What problems might fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides cause?

Question

What problems might fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides cause?

Answer 1

pesticides and herbicides are wrong all the time as well as fertilizers

there are no exceptions

they contaminate ground waters ,raise the PH and affect human childbirth very negatively.

And desertification is usually the final product when the soil has been killed by agro chemicals and heavy equipment ,fertilizers override natural chemicals and damage soil balance,herbicides and pesticides kill the good as well as the bad

in balanced natural eco systems ,all life has its function

to kill all of that and then try to work in isolation artificially with in and on top of a natural system damages the healthy equilibriums that exist

Alternative Farming Methods ,that are sustainable and autosufficient ,using proved organic methods are the answer

there are hundreds of ways to get rid of pests either by design (diversity)or organic methods of pest control

herbicides are rediculous

just a mulch cover gets rid of weeds and produces compost this also makes fertilizers obsolete

MULCH

what you do is to cover the ground with mulch which is the same principal as compost but it includes the whole garden surface

the top part of the soil where the topsoil is being produced houses a world or microbiotic life.

Mulch is organic material green or dry that covers the ground,the thicker the better the composting process will turn it in to black topsoil

the humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the devellopment of worms,who airate the soil (their exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together with the mulch produce more topsoil.

the mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surfave if on unprotected land

Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and, lay it open to wind erosian.

and it turn out the lights for any weeds that want to come up

do not use chemicals because the water will wash them into the ground and if enough people did that, you would be guilty of helping to contaminate subteranean water suplies that other people could be pumping up to drink,

ALTERNATIVE FARMING

read up on Organic Farming and Permaculture

A lot of hardcore Intelligent farmers are changing for sustainable farming

instead of the quick 3 to 5 years of intense monocultures that kill the ground and then live with the consequences

and dont talk dirty again,mentioning pestecides and herbicides , there are childen on this show

NOTE ON ORGANIC PEST CONTROL

Just a few examples of organic pest control and there are thousands

In Mexico we got a sort of small lizard that lives on the wall ,and sit near the lamps ,and eat mosquitos all night,

in the mango orchards we release laboratory bred wasps to attack and kill the caterpillars that go for the mangos

there are small chickens, called a silky or bantom or chaparito which are all small chickens that do not scratch ,but run after ,jumping and walking insects,they take care of about 70 percent of all garden pests.

feasants,guinyfowel,partridge will do the same work

iguanas kill grashoppers and all kinds of flying insects

birds we also dont kill

when the passion fruit is ripe ,a little black caterpiller comes and wants to destroy them,luckely a little finch type bird turns up and eats the black caterpillars.

In Mexico we have let mazacoas,which are, python type snakes in to the garden to take care of the rats.

In Africa we released mole snakes into the garden and field to combat the plagues of Norwegian rats that were destroying the fields

ant eaters and armadillos take care of leafcutting ants that can destroy a large tree in a week.and eat beatles and such

potbelly pigs and deer and normal pigs are good in an orchard because they eat fallen rotting fruit which breeds a lot of small flies.

in our water reservoirs we put fish to eat the mosquito larvas.

i have bred tree frogs from eggs and released them in the garden to eat mosquitos and horse flies.

Source(s):

Permaculture is a world recognised earth friendly movement but tends to include people that practice the concept and is active in all fields

Permaculture means permanent agriculture

a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s

which is a complete hand book for environmental design.

With practical solutions for energy systems ,infrastructure ,housing,

animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.

With the world and it`s history as it`s source

From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.

From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.

Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.

with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,

Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilising energy flows,

Strategy for an alternative nation

the Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.

and is the best all round book you can get.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])

you could ask at any of the directions below

some other writers that are on the internet are

david Holmgren

Larry Santoyo

Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,

One-Straw Revolution

The Road Back to Nature

The Natural Way of Farming

http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...

Simon Henderson

and Bill Molisson.

a representitive of the concept in USA is

Dan Hemenway at [e-mail]

[e-mail]

http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames....

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalo... Source(s) I am a permaculture consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government of Guerrero in Mexico

http://spaces.msn.com/byderule

Answer 2

Although I don't care for many fertilizers, and pesticides (herbicides are a class of pesticides), they have their uses occasionally. I'll go over a few of the problems though...

First commercial fertilizers are essentially nutrients, mostly nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. When using them, the plants like them (although they're not as good as using something like manure which is an earth friendlier fertilizer), but whatever the plants don't use, is available to run-off or volatilize. The run-off (from rain or overwatering!!) goes into waterways and the algae in the waterways go, YUM FOOD and then start growing out of control. The algae grow so well, they create "blooms" and then they use up the oxygen in the water so that everything in there dies, most noticeably fish!

Pesticides can cause all sorts of problems, including, but not limited to killing beneficial and non-target bugs, killing algae that is good, poisoning the user or anyone who is exposed especially inside, especially children and pets... Pesticides are not discriminating. Insecticides are harmful to humans too, they also kill beneficial bugs like spiders, lady bugs, preying mantids... Herbicides can be harmful to humans, and other organisms such as amphibians, birds, bees, aquatic organisms....

Anywho, I guess you could say that fertilizers and pesticides both have consequences to the unintended recipients of them!

Answer 3

Be careful using phosphorus-containing -cides, as they can harm animals if ingested.

Answer 4

Well one problem that they may cause is that fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are very high in nitrogen content which is a plant macronutrient.  This means that as these fertilazers, pesticides, etc. runoff into bodies of water algae   will start to build up.

     Now this algae will build up very quickly due to this sudden eutrophication (adding of nutrients to water).  Well this is a problem because as soon as one factor goes wrong and that algae starts to die bacteria start to break it down.  Well these bacteria need oxygen to survive.

     So now you have all of these decomposers breaking down plants sucking all of the oxygen out of the water and lowering the BOD.  So in turn your fish population in the lake will die out.

     Another problem is simply that these chemicals may spill over into drinking water which renders it undrinkable.

Answer 5

Beside the pollutin aspects, I want to mention the following:

Plants grown from inorganic fertilizer programs have faster growth rate but their structure are weaker and more susceptible to insects and diseases. So you will be told to use pesticides and herbicides. More chemicals put in the yard and they kill off the microbes, mostly the beneificial ones. The soil is dead.

I switched back to organic program since last year. I have seen more bees, butterfly, dragonfly, etc. in the yard. The yard is more alive. It will take another season or two to fully recovered but the signs are encouraging.

Answer 6

run off from using these products will ultimately get into the water system. There can be impact on drinking water and the natural flora and fauna it contacts.

Answer 7

spreading these products ultimately ends up in the water supply due to runoff.  there are many documented events of such, killing off entire fish and plant populations in a local river.  ultimately making it ot sea, being processed in small quantities by each and every animal in the ocean, and ending up on your dinner plate.  every living creature relies on the water in some way, shape or form, and ultimately these products will enter the food chain