Use lawn fertilizers with care to promote a healthy environment.
Americans love a lush, green lawn, and fertilizers provide the nitrogen that grass needs for healthy development. However, fertilizers can cause serious health problems and environmental pollution when used incorrectly. Weed-and-feed formulas contain ingredients toxic to wildlife, pets and humans. Avoid them entirely. Use slow-release or organic fertilizers, such as corn gluten or manure, and apply only the amount recommended, according to Cornell University. Does this Spark an idea?
Lawn Damage
Fall is the best time to apply fertilizer in most situations, according to Cornell University. Fertilizers applied in the spring encourage rapid top growth without adequate root growth, leaving the grass vulnerable to pests and diseases. Grass with shallow roots is also more vulnerable to drought stress. Synthetic granular formulas often release nitrogen quickly, causing a burst of green, vigorous growth. However, these fertilizers may burn grass roots and leaves. Slow-release formulas and organic fertilizers release nitrogen over time, reducing the risk of root burn and making the nutrients available over the long term.
Groundwater Pollution
Heavy rainfalls can cause nitrates from fertilizers to leach through soil and pollute groundwater supplies. High levels of nitrates in groundwater can cause anoxia in infants under 1 year of age and in pregnant and young animals, according to the University of Missouri Extension. Anoxia, or internal suffocation, results when infants are given water, usually mixed with infant formula, containing nitrate-N levels higher than 10 ppm. Bluish skin around the mouth and eyes is the most frequent symptom. Use organic or slow-release formulas, especially if you have sandy soil, and use only the recommended amount.
Algae Buildup
When fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus run off grass into drainage systems, they eventually make their way to streams, rivers and lakes. There they cause algae to grow unchecked. The algae eventually uses up all the oxygen in the water, making the water uninhabitable for aquatic life. This problem has far-reaching consequences. Every year, according to "Organic Gardening" magazine, fertilizer runoff streaming from the Mississippi River destroys an area the size of Connecticut in the Gulf of Mexico.
Human Health Problems
Exposures to pesticides and herbicides found in weed-and-feed products may cause many health problems, especially in children, whose bodies and brains are still developing. Researchers have found that exposure to pesticides, for example, may increase a child's risk of developing childhood leukemia by almost seven times, according to "Organic Gardening." In women, pesticide exposure increases the risk of breast cancer, miscarriage and Parkinson's disease.
Animal Health Problems
Many commonly used pesticides and herbicides are toxic to birds, aquatic life and bees, and they may cause serious illness in pets as well. Dogs exposed to lawn chemicals are four times more likely to develop canine lymphoma and four to seven times more likely to develop bladder cancer.
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