Here's a wide-ranging question from a SafeLawns.org follower that came in just this morning: Hi Paul, First let me thank you for your efforts to spread the importance of learning and practicing Organic Gardening. I live on Long Island and I am acutely aware of the enormous amount of pesticides that are dumped on lawns to create that perfect patch of green, without regard to the consequences. So I am glad to ...

At the time it was written, a letter from several health care experts to Congressional leaders received little fanfare in the media. Addressed to Senator Edward Kennedy, among others, the letter cited environmental causes of cancer and urged the Obama Administration and Congress to take further action to reduce atmospheric carcinogens. ...

As the kickoff speaker yesterday for the American Horticultural Society's day-long event in Alexandria, Va., I was greeted by a warmly receptive audience on a glorious sweltering day. Asked to stick around for questions, I was immediately challenged about a statement that I made during my presentation: "The common insecticide imidacloprid, commonly sold as Merit, is responsible for colony collapse disorder ...

As I sit up here in the Northeast corner of the country in Maine, mired in one of the worst weather spells I can ever recall, it's frustrating to hear that 80 percent of the nation is experiencing above-average temperatures. From my perspective, that sounds idyllic! I know from experience, though, that too much heat can be just as frustrating as too much rain — especially when it comes to the lawn and lands ...

When we were making the movie, A Chemical Reaction, about the anti-pesticide movement sweeping Canada and now the U.S., we often heard from the chemical companies that the dosages used in lawn care were so small (if used as directed) they couldn't possibly be harmful to humans or the environment. Legally, we know the pesticide companies can't make safety claims about their products. The EPA outlawed that a ...

We received this question from a SafeLawns reader from Michigan. It's timely, so we'll post the answer here. "Hi Paul, I have been keeping up to date on your website for almost a year now. I live in Michigan I want to aerate and dethatch my lawn, however all the professionals in the area are saying it is too late to aerate. They said I could dethatch but I would have to put some tender love and care in at t ...

I'm headed off on the road all day today, so I only have time for a quick comment. Here in the Northeast it's been raining non-stop and many folks are really, really late getting their gardens started. Don't panic! You might have to plant a few things in seedling form that you usually grow from seed — think vine crops, tomatoes and peppers — but otherwise you have plenty of time to grow most things before t ...

One of the questions I get asked most often out on the road concerns Roundup, the most commonly used weed killer on the market today. With the active ingredient known as glyphosate, more than 100 million pounds of the product is spread on American landscapes.  ...

Many in the world of lawn care have their eyes on the state of Florida these days. The state has taken the nationwide lead on banning many types of lawn fertilizers in the past year. With products containing high levels of synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus blamed for algae blooms in rivers, streams and ponds throughout Florida, the fertilizer bans have moved county by county. By 2010, the entire state will ...

Rain has been a constant way of life along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., which can create all sorts of lawn issues— the biggest of all may be lawns that are behind in their mowing schedule. The mowing companies get backed up and, if you mow your own lawn and it's raining during the only time of the week you have for mowing, then the lawn grows out of control. Especially in June.  ...