Safelawns Daily Post and Q&A Blog

This photo, supplied by Dan Corum at the Seattle Zoo, shows the rose gardens that are tended solely with compost tea.

I’ve long told the story of my Grandmother, Clarida Van Dyne, and her “manure” tea that she made on her dairy farm in Bradford, Maine. In recent years, as I’ve espoused the virtues of applying compost tea to the landscape to add valuable micronutrients and, most importantly, microbial life to the soil, I’ve had all sorts of feedback. Good and bad.

The official word from Cornell University, for example, is that compost tea doesn’t work. When it has measured disease suppression or the addition of “life” to the soil in terms of increase fungal or bacterial content, the illustrious New York institution insists that compost tea is bunk. Here is a passage from a 2007 article in the New York Times by Leslie Land, in which she pitted my “opinion” against that of Dr. Frank Rossi of Cornell.

To put this into context, Ms. Land was asking me how to hasten the transition from synthetic chemicals to organic solutions:

Asked if there was a way to speed things up, Mr. Tukey suggested compost tea. Applied monthly to a lawn that is also fed with organic fertilizers, it can reduce transition time to one season, he said, adding that compost tea ”is like a blood transfusion for the lawn.”

Frank S. Rossi, a turf specialist at Cornell University and a nationally recognized expert on golf course maintenance, does not share Mr. Tukey’s enthusiasm. Dr. Rossi’s research lab has evaluated compost tea’s effect on turf and found little proof of a major benefit.

And so those of us who see the results with our own eyes are left to scratch our heads, and even make a joke or two about it.

My friend, Sandy Syberg, of Purple Cow Organics in Wisconsin, told me he was heading off to California for a week of compost tea trials. “Haven’t you heard?” I asked. “Compost tea doesn’t work!”

We both shared a good laugh, but the serious question remains. Does compost tea really work?

The issue, of course, is that all compost tea is not created equally. In fact, there are probably as many variations in compost tea as there are variations in gardeners. Most essential is the quality of the compost from which the tea will be brewed. Then comes the addition of air to the brewing process, or the “feeding” of a food source such as molasses to the final mix. How much air to add? How much molasses to add? At what temperature?

It’s not all that different than brewing beer, and if you live in a state like Maine where I do, you know that dozens of different microbreweries churn out hundreds of different styles of beer that all taste differently — and all leave you feeling a bit differently both as you’re drinking, and when you wake up the next morning.

The bottom line is that the pros — the Elaine Inghams and Betsy Rosses of the world — have the compost tea literally dialed in. To even suggest that the application of their teas has no value is flat-out preposterous.

But will the tea you brew in your own five-gallon bucket have any value? Maybe. Maybe not. I have met hundreds of gardeners who swear by it and a few who don’t see the point. The good news is that it’s inexpensive, practically free, to make. And it really won’t do any harm, provided it doesn’t smell pungent or like ammonia when it’s applied. Good compost tea, like good compost, should have a sweet earthy smell. You can check out the compost tea video on the SafeLawns site: http://www.safelawns.org/video.cfm.

As for the teas you can buy at the garden center, you should ask the “fresh” question. If the tea has been capped for any period of time, the only thing living in the jugged tea will be bacteria. Fresh tea can be full of a whole rainbow of microorganisms and is definitely more likely to have a positive impact to your lawn, garden, trees or shrubs.

What’s your experience with compost tea? What pointers do you have, or comments — pro or con — to add to the debate? I’d love to hear them.

The lawn care industry loves to tout the statistics about how great lawns are for the environment because they sequester carbon dioxide and other toxins. And while that’s true, common sense has long told us that lawns — if overly fertilized, mowed and watered — actually generate more CO2 and other emissions than they could possibly sequester.

Now, a new study from the University of California Irvine proves that manicured lawns really are a net negative where greenhouse gases are considered: http://www.agu.org/news/press/pr_archives/2010/2010-02.shtml

Retired Justice Claire L'Heureux Dube

We’ve known about the date for quite some time. Today, EcoJustice Canada released this information about the Ontario premiere of A Chemical Reaction:

Coming March 11
uOttawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic, UOttawa Ecojustice Clinic and University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law present A Chemical Reaction

DETAILS: A Chemical Reaction Film Screening at 7 pm, University of Ottawa, 57 Louis Pasteur, Fauteux Hall, Gowlings Moot Court (Room 147).

Witness one of the most powerful and effective community initiatives in the history of North America. For 17 years, residents and the municipal government of Hudson, Quebec raised the alarm over the dangerous health impacts of chemical pesticides and fought to keep them out of their small community. Their fight culminated in a 2001 Supreme Court win against pesticides companies and a precedent that guaranteed the rights of all Canadian municipalities to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides.

Ecojustice was instrumental in securing this precedent from Canada’s highest court — a first in North America, and an environmental and human health victory that would eventually lead to bans in more than 100 municipalities and province wide bans in Quebec and Ontario. Paul Tukey, the film’s creator and former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dube will be on site to present the film and take questions from the audience.

Our friends at the Pesticide Action Network North America posts bulletins to its members known as Panups. Two of the items in the Panups today included items from the SafeLawns.org blog: www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20100205, the Canadian lawsuits and the news of next week’s showdown in New Hampshire, plus an additional item about how the U.S. Senate heard testimony about pesticide toxicity.

The Obama Administration may be getting bashed at every turn, and some of it may be deserved. But on issues related to the EPA and the environment in general, signs of improvement are everywhere: Environmental prudence is open for business.

We received word this morning that our film, A Chemical Reaction, has been accepted to the Delray Beach Film Festival on March 27. No firm time yet.

