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>>> Is your yard making you sick?


http://realestate.msn.com/is-your-yard-making-you-sick#11


Is your yard making you sick?

By Karen Aho of MSN Real Estate




The bad news: Allergies strike year-round. In fact, the most common affliction – ragweed – ramps up in autumn. Outside mold and mosquito-borne illnesses persist to first frost, as well, while the risk from chemical toxins lingers indefinitely.

This is not intended as a scare tactic. Rather, consider it a helpful reminder that while spring, pollen and the "lusty month of May" get all the attention, your yard could be making you feel lousy now.

The good news: Late summer and into the fall is a great time to get to work nixing the problem, for both immediate relief and better air come spring.

Many people mistakenly attribute allergies to their pets. Please don't get rid of the dog or cat just yet. At least see first whether your environment could be the cause of that foggy head and fatigue.

Shrubs lining house

Take a look at houses in your neighborhood. How many have large shrubs lining the front or pressed up tight beneath the windows? Many, right?

For good reason. Shrubbery brings proportion and beauty. Under windows, it can heighten security, deterring peepers and burglars.

The problem is that shrubs grow. Then they grow some more.

The side of a home needs light and air to prevent the growth of mold. So, too, does the ground outside. A layer of needles or leaves trapped under a dense thicket of shrubs won't get the light and air it needs to decompose. Mold will form to aid the process.

A good rule of thumb, experts say: Leave at least a 2-foot-wide path between the walls and any plants to ensure airflow and let in sunlight.

Consider also whether the shrubs themselves are making you sick. Yews, for instance, are highly allergenic and are often placed under windows.

Evergreen trees on southern and eastern sides

While trees provide welcome shade during summer, they can also block winter light.

"I continually see the flat-out dumb practice of planting tall evergreen trees and shrubs on the south side of a house," writes Thomas Leo Ogren, author of "Allergy-Free Gardening."

Conifers, which don't lose their leaves, can effectively block out winter's meager offering of light from the south and east. The effect goes beyond darkness and higher heating bills, contributing to damp areas inside and the growth of mold.

"Fresh air and light is the enemy of mold," Ogren says.

Instead, plant evergreens on the northern side of the house; trim those on the southern and eastern sides.

Pesticide use

The days of blanketing the ground with broad-spectrum chemical toxins, left to leach into wells and groundwater for years, are gone. But pesticides are far from being removed from shelves and lawn-care company vans, and the full effects of exposure remain unknown.

Studies have linked lawn pesticides to higher cancer risks and neurological disorders, and exposure is known to trigger an immediate allergic response in some people.

To conquer an infestation, ask experts how to create diversity in your landscape that will let nature take care of the problem. Ask companies to use organic compounds.

"Pesticides do not come without a risk, so you have to weigh that risk," says Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health Inc., a nonprofit composed of doctors and public-health officials. "These are toxins. They are designed to kill living things."

Toxic mulch

It's been nearly a decade since the federal government banned the use of chromated copper arsenate to treat wood. Mulch made of wood chips today should not leach this dangerous chemical into the soil. That pretty red mulch was once a prime source.

However, given the popularity of recycled and salvaged wood products, property owners shouldn't assume their mulch has a clean history. Snoop out the history of any wood that went into creating that mulch.

Arsenic is a carcinogen, and in the garden it is particularly dangerous for pets and children. And remember, pets and children carry what's outside into the house on their hands, feet and paws.

Too much mulch

Those carpets of wood chips are undoubtedly beautiful. They make a lovely contrast to flowers and plants, and make a nice border against the house.

But don't forget their function: to retain moisture. Spread a layer too close to the house or in a shaded area of the yard and mold will form. You may not see it, but you may start to feel lousy.

"Mold is a very common allergy," Ogren says.

The symptoms mirror those of other allergies and can vary from mild to severe. In people with asthma or other breathing difficulties, mold spores can make life miserable.

Keep mulch 3 inches under or away from house siding, and put it in sunny areas.

"If you have a constant moisture, over time it can cause rot," says Michael Smith, owner of Stonebridge Horticultural Services in Michigan. "It'll draw ants, termites; mold can happen."

Right plant, wrong place

Plants are tough. They may survive in less-than-ideal conditions, but they won't thrive.

Ask them to grow in the wrong soil, climate, light or company, and they will inevitably weaken.

"And the bugs always prey on something that's weak. Always," Ogren says.

Nature then takes its course. The bugs secrete a sweet, sticky substance. Airborne mold spores stick to the substance and germinate. "Within days they start expanding wildly," Ogren says. "So you can go from almost no mold on a bush to the whole bush is covered with mold in a week or two."

Since a plant with mold can release billions of spores, those who are allergic are sure to feel the effects.

Instead of going it alone, consult an expert and plant what's right for that exact spot. If the wrong plant or tree is already there, do what the best gardeners do and yank it.

Unmanaged ponds

It's tempting to integrate a pretty pond or rain garden into the landscape. But let plants hang over or rest on the water and you're creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Same goes for any spots shallower than an inch.

Fish can manage the bugs, but you'll need filtration and management. In other words, says David Barmon, owner of Fiddlehead LLC, in Portland, Ore., "They cost a lot of money to maintain."

