Public Gardens, Publicly Aware

Our season finale takes us to the Rose of New England, Norwich, CT - a city famous for its beautiful rose gardens - where Paul Tukey spoke on organic lawn and garden care to benefit the Chelsea Gardens Foundation, one of the first public gardens in America to maintain their grounds organically from day one. On their drawing board is the 80-acre, world-class Chelsea Botanical Gardens. This special 90 minute show features Paul's riveting talk about the health and safety dangers of using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, as well as their devastating impact on our environment.

See you next year!

We hope you've enjoyed our first season of SafeLawns & Landscapes, The Radio Show, as much as we've enjoyed doing it! We will be back the first week of January. Paul and the crew are taking November and December off as Paul focuses on the book he's writing, and documentary movie he's doing about Hudson, Quebec. The tiny community nearby Montreal made history by becoming the first town in North America to ban chemical lawn and garden products from public land. It provoked decades of court battles, but Hudson prevailed. Today, it is unlawful to use cosmetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers in all of Quebec province. The film, "A Chemical Reaction" is due to be released in Spring '09. We'll see you in January!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Gnome is where the heart is

Roger Swain gleefully accepts the moniker, garden gnome, as a term of endearment. Whether the 1980s Boston newspaper columnist who dubbed him such, meant it as a compliment is another story. Known by millions across TV's vast and somewhat fickle gardening world as The Man in the Red Suspenders, Roger hosted the granddaddy of all such shows, The Victory Garden on PBS for 15 years - well before high-def. My, how that technology would have indelibly painted those twinkling eyes and leprehaun-like smile. On this week's episode Roger and Paul Tukey reminisce over People, Places and Plants, The Gardening Show which became one of HGTV's highest-rated programs ever. Fast friends and kindred spirits of the soil, the pair co-hosted the show from 2002 to 2007. Wait until you hear the story of the day Roger showered with his plants- on camera! Biologist, author of five books including Earthly Pleasures, and master storyteller, Roger Swain is the a one-of-kind gem for the ages! Make sure you save this show to play for your grand kids!

Let's sue Canada

That's what Dow AgroSciences, the world's largest and richest chemical company, threatens to do if Canadian government doesn't reverse the ban on so-called cosmetic pesticides and other non-essential chemicals. Quebec and Ontario provinces have made it illegal to use the stuff on most public land, and private citizens are extending it to their properties. Dow charges the ban violates a clause in the North American Free Trade Agreement. Paul rants about Dow's warning shot, but thinks it actually will serve to galvanize public opinion in Canada and elsewhere against Big Chemical. Stay tuned!

Next week...

Our season finale (we'll be back the first week of January '09) is LIVE from Norwich, CT where Paul is speaking to a group at Chelsea Gardens. Yes, his talk will be our show! Make a note of the day and time change...Tuesday, Oct. 28th at 7 p.m. Eastern. Hope to see you then!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Politics aside

Let those running for higher office conjure up your average "joes" for political gain, we'll keep the one who visited us this week, thank you. Not that Master Gardener, Joe Lamp'l is wanting for fans. America's favorite male gardening personality is seen coast-to-coast on DIY and PBS television each week where he hosts Fresh From the Garden and GardenSMART respectively. He's authored two books, Over the Fence with joe gardener and The Green Gardener's Guide: Simple, Significant Actions to Protect and Preserve the Planet. The latter lists about 150 meaningful things you can do to make a difference. Nuggets like...

Simply watering early in the morning instead of the heat of the day, nationally we would save at least 700 billion gallons of water each year!

If every gardener in the US planted trees for shade and windbreak, they would reduce heating and cooling needs by as much as 40 percent, and cut CO2 emissions by 120 million tons per year!

By mulching all landscape beds on your property, you can reduce the runoff and accompanying loss of soil to erosion by as much as 80 percent!

Did you guess that Joe's true passion is teaching others how to get the most out gardening? Joe has been digging in the dirt since age 10, but how he landed his first national TV gig is the stuff from which fairy tales are made!

e-Mail Call!

Paul Tukey answers an SOS from Kathy who worries about the health and safety of her family and pets because of red mushrooms. Someone whose e-addy is President Lincoln asks where to find smaller bins ($75-100) of bulk compost. (think he's in Illinois?) Ted M says he can't put down Paul's bestselling book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual, and wanted to know if compost alone, as top dressing for lawns after aerating and re-seeding, provides the necessary nutrients. He also seeks help finding an effective, organic weed killer since switching from synthetics in the spring. Paul Keller wonders if WOW is best for a fall application. As always, our intrepid founder of the SafeLawns Foundation offers great answers to all. You'll just have to listen!

Next week (and the next)...

Paul will be speaking in Tennessee the week of the 20th, and then Norwich, Connecticut on the 28th. We plan to do our show LIVE from that second event...more to come, stay tuned! As always, thanks for listening, friends!

Don't forget, we are LIVE every Thursday night from 8-9 p.m. Eastern.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Do you believe in magic?

Neither do we. Not when it comes to remaking your lawns and gardens organically. To succeed you need knowledge. Lush, green grass and beautiful flowers and shrubs need soil rich in natural nutrients. Not chemicals. Most homeowners don't know this, so they keep paying people to spray toxic chemicals that actually kill your soil. Short term you get green grass. Long term nothing grows there - except weeds - and you've put your family and pets at risk for serious health problems, including cancer.

Which is why the SafeLawns Foundation exists. To educate you. On this week's show our Soil Surgeon, Todd Harrington answers his favorite question:

I switched to organic lawncare this year and now my front yard is a disaster, ravaged by weeds. What happened?

That's what happens when you start throwing down organic fertilizers and pesticides without FIRST getting a soil test. Host Scott Reil makes a bet that the homeowner's lawn in question probably only recently went off chemicals. Seeing the transformation can take time. But it will happen. And when it does it ain't magic.

E-gads have we got mail!

Sod that keeps dying in South Jersey... violets and creeping Charlie taking over in CT... Cock-a-doodle-Do no match for clover... Canadian thistle out of control in the Twin Cities... a walkway next to which grass only grows on one side... and the ever-present question about how to get top-quality bulk compost. Great questions, all- you will just have to listen to hear Scott and Todd's advice! And thanks to Scott T, Kathy and Greg N, Lorna W., Fran C, Tim W, Donald G, and Michelle Q for sending them!

Extra point question

Do you know what a Weed Hound and beer have in common? Let's see how closely you're paying attention to this week's show. Hint: at Scott's house they have His and Her's hounds. What's the prize? A keen ear is its own reward.

Paul Tukey returns next week with lots of fresh stories from The Road, and an update on that documentary movie he's making about the tiny town of Hudson, Canada. Because of them cosmetic chemical lawn care products are banned in all of Quebec province.

