Doug strives to bring you all the news that’s fit to print on a wide variety of subjects. Hey, if GardenRant can have their poster pinups - so can Doug.
Here’s a link to an encouraging story about the environment and great tits. Complete with pictures.
I never thought I’d say this but good for Home Depot. (I haven’t heard any thunder and the roof is still up where it belongs).
Home Depot announced
that it will voluntarily stop selling traditional pesticides and herbicides in its stores across Canada by the end of 2008 and will increase its selection of environmentally friendly alternatives.
This is ahead of schedule for the Ontario ban that is supposed to take place in 2009. And well ahead of other provinces who have not yet put bans or timetables in place.
Damn, this might mean I have to actually get an orange hat. 
Mind you, that’s two now for HD. They also sponsor Tony - my secret red-neck passion - Stewart in Nascar.
Here’s my take on one of the hottest gardening “solutions” being offered up to unsuspecting gardeners this season. An accident waiting to happen.
One of the biggest “solutions” being offered up by chemical gardening fans is the “environmentally-friendly” water absorbing chemicals. The premise is that you mix this material into your soil and it absorbs moisture. It then slowly releases this moisture for your plants. You have a way to fight off drought and water stress.
But let’s look at it a little closer.
Is it organic? And is it environmentally friendly?
Let’s examine the nature of whether it is organic or not. The first thing to understand is that the material in question (one of them anyway) is something called “acrylamide”. The National Cancer Institute gives us this definition, “Acrylamide is a chemical compound that occurs as a solid crystal or in liquid solution. Its primary use is to make polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers. Trace amounts of the original (unreacted) acrylamide generally remain in these products. Polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers are used in many industrial processes, including production of paper, dyes, and plastics, and the treatment of drinking water, sewage and waste. “
This is a chemical process - a copolymer - and is so far removed from organic treatments as to be a non-contender.
I note that acrylamide is found in some cooked (mostly burned) foods (hence the thought that they might be “natural”) but is a recognized carcinogen. Is is not found in raw foods and it is heavily concentrated in cigarette smoke.
Here’s the link to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and what they have to say.
The Global Garden (Australia) interviewed Dr. Peter May about these horticultural products and this was his reaction to the question, Are wetting agents environmentally damaging? “For soil wetting agents to work effectively, they cannot be too readily bio-degradable or their effectiveness will be very transitory.”
So we have cancer causing products that are not readily biodegradable. Hmm, doesn’t sound very “organic” to me.
ACORN (The Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network) states pretty clearly, “Organic producers should always check the label before purchasing a commercial transplant mix. Many commercial products contain synthetic wetting agents which are prohibited under organic standards. If any of the ingredients on the commercial mix are questionable, producers should check with their certification body before making a purchase.”
Hmmm, “prohibited under organic standards”.
I think that takes care of the organic nature of this “solution” to dry soils. If you’re an organic gardener, you’re not going to be using this stuff. Not in containers, not in the ground. It just isn’t organic and can be dangerous if misused.
Now to the next question. Is it environmentally friendly? Well, it’s not organic. It is persistent and it will have a negative effect on the soil microorganisms. Is this friendly?
Not likely.
I believe we’re left with the marketing notion of “environmentally friendly”. In other words, we can’t call it “organic” because its not (and that’s a regulated word) so we’ll call it “environmentally friendly” - a great marketing word-combination that’s applied to darn near anything in today’s increasingly green-conscious world. The word combination isn’t regulated so you can call anything you want “environmentally friendly”.
Let’s briefly look at the notion that you could use this “just a little” because it works and it would make your garden a little better in a drought.
Using non-organics is a statement. And that statement is, “My desire to grow this plant outweighs the possible consequences of polluting my environment, that of my family and that of my neighbours.” You can apply this kind of thinking to any agricultural chemical - from Roundup to Wetting Agents to Weed and Feed.
Is a little a bad thing? Well, I guess that’s for every gardener to judge and every gardener to make the decision. And you do. A few years ago now, researchers pointed out that urban and suburban gardeners used approximately 4 times the amounts of active chemicals per acre of ground than our farmers did. So a little bit extra here and a little bit extra there and pretty soon you have a polluted landscape. Nobody really “did it” but it’s there nevertheless. This figure may have altered somewhat but from the stacks of weed and feed at our local garden centers this past weekend, I suspect not a lot. Many of you or your neighbors chose to pollute in order to kill off a few yellow flowers.
So is a little wetting agent, a soil watering aid, a bad thing?
Is your need worth polluting your own garden? And your family’s? Neighbours?
Folks - this is where we all run into problems. Where’s the line between “normal” living and “green” living. Is it OK to use a teaspoon of detergent (essentially a wetting agent) in several gallons of water to aid in spraying an organic product? Is it OK to mix this chemical (doing a similar kind of thing) into your soil? Where’s the line here?
There are things we all do that are not completely organic. Heck, I get up in the morning and put on clothes that aren’t totally organic (as do we all). Where’s the line?
This is, quite frankly, something I struggle with constantly as a gardener and as a writer. When I put it “out there” in writing, I damn well better be sure I’m prepared to stand up in my own gardening practices as well.
So my line on this product is clear. I don’t use it. It’s not remotely organic nor even close.
There are gardening practices that accomplish the same thing so why go down this chemical route? (Heavy mulch in gardens and larger containers or more frequent watering in containers).
Bottom line: I don’t use - don’t recommend it as a tool for good gardeners.
And like all things, if you can prove that wetting agents are “organic” and certifiable, then I’ll welcome your research and links and to me learning something new.
photo credit: selva
I just signed off from a web seminar put on for the media and featuring speakers on water management in the garden. Let me summarize what I took away from the event. (more…)
If you’ve been paying attention to gardening magazines, organic gardening has finally become very, very popular. Now that global warming is clearly here, we’re all being asked to do our parts in small ways to make a difference. Regular readers will know I rarely write about any other techniques but let me highlight the things you’re going to do this summer so you can make a difference in both the health of your own garden, your body and your community. (more…)
