When I see anyone spraying the ground with a backpack sprayer, I always compliment them on how good their work looks and ask what it is that they are spraying. It’s almost always Roundup (AKA Glyphosate the most common active ingredient used in toxic landscaping practices in order to control “weeds”).
So, I kindly ask for the contact information of the owner and call them. I then introduce myself and compliment the hard work their crew was doing and how respectful they were when I spoke with them. I then ask what they are spraying and if they would be willing to share who instructed them to spray it.
In this case, they were spraying our neighborhood drainage roundabouts. The landscaping company representative says that it was the HOA president. He said, The HOA president “didn’t want anything growing in there”, and that I would have to talk with them.
Learn more about Round Up and how to get rid of it if you have some in your garage or shed.
Attending HOA Meetings Is Important If You Want To Have A Say
The next HOA meeting we have is to pass the budget. Before we pass the budget of $1500 for this maintenance crew, I politely explain that the makers of Roundup are paying out $11 billion in health damages because Roundup leaches minerals from any water-soluble living system that it comes in contact with.
Roundup is manufactured by Monsanto. Roundup contains Glyphosate, a key component in toxic landscaping and farming practices across the world. Furthermore, communities where Roundup is commonly used in high amounts tend to have statistically significant increases in cancer and other life threatening diseases. Children play in these medians. Finally, this rain gardens drain right into a critical ground water recharge zone. These chemicals don’t just “go away”.
So, I politely ask if I could be paid that $1500 to seed, mineralize, and spray with biological and biodynamic sprays to bring life back into those areas and grow a perennial flower and pollinator rain garden instead of the toxic landscaping chemical solution currently in play.
The community unanimously agrees, and I just have to speak with a representative from the city to clear it with them. With one email and a phone call, I was told that those spaces were designed to be rainwater gardens and that Roundup was the worst thing that someone could be putting on them as they drain directly into the river. That’s a HUGE WIN in my book!
Here’s My Recipe: One step at a time over six weeks
- Cast out a 1/4” layer of 1/8” Basalt mined from the Martin Marietta trap rock mine in Uvalde, Texas. Call Nil Patil at (210) 760-9830. The material is $20 per ton. You can substitute lava sand or azomite from your local nursery. The Natural Gardener and King Feed are good places to look for those products.
- Acquire seed:
- Horned toad restoration seed mix (50 wildflower and 33 native grass species) from Native American Seed: https://seedsource.com/horned-lizard-habitat-mix/.
- Warm season mixed cover crop from greencover.com. Call their distributor, Lee, of Southwest Farms, at (830) 444-7248.
- Inoculate the seed with BioCoat Gold and powdered sugar to give it an easy snack on its way to getting started. https://advancingecoag.com/product/biocoat-gold/
- Dust the seed with compost and BioChar.
- Cast a 1/4” layer of hardwood mulch
- Dust mulch with MicroLife appropriate to your soil. Call the company if you have questions. Our Texas Hill Country limestone soils are all sulfur deficient, so for my context here I used: https://www.microlifefertilizer.com/product/microlife-acidifier-6-2-4/
- Mix fermented EM-1, sea minerals, BioChar, and molasses in a 5-gallon bucket with a lid:
- Spray with Biodynamics preparations:
- https://biodynamicsource.org/product/bd-buffalo-soil-activator/
- https://jpibiodynamics.org/products/pfeiffer%E2%84%A2-field-and-garden-spray-1
- Sprayer: Any backpack sprayer with a waist belt that is comfortable.
- Food grade 5-gallon bucket: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite-5-gal-70mil-Food-Safe-Bucket-White-005GFSWH020/300197644
- Lid: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bucket-Companion-5-gal-Black-Paint-Bucket-Lid-LD5GRLBK006/303808738
- Strainer bag: https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-5-gal-Elastic-Top-Strainers-2-Pack-11573-36WF/202061360
- Observe and spray additional sprays after big rains or in the evening time as time allows. Spray for killing sidewalk weeds if it is a must: Use a separate small sprayer.
- 10-30% vinegar
- Epsom salt
- Dish soap
I would do this again a hundred times to help prevent Toxic Landscaping in any neighborhood!
This process has been easy, effective, a meaningful community builder, and beautiful to watch emerge into a robust and ever-changing ecosystem. I believe something similar will work with any HOA for the concerned homeowner or the entrepreneurial youth with a bit of logistics help with materials from a parent or inspired community member with a truck.
If your community requires more convincing, then these are valuable resources: https://nontoxicneighborhoods.org/resources/.
Cheers on your future pursuits.
Adam Russell