Don't forget, we are LIVE every Thursday night from 8-9 p.m. Eastern.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Mother Nature Doesn't Use Fertilizer

This week's theme is, do what nature does. Nurture your flowers, plants and landscapes with loving, chemical-free care. Mother Nature will do the rest. Guest co-hosts Kerry Mendez and Scott Reil ladle out heaping helpings of organic gardening and lawn care advice. Kerry's specialty is growing beautiful, low-maintanence perennials. She's taught thousands her secrets in classes, and countless others through her newspaper columns, magazine articles and television show.

No stranger to broadcasting himself, Scott is a frequent guest host of Connecticut's #1 radio gardening show, heard across much of New England on Hartford powerhouse, WTIC.

Both Kerry and Scott have something else in common. They work for SafeLawns & Landscapes, Kerry as Director of Franchise Development, Northeast Division; Scott as assistant Director of Operations.

Among things covered this episode, we seek to help you gain a better understanding of soil biology, organic compost and fertilizers, and the importance of fungi, protozoa and the difference between good and bad insects and bacteria. Kerry talks about natural pest control for roses, and how to tackle slimy slugs, thrips and Japanese beetles. 

Movin' On Up

Prices for synthetic chemical fertilizer are headed skyward next year. Up 32 percent, is the word Scott's is putting out there. As if you needed another reason to go organic, huh? But the subject did bring a great question from Aiyana. Other emails answered on the the show include, whether you need to do anything more than compost to fertilize a perennial bed?... can Buffalo grass thrive, deep in the heart of Texas?... is it OK to drain my pool and flood the lawn with it- or will chlorine turn the grass yellow?

We'll put some helpful links up here shortly, but for now we wanted to get this show out to you. Enjoy it and we'll see you next week! Don't forget, we are LIVE every Thursday night from 8-9 p.m. Eastern.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

King of the Garden Writers

Nobody in North America has written a continuous gardening column longer than Jeff Lowenfels. His knowledge of soil biology and plants is so astounding, his advice so helpful, his anecdotes so delicious, you almost want to move to Alaska just to read them each week - of which he has missed not one in 33 years. Paul Tukey figured everyone who doesn't live there is mssing out, so he asked Jeff to pay a return visit to the show. By the way, if you haven't read Jeff's bestselling book, "Teaming With Microbes," get thee over to Amazon and pick it up. A nice bargain price, too, when you bundle it with Paul's book.

Oh, and if you do decide to cut your losses in the Lower 48 and head for the Great White North- be warned: if you're not a Sarah Palin fan, Jeff says you may not feel too welcome there. It seems Alaskans are quite puzzled and more than a little angry about all the bad press their gov and #2 person on the GOP ticket has been getting.

DIY: Core Aeration

It's fall lawn makeover time at the home of our radio show's producer. As Ken and Penny watched (it's the part of manual labor they enjoy most) Kristina & Dave, lawncare experts from Casco Bay SafeLawns of greater Portland ME went to work core aerating, slice seeding, composting and fertilizing the front yard of the station. Kristina, who not only excels at the actual doing, but also trains new franchisees, walks us through the process and tells how you can tackle this chore for your property. NOTE: You can hear her excellent tutorial in the first five minutes of the show!

Mail Call!

Sarah L from Maryland wonders if the 16-4-8 fertilizer her soil testing company recommended means she has to buy several different products. Paul says that first number (16, nitrogen) is just too high for this to be organic fertilizer, and points out that when you have your soil tested locally, most companies only tout chemical products. Tina M of Lakeville, MN found white grubs munching her grass roots and says she plans to sick beneficial nematodes on 'em. Good for you, Tina! But she wonders if should wait until Spring, because the area is heavy with thatch that needs to be, well, dethatched. Another great question pertains to how late in the year you can use corn gluten. Paul says he's had very good success putting it down in late November, just as long as it hasn't snowed. Bob G. of Huntsville, AL raves about how lush his centipede and St. Augustine lawn became after going organic. Bob uses a mix of cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and Milorganite- yeah, the stuff made from Milwaukee sewage! Paul's not partial too it, but Bob, if it works for you, keep doing it!

Which is the same wish we have for you, our faithful listeners. See you next week! Remember, we are LIVE every Thursday night at 8:00 PM Eastern.

Got Grubs? Helpful links mentioned on this show include:
North Country Organics makers of Grub Guard.
Beneficial Nematodes
Be sure to visit on the web at safelawns.org and safelawns.net.

Population Control

Everyone is grousing about those slimy white crawly things devouring their grass roots. Blame the Japanese beetle. Their eggs have become grub worms and they're ravenous in September. Return guest, Todd Harrington tells how living microscopic beneficial nematodes can help you win this war. A listener asks whether milky spores can also work. Another email complains that creeping Charlie (otherwise known as ground ivy) is taking over. The weed likes "stressed" soil. Try aeration and applying one of several organic herbicides, the kind you dab on with a sponge. It will take several applications to vanquish Charlie.

Westward Ho!

Paul heads for Portland, Oregon to attend the annual national convention of the Garden Writers of America. He's expecting to land many fascinating guests for upcoming shows. Stay tuned!

Alaska's Iron Man to Return

We're excited to announce that soil biology expert Jeff Lowenfels, author of the book, Teaming With Microbes will be next week's guest! Besides being an award-winning radio garden show host, Jeff writes the longest-running gardening column in North America. In November it will be 33 years! Jeff was one of our first guests back in April. (Don't be surprised if we ask Jeff for the 4-1-1 on Sarah Palin.) See you on Thursday night, September 25th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for our next LIVE installment of SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Maple Leaf'ers Make Believers

Another tremor in the anti-chemical pesticide movement shook Canada this week when RONA, the country's largest retailer pulled all synthetic pesticides from its store shelves. Home Depot of Canada was first to stop selling so-called cosmetic pesticides north of the US border. SafeLawns founder, Paul Tukey talks about what's new on the American front, including one county in New York state that is banning toxic pesticides, and a growing push in many other communities to require lawn care companies to notify public officials about what they're spraying. For more on the movement in Canada, read what the award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, Dr. David Suzuki has to say.

Next year: Zero excuses

Paul reports on a breakthrough new all-organic "selective herbicide" that will hit the market in '09. The chemical kind has been around since 1947. Researchers in Canada (starting to see a trend here?) have been working on it. What's it do? Kills weeds while letting your grass grow. It will revolutionize the green industry! Stay tuned.

Return of the Soil Surgeon   

Todd Harrington paid his third visit to this week's show. Co-founder of the SafeLawns organization, Todd is a nationally recognized expert in organic landcaping. A pioneer in the field, Todd's been practicing environmentally friendly lawn care in CT for more than 20-years. Todd knows more than anyone - and that's not hyperbole - about soil biology and chemistry, and the absolute connection to a healthy lawn. It all starts with getting your soil tested. You can get it done locally, but that test is not going to help you with an organic makeover. Get it tested by the worldwide Soil Food Web. It isn't cheap, just simply the best!