Other dates in March:

Hartford, March 7
Houston, March 8-9
Ottawa, March 11
New Jersey, March 13
Saskatoon, March 16
Chicago, March 19-20
Washington, DC, March 26

More details will follow in the day and weeks ahead.

With a state motto of LIve Free or Die, perhaps it’s fitting that New Hampshire appears to be the looming pesticide battleground. On one side, local lobbyists are rallying all their allies — including the national groups such as SafeLawns — while the chemical industry is warming all of its constituents to stay on alert.

The major pot stirrer here is Rep. Suzanne Smith, who sponsored a bill to study whether or not New Hampshire should enact a Canadian style ban on “cosmetic” pesticides used for weed control on lawns and gardens. Her bill isn’t asking for a ban — not yet anyway — but only that the government take a look at ways to protect children from the known harmful effects of the pesticides.

SafeLawns, by way of the movie, A Chemical Reaction, has been injected front and center in the debate. The film will screen Wednesday night, Feb. 10, at Plymouth State University, following a position paper by yours truly at the The Center for the Environment’s Environmental Science Colloquium.

The following day the New Hampshire legislature is accepting testimony on the issue and another screening of the movie will take place that evening at the Red River Theater in Concord. Incidently, the film will play at the Red River Theater through next weekend. If you live anywhere near Concord, this will be a great venue to see what all the buzz is about.

HERE IS THE TEXT OF A PRESS RELEASE BEING DISTRIBUTED BY THE LEAH COLLECTIVE

Movie Screening to Support Pesticide Bill

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — The LEAH Collective and Plymouth State University’s Common Ground will be hosting a viewing of the award-winning documentary movie, A Chemical Reaction prior to the New Hampshire legislature’s consideration of Bill 1456, an act that will study the use of pesticides, herbicides and their alternatives in residential neighborhoods, school properties and playgrounds.

Slated for 7 p.m. on February 10, 2010 in room 144 of the Boyd Science Center at Plymouth State University, the film celebrates pesticide bans that have swept across Canada since a Canadian Supreme Court decision in 2001.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Paul Tukey of the Safelawns Foundation and the film’s producer, along with Edith Smeesters, of Equiterre, instrumental in passing the Quebec pesticide ban, Jeremiah Duncan, Asst. Professor of Chemistry at PSU, formerly of the EPA and Rep. Suzanne Smith, co-sponsor of Bill #1456 and Ellen Fine, The LEAH Collective.

A Chemical Reaction depicts a small town, Hudson, Quebec and how its 10-year fight to ban dangerous pest/herbicides! The film is currently on a North American tour to raise awareness about the harmful effects of pest/herbicides on children’s health.

Tukey, a Maine native who serves as narrator of the film, is national spokesperson for organic lawn care and founder of Safelawns.org. He will speak at The Center for the Environment’s Environmental Science Colloquium, on “NH House Bill #1456: Applying Principles of Precaution to Keep NH Children Safe from Lawn Pesticides”. Wed. Feb. 10th, Boyd Science building, PSU, Room 001 at 3:45 p.m.

The LEAH Collective was founded by a group of educators, health care practitioners, parents and children, environmental activists and artists to address growing concern about the use of lawn pesticides and herbicides. The LEAH Collective creates awareness about lawn herb/pesticides, educates for sustainable, organic land care and advocates for earth-changing legislation in NH.

Common Ground is Plymouth State University ’s environmental and social justice student organization. Additional sponsors include d’Acres, Rumney, NH an environmental educational homestead, Rumney, NH Growing Spaces, Thornton, NH domed greenhouses for four season growing, Natural Landscapes and Lawn Care, Sandwich NH.

With additional questions, contact Ellen Fine at (603) 236-8269 or through email at ellen_bfine@yahoo.com.

With the whirlwind tour we’ve been on, I had almost forgotten that a film crew was on hand for our Vancouver premiere of A Chemical Reaction on Jan. 20. Here we have the entire panel discussion, plus some opinions about the film and its purpose: www.dailymotion.com/video/xc1j0t_a-chemical-reaction-premiere_news

It’s quite long, so if your short on time and want some spontaneous reviews of the movie, fast forward to about 40:30. Many, many thanks to filmmaker activists Jamie MacQuarrie and Elisabeth Baldazzi for making this happen.

Here are bios of the panelists (in order, to my left). The moderator is Leonard Schein, the theater owner and a Board member of the Canadian Cancer Society:

Arzeena Hamir
Arzeena Hamir is a Professional Agrologist with a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture. As Coordinator for the Richmond Food Security Society, a non-profit group that promotes growing and purchasing local food, she oversees various community projects including community & school gardens, organic gardening workshops, and the launch of the new Richmond Farm School. She can be heard on CBC Radio’s BC Almanac where she is the organic gardening consultant. Arzeena is also a member of the Richmond Pesticide Awareness Coalition, which, with help from the Canadian Cancer Society, helped to push for a cosmetic pesticide by-law in Richmond.

Mayor Joe Trasolini
Elected for a fourth term, Port Moody’s mayor, Joe Trasolini, had three years of Council experience behind him when he took over the mayor’s chair in December of 1999. A tireless supporter of the environment, Joe advocates economic development and balanced growth, while remaining committed to preserving the natural environment. Along with his mayoralty responsibilities, Joe is CEO of Pug Investments, Ltd. The City of Port Moody adopted a cosmetic pesticide bylaw in 2003, and was the first in BC to do so.

Kathryn Seely
Kathryn Seely is a former oncology nurse and civil litigation lawyer who is the Public Issues Manager for the Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon. Working at the Society for the past six years, she has been instrumental in advocating to all levels of government to adopt healthy public policies that prevent cancer and promote healthy living.