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September's beautiful Indian summer gives us perfect days to button up the garden and lawn before the frosts arrive. It's also the moment for an outdoor health check: How safe is it for your kids and pets to play on the property, and for you to dig and weed? Probably not as safe as you think.
More than three-quarters of Connecticut residents apply pesticides to their lawns or trees, and the numbers are probably similar in New York. Spreading these poisons could well factor into the area's abnormally high rates of certain types of cancer (breast, thyroid, bladder and non-Hodgkins lymphoma). A study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that dogs whose owners use 2,4-D (a common weed killer) on their lawns are twice as likely to die of cancer as dogs that play on clean lawns. Children living in households where pesticides are used have higher rates of leukemia, brain cancer and soft tissue sarcomas, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health.
If you're as alarmed by these risks, as I am, the fall cleanup is the right time to start making your family's outdoor living spaces safe. Here are four steps for doing so:
? Do a soil test. Find out what's in your soil so you'll know what organic ingredients to add. Strong soil means fewer weeds the natural way. In Connecticut, send three tablespoons of soil in a plastic bag to Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington St., New Haven, CT 06511. Include your name and return address, and request recommendations for organic fertilizers and amendments. For more information, call (203) 974-8521. For information on where to send the sample in New York, call the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Westchester at (914) 285-4620.
? Add organic fertilizer to lawns. The fertilizer seeps in with the fall rains, strengthens late-season growth and will help awaken the lawn in spring. Top dressing with a quarter-inch of compost is best, or liquid compost tea. Compost is the key to successful organic lawn care, and autumn is a great time to start.
? Control lawn weeds. The best control is a strong, healthy turf to out-compete weeds. Overseeding or re-seeding in the early fall provides the root strength you'll need. You may want to aerate before putting down seed. Weeds can be hand-pulled, or larger areas can be smothered under black plastic at the end of summer before putting down new grass seed. In the early spring, apply corn gluten meal, which helps prevent new weeds from germinating.
? Control disease and insects. If a fungus struck your lawn or plants after the heavy rains of this summer, apply only organic pesticides. That means pesticides based on natural products, not synthetic chemicals.
If you follow these steps, you'll not only beautify your own property, you will help create a healthier community for all of us to live in. Two Websites that offer extensive information about successful organic lawn care are the Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program and Organic Land Care.
John Hannan is director of development for Audubon in Connecticut and can be reached at jhannan@audubon.org.
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