Overheard a guy at the hardware store explaining why he stopped using chemical sprays on his lawn

I was grabbing some tree spikes for a job up in North County and this older guy was talking to the clerk about his lawn. He said he quit using all those weed killers after his dog got sick twice in one summer. Said the vet couldn't prove it was the chemicals but he didn't want to risk it anymore. Then he started talking about how he just over seeds with clover and lets the dandelions do their thing. Said his yard is greener now than when he was dumping $200 a season on sprays. Made me think about all the stuff we use on clients properties without really asking questions. I'm not saying I'm gonna switch everything overnight but it did get me curious. Anyone else here stopped using certain products after hearing a story like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucasw822d ago

Read a study a while back about how those fertilizers with weed killers can actually stay in the soil for months. Makes you wonder what the runoff does to the local creeks and stuff. That guy might be onto something with the clover, I've heard it fixes nitrogen in the ground too.

bennett.vera2d ago

My neighbor tried that clover thing a few years back and his yard looked like a jungle by July, but the bees were all over it. @lucasw82 I remember reading something about how certain herbicides can actually bind to clay particles in the soil, so it's not just washing away, it's sitting there for the next season too. There was a guy on my block who swore by using corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent, said it worked better than the chemical stuff but you had to time it just right with the rain.