How Earth-Friendly Is Scotts Fertilizer?

Scotts Natural Lawn Food

• The active ingredients in Scotts Natural Lawn Food are derived from organic sources. Hydrolyzed feather meal and blood meal are byproducts from slaughterhouse waste and both provide nitrogen to plants. Bone meal provides phosphorous which is vital in plant growth. These products are not toxic to the environment, but if allowed to runoff into bodies of water, nitrogen and phosphorous contribute to eutrophication, a condition which causes oxygen to be depleted from water, resulting in the death of fish and other aquatic organisms. An environmental warning is on the label.

Turf Builder with HALTS

• A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is required by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and summarizes ecological and health hazards for a product. The MSDS for Scotts Turf Builder with HALTS Control Crabgrass Preventer lists the product as toxic to fish and a water contaminate. The product contains pendimethalin, an herbicide, which is extremely toxic to rainbow trout. The product also contains urea, which is high in nitrogen and contributes to eutrophication in waterways.

Turf Builder with Moss Control

• This product kills moss once it has appeared in your yard. It does not prevent moss from growing though. The active ingredient ferrous sulfate monohydrate has not been tested in the United States to determine if it is detrimental to the environment. The product label does advise not to allow it to runoff into bodies of water, but this could be because it contains methylene urea, a source of nitrogen that is a contributor of algal growth in lakes.

All Purpose Flower and Vegetable Continuous Release

• This product contains a slow release nitrogen which helps the nitrogen stay where it is applied. Because it is released in small amounts, it can be taken up by roots before rain or water from the garden hose washes it away as surface runoff. Washington State Department of Agriculture lists this product containing cadmium and arsenic, two heavy metals that are toxic at any amount. They are toxic to organisms because they are difficult to eliminate and therefore build up in the animal. They are also taken up by plants, but don’t collect in the fruit; however, leafy vegetables and root crops do accumulate heavy metals.