Organic Lawn Pesticides
- Organic lawn pesticides are pesticides that come from natural sources. For organic lawn care, plant-based pesticides can include pyrethrins, rotenone or essential oils. Pyrethrins are natural insecticides made from the chrysanthanum plant. The flowers are ground into a dust that becomes a contact poison for insects, penetrating their nerve centers so they cannot move or fly away. Though it's an organic pesticide, inhaling high levels can lead to health problems such as asthma, nausea, swelling and other problems. The spray is applied to the leaves of the plant. Rotenone naturally occurs in the jicama vine plant. It is ground into a dust that is applied to plants, deterring potato beetles, cucumber beetles, cabbage bugs, and other pests. Essential oils are made from olive, grape seed, sunflower and other plants that naturally work as a pesticide. The oils are sprayed over the plants.
Boric acid and diatomaceous earth are also natural products that act as pesticides. Boric acid comes from a variety of minerals that can be gathered from sea salt. It is made into a paste or gel and placed in a garden to attract insects. Diatomaceous earth is derived from marine sediments. It is ground into a fine powder and placed in the soil. The substance absorbs lipids from the waxy shells of insects, causing them to die. - Many tall fescue and perennial rye grass varieties contain edophytes, which are parasitic plants that grow within other plants. The grasses contain naturally occurring fungi that resist insect populations. As the grass grows, the fungus grows into the plant and continues to live as the grass matures. These grasses work effectively against aphids, cutworms, chinch bugs and sod webworms, and they are ideal for natural lawn care.
- Soap has been used as a natural organic lawn pesticide for years. Any soap containing fatty acids will work, but vegetable or other naturally based soap is best to avoid toxic ingredients in less naturally-based detergents. Add 2 tsp. of liquid soap to 1 gallon of water. Put this mixture in a spray bottle, and you've got a solution to most ant problems that's still safe for humans and pets. The soap solution can be sprayed directly onto plants.
- Chemical pesticides can reduce earthworm population by as much as 60 to 99 percent, according to Crow and Elizabeth Miller in their book, "Organic Gardening: A Comprehensive Guide to Chemical-Free Growing." Using organic lawn pesticides allows earthworms to thrive. Earthworms keep your lawn healthy by aerating the soil and depositing nutrients in their waste.
- Not all natural pesticides are safe. Pyrethrins, derived from chrysanthemums, have been linked to autism in recent studies, according to the Sierra Club. Remember that terms such as "environmentally safe," "eco-safe," and "environmentally friendly" aren't industry-regulated terms. Companies can use them to mean just about anything without defining the meaning of natural lawn care.