From the EGT’s Sustainable Landscaping Series, “The Ecological Benefits of the Not So Perfect Yard”
Bad Habit #8 – Chemical Fertilizers, Herbicides, Pesticides
When you spray pesticides or add inorganic fertilizer to your beds, you kill the microorganisms in the soil. You might give your plants a temporary boost or “save” them from insect infestations but having killed your soil biology, you will need to keep adding chemical inputs. All those chemical inputs are then carried by storm waters into our waterways, poisoning the animal life, the drinking water, and lead to conditions that increase the sterility of the soil. Research also shows that amending the planting hole with compost or topsoil is not necessarily beneficial. Most plants, particularly natives, do better when planted in native, unamended soil. It seems that the amendments encourage roots to stay in the vicinity of their planting holes and not grow out into the un-amended soil, leading to stunted root systems.
Look Out for Neonicotinoids
Neonics, or neonicotinoids, are a class of pesticide widely used by growers which are a leading cause of bee and pollinator die-offs. They are a synthetic insecticide which affect the central nervous system of insects leading to “difficulty in navigating, learning, and foraging, suppressed immune response, lower sperm viability, shortened lifespans of queens, and reduced numbers of new queens produced.1“
They are, unfortunately, widely used on agricultural crops, lawns, ornamentals and other home garden plants. Seeds that you purchase may also be coated with them and seedlings may also be treated with them. They are absorbed throughout the entire plant from the roots to the flowers, even the pollen and the seeds. Everything that feeds on a treated plant would be affected, so it has a devastating effect on insect populations, birds, and subsequently, the whole ecosystem.
Being so widely used, you need to beware of plant purchases from big box stores and chain garden centers. Their stock most likely has been treated with them. Make it a best practice to inquire if they are selling uncontaminated seeds or plants. Buy only USDA Certified Organic plants or buy from a native plant nursery.
KICK THE HABIT Let the roots grow in the native soil and use organic matter on the surface as a mulch. Don’t use dyed mulch.
When you spray pesticides or add inorganic fertilizer to your beds, you kill the microorganisms in the soil.
Sustainable Ewing Green Team 