Emails answered on the show cover: the best compost tea sprayer to use... how to optimize lawns and keep the shade trees happy... weed control for large yards... aeration techniques... and a new homeowner in the Blue Grass state of Kentucky who has (hoorah!) a "five year plan" to convert his homestead to organics!

Crab Grass? Remove those seeds

Paul reminds that crab grass is an annual and that the first frost will kill it. Problem solved, right? Nope. It will be back next year stronger than ever UNLESS you remove those red and purple seeds left over after the frost. Cart them away- all of 'em.

Next week...

Our email bag is still bulging - Todd is a most popular guest - so Professor Harrington promises to pitch in again next Thursday night, September 18th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for our next LIVE installment of SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio. Don't be late!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Just like "Network"

When that mad oracle of the airwaves, Howard Beale implored viewers to throw open their windows and yell, "we are mad as hell and we are not going to take this anymore", he might as well have been preaching to our congregation. In the 1976 movie, Network, Peter Finch's character directed his wrath at politicians, the oil companies and the Russians. Our revolution targets toxic, cosmetic chemical pesticides, the kind millions of uneducated homeowners continue to use to kill dandelions, clover, crab grass and similarly harmless things on their lawns. In the process, other living things - our children, pets, neighbors - are getting sick. Studies show cancer and death can and do result.

We at SafeLawns know- and have lots of proof - that organic fertilizers, and pesticides, properly used, will give you a lush, green lawn, safe for your family and friends to romp on. Texas landscaper, Michael Bosco believes that too, and he has hundreds of customers in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston and Austin who are glad his company, "Soils Alive" maintains their yards. Michael and Paul Tukey discuss the special needs of southern grasses, and the growing movement away from cosmetic, chemical-based lawn pesticides that he is seeing. We also help you get ready for Fall with some lawn care tips no matter where you call home.

Make a movie date

Looks like a Spring '09 release of the documentary film Paul is making in Canada about the nearby Montreal town of Hudson, Quebec. The tiny community made history when they became the first in North America to get laws passed banning non-essential, chemical pesticides. In fact, they are now illegal in all of Quebec province, and better than half of that country!

Next week...

Todd Harrington, the co-founder and spiritual leader of SafeLawns & Landscapes, the for-profit part of our organization, pays a return visit to the show. We call him the "Soil Surgeon" because there's nothing Todd doesn't know about the vital connection between healthy soil and vibrant lawns. Todd is a nationally recognized leader in organic landscape management with more than 20-years experience. Make a date to join us on Thursday night, September 11th at 8:00 p.m. ET for our next LIVE edition of SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

It ain't magic

Education, not hocus pocus, is what will rid our cities and towns of toxic lawn chemicals. And it is people like Marsha Smith who are helping us with the teaching. She phoned in to this week's show from Down East, Maine with a progress report on the work she and a handful of others who comprise Citizens For a Green Camden have been doing. Some 18 months ago, fired up over a poison "warning" sign on town property, she set out to find others just as upset. Today, thanks to publicity from the local newspaper, and the cooperation of elected officials, pesticides are banned from Camden's parks, the library - all public land. Neighboring Rockport passed the same policy, with minor changes. Marsha says the Conservation Commision plans to send a newsletter to homeowners with tips on how to join the town's efforts.

You can do the same where you live, and we're here to help. Visit the Volunteer Resources section of our SafeLawns web site for free downloads of banners, flyers, petitions and other literature to assist you in making your community pesticide free.

Fore!

Paul Tukey admits to being a pretty bad golfer. But he does have one thing in common with one of the all-time greats, Billy Casper. They each got pretty sick from contact with large amounts of toxic pesticides. Paul, because he used to spray the stuff for a living; Casper, because he walked countless miles of chemically treated fairways over his illustrious career. Did you know that Casper won more PGA tournaments than Arnie Palmer, Jack Nichlaus and Gary Player between 1964 and 1970? Paul talks about the bad rap - deserved or otherwise - golf gets from Green advocates with Bryan Bielecki, Vice President and Director of Agronomy for Billy Casper Golf, a golf course development and management company that oversees 96 courses in this country. BCG is considered a leader in employing environmentally friendly practices on its properties.

Next week...

Our guest on Thursday night, September 4th will be Michael Bosco who 11-years ago founded Soils Alive an organic lawn care company with branches in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston and Austin, Texas. Make a note to join us LIVE at 8 PM Eastern every Thursday night for SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

Live from Madison, Wisconsin!

Paul Tukey takes his all-natural, eco-friendly SafeLawns evangelical tour to the dairy capital of Madison, WI. Don't be misled. With a population of nearly 225-thousand, second only to Milwaukee, this is no cow town! This week's show is loaded with great content and new links to many cool people, places and products that will be on everyone's organic radar very soon! Where to start?

Hey governor, want to go organic?

Paul has his eye on the grounds surrounding Jim Doyle's home - Wisconsin's governor's mansion. He's hoping to convince officials to add their state's highest profile public land to our Million Acre Challenge. Don't bet against him!

This stuff is heaven "scent." Let's say grace.

Father Domenic Jose Roscioli will tell you his inspiration for starting Father Dom's Duck's Doo Compost (it is what it sounds like) was Paul Newman. Like Newman's Own brand, all proceeds from the sale of Father Dom's compost are donated to charity. There are some residents of Kenosha, Wisconsin who will tell you Father Dom's selfless work helped save their community. Weed seed-free, as the name implies, Duck's Doo is made entirely of recycled duck poop, cranberries, rice hulls, wood shavings, pickles and vanilla beans. Did we mention that Father Dom is a dead ringer for actor, comedian, Steve Carell?

Before you go, please visit Paul Newman's Hole-in-the-Wall Gang camp for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Father Dom thanks you, and we do, too!

Another great new, super-activated, premium compost you'll soon see everywhere is made by Purple Cow Organics. Their slogan is a perfect fit for us: "Changing the Earth, One Bag at a Time." Sandy Syburg talks about his company's commitment to eco-friendly soil treatment.

A bunch of new things (and one dynamo of a woman)

Paul spent several days walking the floor of the Independent Garden Center trade show on the Navy Pier in Chicago and discovered some cool new products and people bursting on the organic lawn and garden scene. Patti Moreno is fast-becoming a household name. She calls herself The Garden Girl. Paul calls her the urban Martha. Born and raised in New York's inner city, she taught herself organic gardening, and now teaches thousands nationally as the host of Farmers Almanac TV. After going to college in Boston, she lives in Roxbury, MA now.

Here's a quick list of links to other cool new discoveries Paul shares on this week's show: Lady Bug garden fertilizer. Green Cure for powdery mildew, black spot and other plant diseases. Also check out BioSafe Systems. Looking for rare seeds? Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. in Mansfield, MO has 'em! You can e-mail Paul for the complete list.

