The Risk Of Using Chemicals In Your Garden

Transcript:

THE RISK OF CHEMICALS

We have chemicals in our everyday lives.  Shampoo, toothpaste, many foods and even our clothing. All either contain or are manufactured with the use of chemicals.  Besides polluting the environment, the use of chemicals can be much more threatening.

But we’re concentrating on gardening and the use of these chemicals on our food.  One of the prominent ways chemicals are used in food production is through chemical fertilizers.

Chemical fertilizers are quick-acting, short-term plant boosters and are responsible for:

1. Destruction of beneficial soil life, including earthworms
2. Altering vitamin and protein content of certain crops
3. Making certain crops more vulnerable to diseases
4. Preventing plants from absorbing some needed minerals.
5. Deterioration of the soil thus creating hardpan soil. (forms impervious layers of precipitates)

Unfortunately, many of the chemical fertilizers contain ACIDS such as Sulfuric and Hydrochloric. This then increases the acidity of the soil.

If you change the soil acidity (pH) you directly affect the types of organisms that can now live there.

Now you know why you see recommendations on these type fertilizers to either (a) add more organic matter or (b) use lime also. This is to offset the effects.

Another side effect is a reduction in the soils aeration.

The earthworms are killed that usually made the soil more porous.

There is also a cementing action that normally takes place and binds particles together in crumbs. This type of fertilizer can destroy that bonding action.

Chemicals also kill off the micro-organisms that plants depend on for some natural immunity from disease.

Plus, these chemicals can cause an increase in Nitrogen and a decrease in Phosphate.  A plant depends on just the reverse in order to gain resistance.

Probably one of the most overlooked side effects is the plants themselves tend to have less nutrient value. Regardless how good they look.