyFilm
The Highwire recently did a good show on Homeopathy. Good intro. https://thehighwire.com/ark-videos/homeopathy-autism-the-search-for-healing/
Yes, that was my friend and colleague, Gabrielle Traub, on the Highwire. She represented Homeopathy brilliantly. My friend and colleague, Kim Elia, another superb homeopath, and I may be on the Highwire to chat with Del about the gentle power of Homeopathy in the near future.
Just this morning, my son's small Schnauzer, who is blind, came in from the back yard and went crazy with trying to scratch herself (I'm dog sitting). I can only imaging she ended up rubbing against some nettles along the back fence area. I keep on hand both Calendula (immune support which helps with itching, and liquid Rescue Remedy, which is a composite of several plants and is immence help with stress relief). She got the Rescue Remedy dropperful 1st. It calmed her within 10 minutes and she laid down. I then added about 4 drops of calendula to her water bowl with about 1/2 cup water. She drank that after sleeping and now she seems back to normal. Thank goodness!!
Well done! If you add Echinacea and Taraxacum (Dandelion) tinctures to the Calendula solution, you may find that it is even more effective for detoxification.