Next week...

Billy Casper played golf against the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, yet managed to win 27 PGA tournaments between 1964 and 1970, including The Masters. On Thursday night, August 28th, you will meet Bryan Bielecki, Vice President of Agronomy for Billy Casper Golf. They're developing organic turf golf courses everywhere. See you LIVE next week for SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net.

They're neck and neck

It's been exactly 100 years since the Cubs won baseball's World Series. So, here's a question: which do you think will happen first -- we at the SafeLawns organization reaching our goal in the Million Acre Challenge, or Chicago's Northsiders claiming baseball's ultimate prize? We want you to pledge your lawn to organic care. Our goal is to convert one million acres of turf this way by 2010. The Cubs, at this moment, are rampaging through the National League and own the second-best won-loss record in baseball. Quite a race we're in, hey?

You pronounce it, NOH-vahk 

Why are we talking Chicago sports? Mike Nowak, one of two guests on this week's show, is a popular garden talk radio host in that city. Formerly with powerhouse WGN for many years, Mike is now heard on WCPT AM820, Sundays from Noon-2 pm. He's also an actor, director, comedian, magazine columnist AND someone who saw the organic light. We talk honey bees, CCD, 2-4-D, Home Depot in Canada, and the need for people to pay attention to how their community's public land is maintained. To stand up to your officials and ask hard questions when it comes pesticides and public health and safety where you live.

Fad or revolution?

We asked our other guest, Gregg Wartgow what he thinks about America's shift, albeit slowly, to chemical-free lawns and landscapes. He would know. As editior-in-chief of Pro Magazine in Wisconsion, a trade publication for the Green Industry, he's tapped into trends in the land management trades. You definitely will want to hear what Gregg has to say on the subject!

Gina, please call again!

We took a great call from a resident of Bergen County in northern New Jersey! Gina is a master gardener who, while planting roses in a city park, smelled something horrible. Worse still, the lawn service guy wouldn't (or couldn't) tell her what the pesticide was that he was spraying. Needless to say, Gina wanted answers. So she called the show last night and asked Paul Tukey about how to proceed. His advice is spot on. You too can do what Gina is doing. Go to our SafeLawns foundation's web site and click on Volunteer Resources. There you will find many free flyers, banners and how-to materials you can download and distribute to your neighbors and friends. There is even help on how to approach city officials with your concerns, and what to say. And Gina, please call us again soon with an update on your progress!

Next week...

Our August 21st show will be live from Madison, Wisconsin where Paul will be speaking the following day. We hope you'll tune in to SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio on Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern. If you can't, well, that's one reason we do this podcast!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net 

Peter, Paul & Mary knew something

One question that increasingly gets asked is, "how come so many people I know are getting cancer today?" One answer, my friend, is indeed blowin' in the wind. Think those poisons your lawn guy sprays stay in your yard? Wind carries these toxins miles. Rain washes them into our water tables. If you want clear advice and steps you can take now to safeguard your family and pets health, please, we beg you, listen to this week's show.

New homeowner, never gardened. Help me!

You came to the right place. Paul and Scott share some terrific gardening tips for beginners. Short on confidence? Afraid you'll "mess up?" Go into the forest. Notice all those trees that grew to great heights? Mother Nature did that, all by herself. What, you thought somebody hit them with MiracleGro? If you think this stuff is complex, it isn't. As Scott says, organic gardening and lawn care is easy to make complicated. Best advice? Have your soil tested by a professional before you do anything else. That will tell you which minerals and other nutrients your soil is lacking. 

Shrooms anyone?

Loyal listener, Kenton S. of Red Bank, NJ called with an excellent question about mushroom-based compost. As with any compost application, get that soil tested, first.

Next week...

We'll be talking trends in organic gardening and other things green with Gregg Wartgow, editor of Pro magazine. That's a trade journal for the green industry. Sure hope you will join us on SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio at 8 p.m. Eastern, Thursday night, August 14th.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net 

Perils of the New Pesticides

Side effects range from death and convulsions to headaches and skins rashes. And according to an investigative report, one so new the ink is still wet, we are seeing an "alarming rise" in so-called safe pesticide-related human poisoning. More than 26 percent of all major and moderate incidents involving pesticides reported to the EPA last year were caused by pyrethrin (and it's synthetic cousin, pyrethroid), a naturally-occurring compound dervived from...chrysantheums. No wonder they're so good at keeping bugs away! This week we talk with one of the authors of the report entitled Perils of the New Pesticides, Michael Pell. He's with the Center For Public Integrity, a non-profit, non-partisan investigative journalism organization working for the public interest. Pell was the lead journalist in assembling this study from hard-to-obtain government data. Millions are at risk, since pyrethrins are found in thousands of common products used to control insects in the home, on pets, and on people. This won't be the last you hear about this so, stay tuned!

Soil Surgeon Makes House Call

Todd Harrington was one of the driving forces of the organic lawn care movement in this country, and, we're proud to say, one of the co-founders of SafeLawns & Landscapes. He's Paul Tukey's hero and inspiration for Paul's bestselling book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual. Todd & Paul teamed up last night in our weekly ritual of answering your e-mail. Consequently this show is LOADED with great organic lawn management advice, so stop reading and start listening!

Now what do we do?

In what Paul calls a "parting shot from the outgoing administration" in Washington, the USDA has eliminated the only federal program that tracks the use of pesticides and fertilizers on American farms. Government officials blame budgetary constraints, leaving an unlikely coalition of scientists, industry groups and public advocates surprised and confused about how to continue without this vital, free information. The canceled program was the only one to make freely available to the public nationwide data on the amount of pesticides and fertilizers applied to U.S. farms. We discuss (or is it, rant?) the reasons and ramifications of this story. Paul was in rare form. 'Tis the (political) season, ya know. [visit the American Chemical Society web site to read more.]

Next week...

We keep the good times rollin' and stay straight on lawn care topic with another great guest, Scott Reil. He's Todd Harrington's right-hand man in CT and one of the northeast's top radio garden show hosts, so you won't want to miss this one!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

He lights up the faces of millions

Been to Rockefeller Plaza to see The Tree over any of the past 25 Decembers? Were the kiddies overcome with glee when the lights came on? Did it make for one of your most memorable holiday seasons ever? Then you might want to thank Guy Torsilieri. For the last quarter century Guy's family landscaping business, Torsilieri Inc. of New Jersey, has been picking out, setting up and flipping the light switch on the world's most famous Christmas tree. Cool job, yes? On this week's show, Guy talks about how he got the gig, where he finds the perfect Norwegian spruce (usually) each year to play the starring role, and why the whole process is so top-secret, almost until the moment The Tree arrives in the the Big Apple.