Ponds with stagnant water can also trap dead animals, creating a stink. More pernicious, however, is the threat that comes with mosquito larvae, which can carry West Nile virus. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that fewer than 1% of those infected with West Nile virus will develop symptoms, there is no medication or vaccine for the virus, and it can be fatal. As of July, 31 cases of West Nile had been reported in the United States this year, including three deaths.

Open rain barrels

See the previous slide about ponds. Any standing water – even seemingly small puddles on open tarps, in birdbaths or on plant holders – are breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. It's easy to forget that catch basins tucked on the side of the house to capture rainwater pose the same risk.

Catch basins should be cleaned out and serviced, says Robert Schweitzer, a landscape architect in New York. To combat mosquitoes, some homeowners use goldfish, which eat mosquito larvae, or vegetable oil, which suffocates the larvae. Both can be placed directly in the catch basin. Garden centers also sell other natural products.

Just don't forget to rescue the goldfish when it gets cold.


Compost bins near house

When a middle-aged man in England died in 2008 after inhaling dense clouds of compost dust, a German scientist told reporters: "Even just opening the lid of a bin containing organic waste can cause mold spores to be stirred up, which, if breathed in, can damage the lungs."

An extreme case? Definitely. An overly cautious reaction? Probably not. Repeated exposure to mold spores heightens the risk of developing an allergy, experts say. Those with asthma or compromised immune systems are more susceptible.

When organic material decomposes, it becomes hot and moist, the ideal environment for fungi. Unprotected contact with compost can, most commonly, cause aspergillosis, the fungal infection that killed the British man; farmer's lung, which resembles pneumonia; histoplasmosis, a lung infection; Legionnaire's disease, a respiratory infection; paronychia, a painful tissue infection; or tetanus, a bacterial infection.

Keep compost bins at least partly uncovered, to allow air circulation, and wear a mask and gloves when turning. Don't bring contaminated clothing into the house.

Trapped leaves

Would you leave stinky cheese outside your front door? Probably not. Then why allow layers of wet leaves to collect under your porch?

Low porches in wooded areas can become traps for wind-blown leaves. Without airflow and sunlight, mold will step in to do nature's job of decomposition.

For people who aren't susceptible to mold spores, this may not pose a problem, and mold will break down the material with time. Many people, however, will develop an allergic response that only grows worse with exposure. Symptoms can range from itchy eyes and headache to foggy brain, extreme fatigue and a general feeling of malaise.

To prevent problems, rake leaves from under the deck come fall. It may involve getting on your hands and knees, but it will prevent billions of mold spores from making a home outside your door.

Overwatering

"I once read about one of the highest mold counts in the United States and it was in Arizona," recalls Ogren, who spent a long career studying the source of pollen and mold that are making so many Americans sick.

How did a desert climate win the musty moisture battle? Automatic lawn sprinklers. People were overwatering their lawns. "It became a big factory for mold," he says. Try watering less often, but more deeply.

Those same automatic sprinklers also have a tendency to spray the side of buildings, generating mold there.

"One doctor thought she was coming down with [multiple sclerosis]. It wasn't MS; it was mold poisoning," he says. "God knows how many people are living in situations like that and feel just lousy."

Overcrowding

Trying to identify the allergen-producing flora here? Don't bother. While there may indeed be allergenic plants, the problem here is one that causes health issues well beyond spring. It's overcrowding, which restricts airflow and leads to what horticulturalists call very unhappy plants.

"The trees are crowding each other, light and air movement is limited, and it's a good candidate for mold-spore issues," Ogren says.

It's not uncommon for once-ideal landscapes to get crowded over time. Get out the saw. A good thinning-out is warranted.

"I've never met a dwarf in my life," says Stephen Woods, president of Smith Tree & Landscape Services, in Michigan. "In the plant world, they don't stay dwarfs, they grow and they grow. That's what they're designed to do."

Too many males

What a wonderful realization for suburban planners: If we plant male trees, our streets will be clean. Male trees are less "dirty," in that they don't shed berries. Now the composition of many urban, suburban and even rural towns is overwhelmingly male, a trend that has made its way into residential yard design as well.

But allergy sufferers and asthmatics, whose numbers are growing, are paying the price: It's the male trees that shed the pollen. People and dogs track all this excess pollen into homes, where it continues to contaminate the air well after traditional allergy season. Too often, people blame their pets, who are merely carrying in allergens from outside.

For cleaner air, say experts, plant – or replant – the females.

Ragweed

The most pernicious allergen in this country thrives in fields, along roadways and in areas of the yard not yet dominated by healthy grass. It's hardy, typically requiring a hefty pull of the root to extricate. It affects a whopping three out of four allergy sufferers and as much as 30% of the population. And it's getting ready to release its pollen now, in late summer through to the first frost, in every state except Alaska.

Ragweed, bearer of hay fever – named for the fall "haying" season – brings the usual and often mind-numbing allergy symptoms. But fall can also be the best time to tackle the bugger, by gearing up a healthy lawn for next year. Pull the weeds, fertilize the soil and plant grass instead.

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