State environmental agency encourages Illinoisans to think green when gardening

[April 24, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- April showers bring May flowers. Throughout the next month, Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott urges "green thumbs," and anyone who maintains a lawn, throughout Illinois to think green by using employing eco-friendly habits when gardening.

"Spring is typically a time when people plants flowers, clean up their yards and spend a great deal of time outdoors. Being green is more important than ever, and these eco-friendly suggestions are an opportunity to adopt a greener lifestyle, while helping to keep chemicals out of the waste stream and groundwater," said Scott. "It can also reduce the exposure of children and pets to lawn and garden chemicals."

Some environmentally friendly green gardening solutions, which may reduce the need to use other non-environmentally friendly products, are easily made from products in the home and are easy for any gardener to adopt. Some eco-friendly gardening alternatives follow:

• Planting prairie grasses, trees and shrubs for shade and wind block and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Gardening the organic way is fun and quite easy and is another option for green thumbs to reap what they sow. Gardeners using organic methods can help maintain the health of the planet by choosing native species.

• Harvesting rainwater with rain barrels to water your garden. Besides helping the environment by using water that comes from the sky, rather than water that comes from the tap, an obvious reason for harvesting rainwater is to save money.

• Starting a compost pile with fruit and vegetable waste. The result is nutritious food for your garden.

• Letting grass clippings lay and mulching fall leaves. This eliminates waste and conserves soil nutrients. Grass clippings and mulched leaves are great fertilizers.

• Using natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends such options as garlic, hot pepper spray, one teaspoon of liquid soap per gallon of water, used dishwater or a forceful stream of water that dislodges insects.

• Setting your mower deck at a higher level. This will encourage grass roots to grow deeper and the lawn to thicken. Thicker lawns smother out weeds and require less watering

• Trying pest-control methods that are more selective and do not rely on heavy use of pesticides. Identify the pest and then determine how they should be controlled. Spot treat problem areas. Try this solution for snails: Fill a shallow pan with beer, sinking it to ground level. This is a guaranteed snail catcher.

[Text from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]