He's also one of us

Torsilieri Inc. is a thriving $20 million a year business whose resume' features such high-profile landscape projects as JFK International Airport and the U.S. Tennis Open at Flushing Meadows. So why would Guy climb aboard the SafeLawns & Landscapes bandwagon, and decide to run 27 territories in New Jersey, thus becoming the largest franchisee in our ever-growing family of lawn care professionals? You'll just have to listen!

7 1/2 million Canadians can breathe (literally) easy now

Paul Tukey reports that 51% of Canada is now living with a chemical pesticide ban, living being the operative word. And it all started with one woman who, in 1985, got her tiny community of Hudson, Quebec to stand up to Chem-Lawn. The ensuing legal battle, and ultimate Canadian Supreme Court ruling in Hudson's favor began what today is a national movement away from toxic lawn products. It's all in the documentary movie Paul is making. Can't wait to see it!

Maybe it's no coincidence

What do homeowners in Long Island and Cape Cod, Mass. have in common? Along with having soil rich in sand content (which is really the point here), the number of cases of breast cancer in those two regions are among the highest, per capita, in the United States. The extensive use of chemical lawn pesticides and other environmental toxins has long been thought to be one reason (though findings in 2002 by the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project found no direct correlation). Thanks to Karen C. for writing about her aunt -who lives on Long Island - being unable to convince her husband to switch to organics. Karen's aunt now has cancer for the second time in her adult life.

Your question, please?

This week's e-mail bag is loaded with great questions and your praise for the work being done to "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Paul advised on organic weed control, lawn watering tips in the dead of summer, poison ivy in tree form and much more. Oh, and thanks to Shirley M. in Uncasville, CT for phoning to ask about how to make her two year old strawberries come back bigger and juicier than ever next year. 

Next week...

Todd Harrington, take 2. Yes, our own Soil Surgeon, humbly apologetic for being unable to join us two weeks ago, assures he will be present-and-accounted for. Along with Paul, Todd will provide you with expert advice and little-known tips on organic lawn care. He's been doing it since the '80s. Tune in to our next web cast LIVE in cyberspace on Thursday night, July 31st at 8 PM Eastern, and thanks, as always, for listening!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Quick, think of something!

When our scheduled guest was AWOL -- unavoidably it turns out -- host Paul Tukey turned Thursday night's regular live show into a jam session of listener Q & A. Anything but impromptu-sounding, Paul handled a steady stream of e-mail puzzlers about everything from red thread and Japanese beetles, to creeping charlie and Kentucky blue grass, with his usual easy-going precision. What, you were expecting a tap dance from the bestselling author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual?

No rain dancing allowed

Ken's favorite piece of advice was what Paul said to do when there's no rain in sight and the yard needs mowing. Can you guess? Think: lazy. Cross another item off that Honey Do list!

Got fire ants?

Spinosad to the rescue! The new all-natural bait is perfectly safe for humans and will vanquish a vicious colony of fire ants in a lot less time than it will take to find your magnifying glass. (psst: look under the Sunday funnies.)

Next week

We introduce you to the man who scours the northeast countryside every fall for the perfect spruce (usually) tree. The one he picks out is destined to become America's most famous Christmas tree, adorned and then adored by millions in New York City. See you at 8 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 24th!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Simple pond scum? Think again.

When you think of alternative energy sources, algae does not spring to mind. Unless that mind belongs to Glen Kertz. He has developed a technology that wrings lipids - basically vegetable oil - out of certain types of algae to mass produce bio-fuel. The kind that converts to diesel and other applications, including jet fuel. His patented system is called "Vertigro" and tests have shown the capacity to produce 33-thousand gallons of oil per acre per year from algae grown under hot-house conditions using high-density vertical bioreactors. Kertz, the president and CEO of Valcent Products of El Paso, TX, says we can do much better. So why aren't investors flocking to this potential key to sustaining our future? You'll just have to listen.

Lights, camera...

Host Paul Tukey spent this past week in Canada, filming a documentary movie about the little town of Hudson, Quebec, just west of Montreal. This community of 5-thousand citizens became the David to Chem-Lawn company's Goliath when they won a monumental legal battle over the town's ban of lawn pesticides. The Supreme Court of Canada was the final judge. Hudson was the first town in North America to say no to toxic lawn pesticides. Today, those chemicals are forbidden across most of Canada. Paul's movie will tell the story and he has an update on the production in this episode.

Commencement = Dead grass in DC

Way to go there, university-to-remain-anonymous! Our SafeLawns rennovation of a four-acre tract of land on the National Mall in Washington took a nasty hit last month during college graduation excercises (Paul doesn't name the school to preserve its dignity, but you can Google it!). A school official, no doubt trying to be considerate of our lush, green, organically grown turf, ordered the seating area beneath the chairs covered with black plastic. It stayed there nine days. Ouch! Oh, and p.s. to someone who sent the e-mail of condolences for a "failed project"...tell it to the guy with the trash bags! We just grow grass sans toxic chemicals. Quite well, thank you.

No Ken, that's not where Green manure comes from

Paul discusses the origin of this fertilizer. It comes very late in the show, so to save you time -- it's clover. So much for the St. Patty's Day theory our erstwhile producer has.

Gardening tip

Thanks to Diana Guillermo, a listener in Maryland for asking how to soften the clay-based soil in her patch of community vegetable garden. Yes, free shredded hardwood mulch - as she suggests - added to the soil can help, but Paul advises thoroughly composting it first. We love e-mail! Send yours to paul@safelawns.org.

Next week

SafeLawns and Landscapes own "Soil Surgeon" Todd Harrington joins us from Connecticut to provide expert advice and tips on organic lawn care. He's been doing it since the '80s. Longer than anyone we know!

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Fulfilling Walt's dream...
and then some

Well before this week's guest became the woman Paul Tukey calls the "grand dame of American Horticulture", Katy Moss Warner was carrying out Walt Disney's environmentally friendly vision for his sprawling Florida playground. For 24 years Katy's genious for creating colorful gardens and managing largely natural landscapes made the 30+ thousand acres of Walt Disney World a tourist's paradise. Her official title was Director of Horticultural and Environmental Initiatives, but her skill-sets were equal parts maestro, magician and chief choreographer-in-charge of floral entertainment. As she puts it, "what do you do to get people excited about plants?" Of course, she had some pretty strong motivation:

"It was really important to figure out just how to grab the attention of 40-million people each year, when your competition is Mickey Mouse, a castle and the smell of chocolate chip cookies."

Today, Katy is president Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society, a national, non-profit, member-based organization with a bold vision of "making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens."

She currently serves on the board of "America in Bloom", a national awards program that encourages beautification as a way of planting pride in communities across America. She also serves on the Advisory Council of "The Growing Connection", an international organization sponsored by the United Nations that encourages youth in America and developing countries to grow food and share their successes and challenges with each other.

A visionary and dynamo, Katy Moss Warner has a sustainable picture of America's future - and it begins in our own back yards. Don't miss what is easily one of the most riveting interviews we've done, with one of the most fascinating people you will ever encounter.

