Denny's Soapbox

With so many lawn care products on the market, there is a lot of confusion on the use of organic lawn care products versus synthetic products. The Professional Landcare Network (Planet) represents landscape, tree care and lawn care specialists who use both types of products. There’s a misperception that because it’s organic, it’s safe, and because it is synthetic it is not, and that misleads the public. It is about choices and what works says Tom Delaney, director of government affairs for Planet. While there are no universally accepted definitions of “natural” and “organic”, here are the most commonly accepted definitions.

Natural - A product derived from animal/biological, mineral, or plant sources in a form substantially as it occurs in nature. The materials may be altered or manipulated to put them in a physical form that allows them to be efficiently used in the application process by homeowners or service providers.

Organic – Technically, any substance containing carbon is organic. Both naturally occurring and manmade products may be organic. The common misconception that “organic” and “natural” have the same meaning may cause nontechnical consumers to believe that manmade organic material is natural when it is not.

Natural-based – This term is generally used to describe a mixture of materials that includes some materials that may be properly described as natural. The portion that is natural is frequently undefined. The other portion may be manmade pesticides or fertilizers.

Organic-based – This term is generally used to describe a mixture of materials that includes some organic materials. The portion of the product that is both organic and natural is frequently undefined. The other portion may be manmade pesticides or fertilizers.

Some of the E.P.A. findings on products can also be deceiving. The following information was furnished by David Shetlar, Landscape Entomology Specialist at Ohio State.

Over the counter (homeowner) products often don’t get the new insecticides in them and this certainly limits the options that homeowners have for control of their pests. As I look over the shelves of the “big box” store outlets as well as localized garden centers, I have seen that the over the counter providers are taking two tactics – “green” products and standard insecticides. I get a bit worried abut the green products as many seem to consist of concoctions of the EPA “low risk” and “exempt” chemicals. These often include clove, mint, garlic, and other botanical extracts mixed with soaps and oils of various sorts. I’ve not seen extensive testing results by independent (university) entomologists, so I’m always a bit reluctant to recommend these for now. Remember the EPA only requires efficacy data for ONE pest that is on the label. You can add all the pest names you want and EPA doesn’t care! Something that can kill aphids, may not be able to kill Japanese beetles, caterpillars, scales or spider mites! Just a word of caution.