Is your lawn a Lawn Junkie?
By Leo Malantis
Lush, green weed free lawns - they are the dream of every homeowner
in America, but the price we pay for those luscious grass carpets
may be more than the dollars spent on fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides,
and fungicides not to mention the hours spent on mowing and trimming.
The price may be your health and the health of our children and
pets.
A study by Dr. John Peters of the University of Southern California
(July 1987 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute)
showed that children living in houses where garden pesticide sprays
were used on a regular basis faced a risk of contracting leukemia
that is 61/2 times greater than normal. Another study published
in the October 1991 issue of the same publication showed that dogs
whose owners used a herbicide called 2-4-D were twice as likely
to develop lymphatic cancer.
At last there is an alternative to chemical based lawn treatments.
Leo Malantis, President of Millennium Lawns and a Consultant to
the Golf Course Industry states: Fertilizers or Plant Foods alone
cannot provide the biological balance to the soil and likewise;
no biological solution by itself can maintain a nutritional balance
in the soil. The soil is the stomach for the plant and it needs
the the soil based organisms to break down the nutrients,to make
them available to the plant in a digested form. Since many microbes
are killed by herbicides and pesticides, it stand to reason that
replacing them should be the first consideration of a fertilization
program Malantis states, "The soil can only hold so much food,
after that, the excess nutrients are wasted or even worse become
toxic to the plants itself. (fertilizer burn) This toxicity will
kill the "soil microbes".
Microbes are necessary in the soil for the bacterial decomposition
of roots and stems that create organic matter. The whole chain of
microorganisms must work in the soil to break this organic material
into humus, which then becomes nitrogen, phosphorus and potash,
which the plant takes up as food.
That's the life cycle in the soil and too many chemicals can wipe
it out." Once your soil becomes lifeless the grass is dependent
upon nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash from an outside source - Generally
synthetic fertilizers purchased by the homeowner and/or applied
by the lawn service companies.
Your lawn has become a "Lawn Junkie" dependent upon chemicals
to be green and weed free. These chemicals pose health hazards to
our children and pets. The over-application of synthetic chemicals
also creates other stress conditions for the turf.
SOIL TOXICITY
All fertilizers and herbicides are water soluble salts. Grass plants
are like sponges and will absorb all nutrients available until they
become saturated. Once saturated, like a wet sponge, they cannot
absorb any more food and the excess nutrients, as much as 60%, will
become nutrient run off that pollutes our underground water supply,
or will remain tied up in the soil as a salt. This salt build-up
prevents the roots from penetrating the soil begin to feed at the
surface of the lawn causing a compact soil and mat and thatch.
SOIL COMPACTION
Ideally, a "friable" soil is composed of 45% minerals,
5% organic matter, 25% air and 25% water. Roots in the soil decompose
to form the organic matter that is the glue that holds the air and
water in the soil. Without organic matter, the soil readily compacts
CORE AERATION MYTH "Core aeration is not a solution,"
states Malantis. Soil compaction takes place deep in the soil as
clay, silt, and sand, lacking organic matter, begins to stratify.
When you core aerate you will bring up soil cores that contain weed
seeds. Once exposed to surface heat and moisture the weed seeds
germinate and grow requiring a chemical herbicide to control them.
MAT AND THATCH
The compact soil now has forced the roots to feed at the surface
of the lawn. This mass of roots at the surface is called mat &
thatch. Mat & thatch has a number of negative impacts on lawns.
First: Mat and thatch limit the rhizome growth and result in a thin
lawn. Secondly, weed seeds wilL germinate more readily in a thin
sparse lawn, Thirdly: Mat & thatch becomes a breeding ground
for insects and disease, DETHATCHING MYTH. Dethatching is another
myth that Malantis attacks. "Thatch, as we said before is organic
matter. Thatch should be decomposed with enzymes and returned to
the soil, not removed to a waste dump."
ORGANIC-BASED SOLUTIONS
The Millennium Probiotic Lawn Care program uses natural-organic
and bio-based formulations to accomplish in three years what it
would normally take Mother Nature on hundred years to accomplish.
They consist of: Catalytic enzymes which reduce and cleanse the
soil of Chemicals; Enzymes that open tight soils and encourage the
penetration of air, water and nutrients to stimulate deeper natural
root growth; Hormones, minerals that will encourage the plant to
heal from wounds and grow aggressively to fill in bare, thin areas,
and form dense grass growth; Microorganisms which give life back
to soil, promote natural decomposition of mat & thatch, and
provide the energy which encourages aggressive root, foliar and
rhizome growth; Balanced nutrients that encourage strong turf grass
growth while creating an environment not suitable for weed growth.
NATURE'S RHYTHM
"Following Mother Nature's Rhythm is very critical," states
Malantis. "Each season presents a different set of weather
conditions and opportunities that the homeowner should be aware
of.
MOWING
Nutrients are converted to food in the leaf by the sun. Photosynthesis-
Mowing too short reduces the food supply to the plant. A longer
blade also shades and cools the soil, preventing weed germination.
Adjust your lawn mower to its highest or second highest level and
never cut more that 1/3 off of the blade at a time, avoiding the
possibility of the lawn going into shock. It's better to mow more
often and leave the grass clippings on the lawn to decompose and
return to the soil as organic matter. Contrary to popular belief,
grass clippings decompose rapidly, and do not contribute to mat
and thatch.
WATERING
Regular water saturation of the soil is a necessity for deep root
growth. Frequent, light watering will result in shallow roots. It
is recommended to water about one inch on the surface of the lawn.
This can be measured by setting a rain gauge or coffee can on the
lawn and timing how long it takes to fill to a one inch level.
Lawns should be watered once a week through out the growing season
or more frequently if weather is extremely hot for long periods.
During dry spells if the lawn cannot be watered regularly, it is
better to let lawn go dormant rather than water infrequently.
"The Millennium Probiotic Lawn program will give you a step-by-step
guide to grow your lawn intelligently, and in harmony with nature,"
says Malantis "
| 