Hidden agenda?

A new turfgrass study shows - according to those who funded it - that you can reduce your carbon footprint in your own backyard, simply by "managing your lawn responsibly." On the surface, it's true; healthy turfgrass does capture up to four times more carbon from the air, than is produced by today's lawnmowers. Paul takes the findings to task for what the study doesn't tell us (like all the energy being used to run those machines and make all that chemical fertilizer). By the way, the study was paid for by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). We think you can see the big picture, but judge for yourself.

eMail call!

Tricia lives in the Tampa Bay area and asks, what is the best grass seed to use on a very sandy, very shady yard in south Florida? Paul recommends either centipede grass, or chewings red fescue. Another popular grass natural to Florida is bahia, but that's more for full-sun yards, as is zoysia grass.

Malathion danger

Google that and see what pops up. Not pretty, is it? Now visit the Sierra Club of Canada web site and read what our neighbors to the north are doing about this extremely toxic chemical that's being widely used today to fight West Nile virus-carrying mosquitos. Thanks to Christina, a listener in Missouri, for raising the question!

Next week

We take a brief break, our first vacation from the show in four months. But there's plenty to listen to right here in the the archives. As always, thanks for joining us! We'll see you again LIVE on Thursday night, July 10th.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Gardening for the Rest of Us

Kerry Mendez has mastered the art of low-maintenance perennial gardening. She and her husband own a quarter-acre homestead in upstate NY that boasts big, beautiful ever-blooming beds of everything you can think of, everywhere. In this episode Kerry takes us through the basics of growing perennials, without all the back-breaking work. Now THAT's for me! As well as writing about it for several of the leading horticulture magazines, Kerry teaches this stuff. Is she good at it? More than 6,000 people of all ages have taken her classes.

Tribute to a Matriarch

Paul Tukey was in Boston this week to scope out the SafeLawns Foundation's latest organic lawn makeover project, the Rose Kennedy GreenWay. The four-acre tract is Beantown's version of the successful project we're doing on the National Mall in Washington DC (see the video!), one of several marquee projects we have going across America to prove you can grow lush green grass without a speck of chemical.

Oh, Canada!

Paul has been having a blast this week north of the border working on a documentary we are shooting, a full-length feature film about the tiny town of Hudson, near Montreal, Quebec. In 1991 Hudson became the first community in North America to ban toxic chemical pesticides. The industry sued (Chemlawn and Spraytech, to be precise). It was a monumental court battle. When it was over, Hudson had prevailed! Hear all about it, and about the film we're making, in this episode.

Seen Our Truck?

Fact is, those distinctive SafeLawns & Landscapes lawn care vehicles are starting to pop up in quite a few more neighborhoods in the northeast. Scott Schotter, our CEO stops by this show to update progress we're making in signing up lawn care professionals who want to go all-organic with us. It's becoming a revolution. A small one, sure, but growing larger every day.

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

Enjoy the show and...see you next week!

Living (and teaching) her generation's legacy

We welcome two guests this week, each with their own unique contributions to our environment and the organic movement. Author, actress, chef, yoga instructor and wholistic lifestyle expert, Anna Getty is the great granddaughter of oil magnate, J. Paul Getty. Her gift to earth and its inhabitants becomes self-evident when you hear her speak.

"There is a voice missing, and I want to be that voiceâThe goal is bettering your health, bettering the health of your family, bettering the quality of the environment, doing it all at the same time, and doing it in a way that's fun, accessible, easy and adventurous."

She calls this conscious mentality, PureStyle Living. It's not just her company's brand name, it embodies everything she believes in and teaches.

Taking good care of the land

Our second guest, Paul Sachs, became one of the founders of America's quest to manage the land organically. That was 25 years ago. Today, Paul runs the company he started, North Country Organics of Bradford, Vermont, and is considered one of the foremost authorities on organic landscaping. He has written three books, including one on organic golf course management.

We discuss "green washers" (companies who try to disguise chemical products using terms like organic based), as well as very controversial legislation that is creeping into more and more states: the banning of pesticide fertilizers - including the truly organic kind.

Linkology

Healthy Child, Healthy World

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!

Avert your ears

Organic or chemical, "no pesticide is safe." This week's guest, Gary Fish should know. A former ChemLawn employee, who for years has headed up the Maine Board of Pesticide Control, his stories of pesticide abuse, consumer ignorance, and unconscionable commercial lawn care practices should concern you. Gary has long-preached the "less is more" approach to pesticide application. He and Paul Tukey also discuss the growing number of states working on laws to regulate phosphorus, the chemical in fertilizer responsible for creating devastating algae bloom in our lakes. To be fair, Gary says lawncare in general- organic or otherwise - is too complicated for almost everyone. That's why he founded "Yardscapes" a terrific resource for homeowners. Tons of tips and great advice, check it out! 

Nuts you say?

This week's e-mail brings an SOS from Michael A. in High Point, NC who asks how to stop the tenacious weed, Nut Grass (or nut sedge) from taking over the other two-thirds of his yard. Like all weeds, it's a messenger trying to tell you something. Paul advises changing your soil "type."

Speaking of pests

Moles, voles and grubs continue to dominate your e-concerns. Courtney O. in Cumberland County, ME works with the Soil & Water Conservation District there, helping consumers with these fellas. She keeps hearing that Bonide Moletox II, which contains zinc phosphide, seems to work- but is it safe? Gary Fish pretty much covered the notion of safe pesticides.

Program note...

Next week only, our show airs on Wednesday night, June 11th. We've lined up two captivating guests including Anna Getty, one of the leaders of the organic movement in America who also happens to be the great granddaughter of oil baron, J. Paul Getty. That makes her one of the world's most visible heiresses, a fact you will quickly forget when you hear her passion for this planet. Joining her on the show will be a pioneer in the going-organic crusade, Paul Sachs, who founded North Country Organics (yes, the grub control people).

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us on the 'Net at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!

The Big Myth

It is the biggest piece of misinformation out there, and the #1 reason why consumers reject organic lawn and garden solutions. We are led to believe it means giving up lush green grass and beautiful plants and flowers to protect the environment, when, in fact, we can have it all, naturally! Our guest this week is America's first lady of horticulture, Barbara Damrosch, who has been writing about understanding nature's role in everything we grow for more than 30 years. Her book, The Garden Primer, is the #1 best-selling gardening book of all-time. Written two decades ago, Barb re-released it this past year with additional organic tips and advice. We still aren't sure how she finds the time to write a regular column in the Washington Post, do TV shows on the Learning Channel, PBS and HGTV, and tend her own year-round veggie garden on Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine where Barb and husband Eliot Coleman call home.

Berry, Berry Good

How DO you keep birds from eating your plump strawberries? Paul Tukey says it's a net sum game (21:50 into the show). Thanks to caller Shirley M. in Uncasville, CT for the great question!

