JULIE PENNY
OUR TOWN
April 3, 2000
Sag Harbor Express fax 725-1584 e-mail sag.expess@hamptons.com
Crocuses tweak the surface, followed by daffodils, then tulips. Branches of yellow forsythias sway and sigh on spring breezes, evaporating winter doldrums like bright sunshine melting leftover snow. Winter gives way to the season when bare branches sprout fattening buds which unfurl in pretty pastels--pale greens, soft pinks, fluffy whites. Dull brown grass, sprouts emerald shoots Like other creatures, we feel compelled to participate in earth's renewal nudging our gardens back to life with helpful hands, we nurture the soils and watch the progression of nature's display around us, a living greeting card for the soul.
Clinging to these images, its hard to think of the undertow that's pulling on this beauty, with cute TV ads seducing the unwary with naughty, raunchy cartoon weeds being blasted by talking bottles of "Roundup", and the armies of ubiquitous lawn-care trucks rolling up curbside to feed and weed with chemicals injurious to people, particularly, children, and to pets and wildlife. It's all packaged so cleverly, so appealingly, who would ever stop to guess. Yet, yard care can be accomplished benignly with safe practices and nutrients. Before getting to these alternatives, let me quote some statistics on the health effects of pesticides, which beside being carcinogenic, suppress the immune system, act as neurotoxins, alter and disrupt male and female hormones (endocrine disrupters), and produce birth defects. In Florida, where chemical usage is widespread on home lawns and hundreds of golf courses, there are increasing numbers of alligators whose sex ratios and genitalia has been altered; they are also having trouble reproducing because of abnormally small penises. Increasingly, male panthers have undescended testicles. Nationally, more men are getting breast cancer, testicular cancer; sperm count is dropping, and cases of undecsended testes increasing. A class of pesticides called Carbamates are responsible for an increase in Parkinson's Disease, and birth defects. In males causing defects such as undescended testes and the urethral opening not being on the end of the penis.
Here on the South Fork, we have one of the highest rates of breast and prostate cancer in the nation, and, it's 60% and 40% respectively, above the rest of Suffolk County. We have elevated rates of M.S. on the East End. Dursban, the most commonly used pesticide in United States in homes, schools, businesses, industry and agriculture, has been found to be among the causatives of M.S. as wells as other physical and neurological birth defects, that are especially damaging if a pregnant woman is exposed during the first trimester.
A 1998-1999 NYS Department of Environmental Conservation study shows widespread contamination of the East End's wells by pesticides. But groundwater is not the only avenue of exposure. Airborne pesticides and evaporation is the biggest transporter. These chemicals absorbs readily through our skin. We track residues into the home where it settles all over in dust.
The pesticides most commonly used on golf courses: 2,4-D, Mecoprop, Dicamba are linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, of which we have high incidence. Figures released last summer from the NYS Cancer Registry show that between 1976-1996 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was up 61% in males and 41% in females in Suffolk. The DEC database shows that 3.7 million pounds and 719,000 gallons of pesticides were sold / used in Suffolk in 1997 (the last year we have figures for) to commercial lawn care companies and farmers..
The good news is, as individuals, we can change our ways and exposure. When organically maintaining a lawn, it is important to focus on the health of the plants and the soil. Prevention is more important than cure. Weeds, insects, and turf diseases are symptoms of an underlying problem with the soil. Here are ways to have a healthy, attractive lawn without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The Neighborhood Network of Massapequa put together a handy how-to sheet, part of which follows:
The best way to reduce weeds is by having a thick, healthy turf. Cutting grass higher, shades the weeds and keeps them from growing. Set the mower blades at 3". Mow regularly and never cut off more than a third of the grass-blade at once, otherwise the grass will be stressed and more susceptible to disease. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn as mulch, returns nutrients.
Check to pH balance of your soil (test kits can be gotten at garden centers) and keep it close to 6.5.
If its below 6.5 it's too acidic. Add lime to raise the pH. Lime also adds calcium and thereby reduces dandelions.
Choose an organic fertilizer with low water-soluble nitrogen. (check the label, 7% is good). A good nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium ratio is 18-8-6. Mulched lawns grown in rich soil do not require fertilizer in the spring. If you fertilize once a year, the fall is a better time.
Compost can be put down any time of year. When applying it, spread it 1/4 to 1/2 thick. You can acquire good compost from The Town of East Hampton composting facility.
A fescue blend of grass seed is recommended for Long Island, as fescue has deep roots and is drought and acid tolerant.
Do not use chemical pesticides, weed killers or fungicides, these will kill the beneficial organisms in the soil and undo the benefits of any previous organic care. For a copy of the complete worksheet on creating and keeping an organic lawn call Neighborhood Network at 516- 541-4321 or the South Fork Groundwater Task Force at 725-4521.
It turns out that the only mosquito, Culex pipiens, out of 40 other species, carries the West Nile encephalitis. This is an urban mosquito that breeds in stagnant water in house gutters, in storm drains, window wells. It only travels 100-200 feet in its lifetime. These are not the mosquitoes we encounter in the woods or marshes. To control them, eliminate any outdoor sources where they breed and lay larvae--empty outside containers that contain water, clean gutters, change birdbath water daily. Best to kill mosquitoes in the larval stage. To repel mosquitoes, take a gallon container of water, add 2 or 3 gloves of garlic, let steep 24 hours. Place in an atomizer bottle and spray your patio area. (Adding glycerin makes the garlic adhere to plant surfaces even if it rains). Its harmless to plants and pets. You can also purchase, ready-made concentrates, if you prefer.
As our thoughts turn to spring, I leave you with this quote: "We shall require a substantially new way of thinking if mankind is to survive."--Albert Einstein.
 South Fork Groundwater Task Force
PO BOX 2360 Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Phone/Fax: 631 - 725 - 6200
Site By: Hamptons Online
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