Can Fertilizers be Green?

As we get increasingly environmentally aware we may decide that we don't want to use manufactured chemicals to give our plants a boost. Today most municipalities across Canada have recently banned chemical based herbicides, making natural and green alternatives the only way to go. Regulators have targeted lawn fertilizers as a source of water pollution and a hazard for people (especially kids) as they walk and play on their lawns. One of the reasons for the ban is Phosphorus from fertilizer can leach into lakes and streams, which causes excessive algae and water plant growth which harms the fish and creates problems for recreational use of these waters, but Phosphorus is essential to sustain life. It is central in how living creatures use energy from food to grow and reproduce and limiting it, limits growth and reproduction. Eliminating it, eliminates life.
Phosphorus is commonly found in the soil, and along with nitrogen and potassium, is one of the three major nutrients in fertilizer that make lawns healthy, lush and thick. It goes without saying that not all fertilizers are the same. Using an environmentally friendly, low phosphorus lawn fertilizer will help protect the Lakes and will not compromise your lawn’s appearance. Controlled released fertilizers release nutrients consistently over 6-8 weeks due to specialized manufacturing processes which prevent them from dissolving too quickly, eliminating the concerns of plant burn, leaching into ground water or runoff into our lakes and rivers that can occur with ordinary lawn fertilizers.
Organic fertilizers work the same way as chemical ones by giving plants the nutrients they need for strong and healthy growth. When plants become healthier, they are less susceptible to pests and you will need fewer, if any, pesticides, and that’s both better for you and better for the environment as well. Organic fertilizers include natural materials such as sewage-based products, animal by-products like manures and bone meals, and plant by-products like corn gluten meal. You can get other types of animal-based fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, but manure is by far the most common. Manure can come from bats, cows, chickens, horses, rabbits and other animals. Today all these fertilizers are processed in a way which controls or removes odors.

Three companies that are doing something about the need for good organic environmentally friendly products and fertilizers are “Milorganite” , “Amaizeingly Green” and “Converted Organics” .

Everyone can do something to help protect the environment. Using environmentally friendly fertilizers on our lawns may cost a little more, but is one way to help keep our lakes and rivers clean for future generations.

Still Going Green “By the Yard”