Dog Biscuits

In this week's e-mail, Barbara D. in Brunswick, Maine asks, what can I do to keep fido and fifi from "watering" my brown (formerly green) spots? A group of vets in Wisconsin solved it. One word: Yucca.

Take the Pledge

Our Million Acre Challenge gets a boost from Gary G. in Montgomery, Ohio who says he's been pitching city hall in his hometown to climb aboard the movement. What's that about? Glad you asked! No reason municipal property Everywhere USA can't Go Green. Find out more here.

Cover Your Ears!

Next week, former ChemLawn employee Gary Fish, longtime manager of the pesticide programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, joins us. Wait 'till you hear some of his horror stories!

Linkology

Resources mentioned on this week's show...
Grub control: North Country Organics
Dog Biscuits: Yucca, Lawngard

Sorry for the delay in getting this published. When granddaughters graduate high school with valedictorian honors (ahem), one simply must be there- no matter the distance!

This week's show (live on May 22nd) features nationally recognized organic landscape educator, author (Good Bug, Bad Bug is her latest book) and popular gardening talk show host, Jessica Walliser. For advice on building natural retaining walls, to better plant nutrition, catch her on The Organic Gardeners every weekend on Lime Radio, heard around the world on Sirius Channel 114, and locally on KDKA in Pittsburgh.

In LawnCare News

Paul Tukey takes aim at... a new survey says that while 9-of-10 households believe it's important to maintain their landscapes in a sustainable way, only half of all households say they know how to maintain lawns and gardens in environmental-friendly ways... a battle between environmentalists & homeowners, against the city of Burlington, North Carolina. The issue: human waste fertilizer.

e-Mail Call!

A lady in DC has family and neighbors all upset 'cause she took Paul's advice to get healthier grass, and is letting her lawn grow (and grow, and grow!). It's already over a foot high and the seeds still haven't dropped. Family, start your engines! Another email about yard in Detroit in desperate need of soil amendments. Free coffee grounds from Starbucks and Canadian peat to the rescue? Not so fast.

Organic Lawncare DVDs ...FREE!

We've more than 30 videos full of advice you can download on the SafeLawns Foundation web site. Thank you to a Gloria B. in Houston for reminding us we need to mention this invaluable, free resource more often!

Other links on this week's show include...
National Gardening Association
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
People, Places and Plants magazine

Learn how you too can lead the crusade in your community to help us "save our environment, one lawn at a time." Please visit us on the 'Net at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net

See you next week!

Fueled by what Rob Johnston calls consumers' grocery store sticker shock, and angst over the skyrocketing price of gas, Americans are again looking to local organic farmers for food. Rob is thrilled to see the resurgence of backyard vegetable gardening. And not just because he sells seeds. Johnny's Selected Seeds, by Maine standards, is big business. Next to seed companies on a global scale, however, not so much. Making all the sweeter those seven All-America awards he's won, the MVP trophy of Rob's industry. Not too shabby for a 1970 college dropout whose 35-year old company today services home gardeners and small commercial growers across the USA and more than 50 other countries with products, research and technical savvy.

From this week's email bag, host Paul Tukey offers tips on how to vanquish poison ivy, what to do about moss (Paul happens to like the stuff- the moss, we mean), and answers concerns about overseeding.

Some other links...
American Seed Trade (www.amseed.com) and Northeast Organic Farmers Association (www.nofa.org). Rob Johnston's blog.

Enjoy the show and see you next week!

Visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net. And for great gardening advice in the Northeast, it's People, Places & Plants magazine. 

SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio is a Penguin Pods production.

You know her as the versatile actress who has starred on TV and the silver screen for going on two decades. Now, meet Victoria Rowell, bestselling author, organic gardening enthusiast, and evangelist, of sorts, for putting things right with Mother Nature. Joining us for our special Mother's Day show, in this exclusive interview Victoria shares some of her life-altering moments growing up a foster child on a 60-acre farm in West Lebanon, Maine. Her book, "The Women Who Raised Me" is as much a tribute to the inspirational people who truly helped shape her tireless advocacy for foster care programs, as it is a testament to Ms. Rowell's brilliant story-telling. Oh, and something else. Paul Tukey divulges a little known guilty pleasure he indulges. We won't spoil the surprise, but let's just say that Victoria has been "in his life" for the past 18-years. So, next time you settle in with The Young and The Restless hoping that Drucilla Winters will return, or watch a re-run of Diagnosis Murder to see Dr. Amanda Bentley save Mark's bacon one more time, you can tell folks you know the real Victoria Rowell. A true star who is as down to earth as anyone you will ever meet.

Speaking of Mother's Day, if you're reading this before this weekend and will be anywhere near LL Bean in Freeport, Maine, you can meet Paul and Victoria and hear them speak. On Saturday, May 10th (Victoria's birthday, by the way!), at 9 a.m. Paul takes his organic lawncare message and his book The Organic Lawncare Manual to Beans' flagship store. On Sunday, it's Vicky's turn. She speaks at 2:30 p.m. and will autograph her book for you, too!

In this week's show we address a troubling report from the GAO in Washington about what is - or is not - going on with the federal EPA. It has to do with more than 500 chemicals whose impact on consumers and our environment has yet to be determined. Look for the full story on the www.safelawns.org site this week, and then stay tuned right here for more. 

Next week's guest: Rob Johnston, the founder of Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine joins on May 15th. They are celebrating 35-years as the best-known seed company in the country. Maybe we'll have cake. See you then!

Visit us online at www.safelawns.org and www.safelawns.net. And for great gardening advice in the Northeast, it's People, Places & Plants magazine. 

SafeLawns & Landscapes Radio is a Penguin Pods production.

Think about this for five seconds. One third of everything we eat relies on pollination by the honey bee. And they are mysteriously disappearing by the millions! Perhaps as much as 30% of the bee population in North America. That's $15 Billion worth of US fruits, nuts and veggies at risk! Hope you like corn, because that's pretty much what will be left.

David Hackenberg, a beekeeper for almost a half-century, says the phenominon known as Colony Collapse Disorder is no mystery to him. He blames imidacloprid, the active incredient in Merit, and most other grub controls - as well as numerous other insect-killing products. The pesticide is extremely toxic to bees, making their immune systems go haywire. Scientists don't all agree that a pesticide alone is killing off bees. But Hackenberg, a past president of the American Beekeepers Federation says the evidence is overwhelming that imidicloprid is the prime culprit in some bee tenders losing up to 90% of their hives over the past year.

Hackenberg joined host Paul Tukey last night, only to have his claims immediately be challenged by our first caller. Enjoy the show! In the meantime, we'll be out there continuing to help save our environment, one lawn at a time. Visit us online at www.safelawns.org.

Excellent week too for the SafeLawns movement! Not so good for Scotts, however. The EPA ordered the Ohio-based chemical lawncare company to stop selling and distributing two pesticide products. Scotts has agreed to a huge recall in the US. Stay tuned.

