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As I ranted last year, I think lush lawns are the product of ridiculous social construction: Once upon a time, only the super rich could afford lawns — and the serfs to manage them. Now everyone thinks they need one. Full disclosure: I am the owner of a rather large lush lawn. (And I hate it.)

While I have talked my husband into working to re-forest parts of our lawn and dig up other parts for an organic garden, he's still determined the rest of it will be weed-free and carpet-like. I, of course, worry about the chemicals he puts on the lawn seeping into our garden, but, more, I worry about the crap he puts on the lawn draining away, down the drain and into our drinking water supply.

See, he, like a lot of lawn of lush-lawn owners, tends to use way too much phosphorus while fertilizing it. This is a problem on two levels, as a recent article in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, "Phosphorus Paradox: Scarcity and Overabundance of a Key Nutrient," points out. 1) Phosphorus is limited resource, and 2) people overuse it.

This isn't a new problem. As the study also points out, President Franklin Roosevelt was warning us to guard our phosphorus supplies decades ago.

“The disposition of our phosphate deposits should be regarded as a national concern,” he said. “The situation appears to offer an opportunity for this nation to exercise foresight in the use of a great national resource heretofore almost unknown in our plans for the development of the nation.”

Why? Because it's a critical fertilizer. But, when it's overused, it wreaks havoc on area waterways — waterways that are already overburdened by storm water runoff, pollution, industry and personal demands. (Please note: We also overuse nitrogen, but I'll save that rant for next year. Both phosphorus and nitrogen are found in many commercial fertilizers.)

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

Nutrient pollution, especially from nitrogen and phosphorus, has consistently ranked as one of the top causes of degradation in some U.S. waters for more than a decade. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus lead to significant water quality problems including harmful algal blooms, hypoxia and declines in wildlife and wildlife habitat. Excesses have also been linked to higher amounts of chemicals that make people sick.

You may think that the water that runs off your lawn couldn't possibly impact our drinking water, but you're wrong. First, allow yourself to think of "our" as the entire community, including people who live downstream from you. Second, go look at the stormwater drains in your neighborhood. If they have a fish symbol on them, that means they drain directly into one of our waterways ... even if you think live miles away from the nearest stream. Even without the fish, say your yard's runoff first settles in a holding pond — or maybe it goes through some other sort of filtration or cleansing process — it will still eventually end up back in our waterways, impacting "our" drinking water. (Recall: We're all downstream from somewhere.)

So, maybe this post should be less about bitching about how stupid grass is and more about asking homeowners, landscapers and park managers to think before they fertilize. Clean, pollution-free drinking water is much more important than a carpet-like lawn — I think we can all agree on that level, right?

The key here, I believe, is education, specifically self-education. First, you need to determine what type of grass you have. Google "organic grass fertilizers" and start poking around. I did (see previous link), and immediately found a great guide — for tall fescues, perennial ryegrasses, and Kentucky bluegrass — from ExtremelyGreen.com. Here's another site, AllExperts.com, that suggests sugar can be used for weed control — sugar! And, here's yet another, The Garden Counselor, that promotes the use of vinegar ... and that's just what I discovered with a cursory search.

With a little curiosity, the desire to do something to protect "our" drinking water, the willingness to experiment, some patience and some materials you probably already have in your pantry, you can make a real difference for our community.

As for my lush lawn, my husband has gotten so into finding organic solutions for our lawn and garden that he's now educating me about our options. And, yes, we share what we learn with our neighbors.

The end ... of the rant that wasn't.

Further reading:

Dandelion Debate — The Durango Herald

The Greener Grass? To the casual observer, artificial or synthetic turf is barely distinguishable, by look or touch, from grass. — E - The Environmental Magazine

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

Nutrient pollution, especially from nitrogen and phosphorus, has consistently ranked as one of the top causes of degradation in some U.S. waters for more than a decade. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus lead to significant water quality problems including harmful algal blooms, hypoxia and declines in wildlife and wildlife habitat. Excesses have also been linked to higher amounts of chemicals that make people sick.

You may think that the water that runs off your lawn couldn't possibly impact our drinking water, but you're wrong. First, allow yourself to think of "our" as the entire community, including people who live downstream from you. Second, go look at the stormwater drains in your neighborhood. If they have a fish symbol on them, that means they drain directly into one of our waterways ... even if you think live miles away from the nearest stream. Even without the fish, say your yard's runoff first settles in a holding pond — or maybe it goes through some other sort of filtration or cleansing process — it will still eventually end up back in our waterways, impacting "our" drinking water. (Recall: We're all downstream from somewhere.)

So, maybe this post should be less about bitching about how stupid grass is and more about asking homeowners, landscapers and park managers to think before they fertilize. Clean, pollution-free drinking water is much more important than a carpet-like lawn — I think we can all agree on that level, right?

The key here, I believe, is education, specifically self-education. First, you need to determine what type of grass you have. Google "organic grass fertilizers" and start poking around. I did (see previous link), and immediately found a great guide — for tall fescues, perennial ryegrasses, and Kentucky bluegrass — from ExtremelyGreen.com. Here's another site, AllExperts.com, that suggests sugar can be used for weed control — sugar! And, here's yet another, The Garden Counselor, that promotes the use of vinegar ... and that's just what I discovered with a cursory search.

With a little curiosity, the desire to do something to protect "our" drinking water, the willingness to experiment, some patience and some materials you probably already have in your pantry, you can make a real difference for our community.

As for my lush lawn, my husband has gotten so into finding organic solutions for our lawn and garden that he's now educating me about our options. And, yes, we share what we learn with our neighbors.

The end ... of the rant that wasn't.

Further reading:

Dandelion Debate — The Durango Herald

The Greener Grass? To the casual observer, artificial or synthetic turf is barely distinguishable, by look or touch, from grass. — E - The Environmental Magazine