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Pollution - Fertilizers

NEW STUDY ON WHICH FERTILIZERS POLLUTE

Want a beautiful lawn? Like to protect the environment? You can do both according to a new study conducted by Texas A&M University for the City of Austin. Nitrogen, one of the three nutrients found in fertilizer, can travel quickly through soil to pollute our groundwater. Austin's City Watershed Protection and Development Review Department commissioned the study to find out which fertilizers would be least likely to pollute and still satisfy the desire for an attractive lawn. The Texas A&M study compared nine different fertilizers and found that the certified organic, or other natural, fertilizers out-performed the synthetic ones in the study for both appearance and pollution prevention. Horticulturists, and soil and water quality scientists considered the new data along with other studies, scientific data and practical experience to revise the recommendations that have been promoted for the last twenty years. These new recommendations reduce fertilizer use by at least 75%!  View the Texas A&M Study on Nitrogen Movement through the Soil


HuMore & Bradfield Fertilizers
HuMore and Bradfield both have not only University research but both have research from Texas A&M.  The research for Hu-More was done on this product in relationship to a fungal disease called Take All Patch. Take All patch is difficult to control where synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides have been heavily used. Texas A&M did the research. Dr. Phil Cobaugh specifically - and the product worked not only as well but better than the chemical fungicides, in addition to the fact that Hu-More is an excellent natural fertilizer made from compost manure and alfalfa.  Another specific organic fertilizer that has university testing is Bradfield. It is an organic fertilizer that contains alfalfa, molasses and an organic source of potassium. The testing was done at The A&M Research Center in Weslaco and the results were outstanding. The organic fertilizer in this case not only was effective as but beat the synthetic fertilizers in tomato growing. Yes, there’s plenty of research on the organic products. The critics don’t admit it, but that’s what the organic gardeners have known for a long time.


Seaweed
Seaweed has been researched as much as any organic product over the years by Dr. T.L. Senn.  Anyone who has ever used liquid or dry seaweed doesn’t need any more convincing, but for the “show me” crowd – the research is there.

Dr. T.L. Senn was a professor at Clemson University. In 1987 he wrote a book called Seaweed and Plant Growth. He not only did research about the efficacy of seaweed as a soil amendment and foliar feeding material but its power to increase plant production from the trace minerals as well as the growth regulators. The research also proved that seaweed is an effective spray to control spider mites on infested plants. This research has been around for a very long time but people recommending the chemical treatments for spider mites such as Kelthane which is no longer on the market and other toxic materials never mentioned even the possibility of using this wonderful product.  Dr. Senn has received many awards for his research and publications, twenty of which relate to seaweed research. Seaweed can be easily found in all quality garden centers and feed stores

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