Make it 38 states now in which Paul Tukey has preached the SafeLawns gospel. He spoke in Tennessee this Earth Day. Officials held a news conference in his honor. All the big media were there. Roll cameras!

This week's guest is Peter Wild, a certified arborist and the founder and CEO of Arborjet Inc. of Boston. His company is leading the charge to help trees fight off exotic and native insect pests and diseases. Predators who threaten our natural and urban forests. They use a procedure that involves systemic injections of pesticides. If you're unaware of what's been going on with the insect invastion of our woodlands, you will want to hear his comments.

Our global family certainly is growing after just seven weeks of this radio show! Paul answers email from...let's see...Venezuela and tropical gardening...a man in California whose urban neighbors won't stop putting down chemcials...Annapolis, MD (yum, crabcakes!) where a landscape architect seeks advice on how to spec organic lawns by the Bay...and from the shores of Lake Michigan where a couple needs the right fertilizer product for waterfront property. Keep 'em coming folks! Fire away to paul@safelawns.org.

Oh, and Ken, our producer, even got one right! Yep, the guy who claims you can "fill a thimble" with what he knows about organic lawn and garden care knew the answer to one listener's query about groundcover plants. (psst: the password is Stepables). What is it they say about blind squirrels and acorns?

Start the buzz. Next Thursday night, May 1st, we'll be talking bees with David E. Hackenberg, past president of the American Beekeeping Federation and the man credited with determining the major cause of Colony Collapse Disorder.

Other helpful tips from this week's show:
ground cover plants - Jeepers Creepers 
organic fertilizers - Bradfield Organics 
compost tea - how to make it

Visit us online at www.safelawns.org or www.safelawns.net

Even casual baseball fans know Cal Ripken, Jr. holds the all-time record for consecutive games played. Cal laced 'em up 2,632 straight times over 16 seasons, remaining in the Baltimore Orioles' lineup despite numerous minor injuries. What has that to do with Thursday night's guest, radio and TV gardening show host and bestselling author, Jeff Lowenfels? (cue Jeopardy music...) The answer's on the welcome mat to Jeff's web site:

"On Saturday, November 13, 1976 an American Institution was born. That was the day Jeff Lowenfels' first garden column appeared on page 19 in the Anchorage Daily News. The column has appeared every week ever since and is now the longest running garden column in North America. This makes Jeff the Cal Ripkin of garden columnists. His fellow garden writers, however, knowing that Jeff is also an attorney, have dubbed him 'America's Dirtiest lawyer.' He likes to foster this image by almost never getting his car washed."

That's 33 straight years! His secret? His paper tells readers when a columnist misses a week that the writer is on vacation. Jeff jokes that you might as well tell folks to "come rob your home."

Soil biology have you puzzled? Jeff's book, Teaming with Microbes keeps it simple.

Got Grubs? Helpful links mentioned on the show include:
North Country Organics makers of Grub Guard.
Grub Busters
Beneficial Nematodes
Be sure to visit on the web at safelawns.org and safelawns.net.

Photos don't lie. Not only is our four acres of lush green lawn on the National Mall one heck of an eye-catcher, it's just more fun to wiggle your toes in! That's what these teenage girls visiting Washington DC from NYC told Paul Tukey this week when he stopped by to snap some pics. A big assist for how the SafeLawns.org two-year renovation project is turning out goes to Bradfield Organics whose all-natural fertilizers were our choice for the task.

Bill Sadler, who oversees the Bradfield Organics product line for Land O'Lakes Purina Mills in St. Louis, was Paul's guest on our live webcast Thursday night. In addition to being an expert in the field of animal nutrition, Dr. Sadler has his own organically maintained vineyard and fruit orchard. He's also quite the fan of gardening expert and author Jeff Lowenfels whose bestselling book, Teaming with Microbes sits on Bill's bedside stand. Oh, and you must hear what Bill has to say about what the next five years hold for organic gardening and lawncare!

It was also e-mail catchup night. Paul answered a number of your questions and concerns, dispensing, as always, great advice and timely tips for any growing situation. Don't forget, we are LIVE every Thursday night at 8 PM Eastern. Check us out here.

Stars are not the only things that "shine big and bright, late at night, deep in the heart of Texas." Take last night for instance. Howard Garrett dropped by the SafeLawns & Landscapes radio ranch to swap good old, down home organic recipes with host Paul Tukey. Better known to millions of radio gardening show fans in America as the "Dirt Doctor," Howard shares how watching his daughter - then just a toddler - try to eat whatever she found in the yard, transformed him into the natural growth guru and "Garrett Juice" practitioner we know today. His weekly Dirt Doctor Newsletter is a must-read. Free, too! Sign up here.

Can you say, mycorrhizal fungi? Know what it is? Meet Dr. Mike Amaranthus, an honest to goodness expert on this living substance that is so hard to pronounce but vital to soil health. He has published more than 60 scientific papers related to mycor..um..(don't make us say it again!), soil restoration and ecosystem management. Dr. Mike has presented his research in countries all over the world, and has been featured on such prestigious television programs as Nature and National Geographic. An associate professor at Oregon State, Mike tells an amusing story about the irony of his last name. Extra credit if you can figure it out BEFORE you listen to the show!

Chemical pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizer are toxic to all living organisms. Pediatrician and environmental medicine expert, Dr. Alan Vinitsky says small children can pick up these toxins pretty quickly. Yet today, millions of parents continue to spread these poisons on their lawns and in their gardens. Why? Well, that's why you can't miss this episode! Dr. Vinitsky has long been interested in teaching parents and kids creative ways to improve their health, so he and Natalie Golos co-wrote Energy -- The Essence of Environmental Health.

Our other great guest is Todd Harrington (around here he's known as the "The Soil Surgeon"), the co-founder of SafeLawns & Landscapes. Talk about your believers! Todd took his Connecticut-based lawncare company all-organic way back in 1987. Todd and SafeLawns Operations Manager, Scott Reil (pressed into pinch-hit hosting duty tonight he delivered a home run!) discuss the Haber-Bosch Process. Did you know that these two German chemists set out to make explosives- and wound up with fertilizer? Won them a Nobel Prize, it did.

Hope you enjoy episode #3 of the SafeLawns & Landscapes podcast. See you next week!

Finally back home in Maine after a two-week, multi-state speaking tour, Paul Tukey answers one of the questions he most often hears: when is the best time to start an organic lawn care program?

Scott Schotter, the dynamic CEO of SafeLawns & Landscapes talks about this groundswell shift to chemical-free turf maintenance, and where he sees it going.

Paul's other guest is Peter Bottomley, a representative of Bradfield Organics and Coast of Maine Organics. They discuss the critical importance of healthy soil, and how to get yours alive and furtile again.

We also dip into our email bag to answer some of your concerns.

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