Garden pesticides are contributing to British songbird decline, study finds. Scientists urge people to stop ‘spraying gardens with poison’ and adopt wildlife-friendly practices.
Garden pesticides are contributing to British songbird decline, study finds. Scientists urge people to stop ‘spraying gardens with poison’ and adopt wildlife-friendly practices.
9 comments
Gardening can be fun but without chemicals it can take a whole fuck load of time.
Got a patch of wild grass I just let grow whatever it wants.
Then I’ve got some nice plants and flowers and other shit a wee tree and a bird table. Gonna go out this spring and plant some more stuff but weeding by hand all the stuff I don’t want. Especially fucking moss is a never ending task I just don’t have time for, especially since the council don’t like my idea of using fire.
Very good – I leave a space for nettles – they attract all sort of insects and also people can make soup and eat them as they are very healthy and clean the body of toxins – ever heard that a sting of them can help alleviate arthritic pain
Half the gardening section at B&Q is sprays and poisons to kill every living thing. Gardening rewards patience and understanding rather than the quick fix of plastic grass and instant death but is thus at odds with the lifestyle we’ve come to expect.
Last year I took on an allotment that is located on an organic farm so pesticides (or even ‘organic’ pesticides) are not allowed, and so far have had mixed success. I have huge respect for organic farmers, it is definitely not easy without chemicals but there does seem to be noticeably abundant wildlife, and particularly insects.
Compared to industrialised horticulture, a bit of “Round Up” or some slug pellets or what ever are a drop in the ocean.
I’m not condoning their use in anyway but this is like pointing the finger at British pollution and ignoring the US, Russia and China.
Anyone know how I can stop greenfly half killing my apple trees every year without pesticides? It’s the only time I use them but an alternative would be great. Hoverflies barely make a dent in them.
On the one hand, I wouldn’t reflexively be against banning pesticides from sale to the public. But on the other this is individualising the problem again.
I don’t want any growth in my garden or driveway and I haven’t any time to give it the maintenance to remove/cut weeds. Equally, in the sections of my garden that are decent, like my log cabin surrounding area, foilage will literally damage it.
So no, until a time comes that there is a better method, I will use the strongest industrial weedkiller sprayed over it all.
We fell for this after buying our first house 3 years ago and sprayed the lawn with weed killer, ripped out all of the moss, etc.
Realised quite quickly that grass on its own is just shit and can’t retain water or stay green for very long. Have been working since then to encourage life back in by letting the moss take over again, sowing clover into the lawn, giving over space for a meadow and ripping up the concrete path and replacing with woodchip.
Then next door’s letting agent comes by and sprays their lawn with weed killer.