Vincent Grober, a 69-year-old gardener in Seneca, Illinois, feels vindicated at last. In December, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a phase-out of the pesticide Diazinon. Last June, the EPA banned chlorpyrifos-a pesticide widely marketed under the brand name Dursban. Both of these pesticides are organophosphates, a class of chemicals linked to health risks for children.

Grober, a retired high school chemistry teacher, hasn’t used chemical pesticides such as Diazinon and Dursban in his yard or garden for decades.

“I know how dangerous these chemicals can be,” said Grober. “I know the ingredients that will kill insects will do the same thing to people. These are not the kind of chemicals I want to use around my house.”

To some, Grober might be a “fanatical” organic gardener. He says he composts every shred of yard and garden waste he can. The debris he can’t compost, such as woody tree limbs and twigs, he grinds up for use as mulch. Instead of using chemical pesticides, he buys natural insect control products from Gardens Alive! He grew up on a farm, where the only fertilizers they used were horse and cow manure. Today, he still uses only natural fertilizers and plant foods.

But Grober is far from unique. Growing numbers of American gardeners, estimated in the millions, are shunning chemical pesticides and fertilizers in favor of a more natural, earth-friendly approach.

“Bit by bit, people are becoming more aware,” said Penelope Sherwood, 54, and avid gardener in Victoria, Texas. “Chemical pesticides are harmful not only to insects but to wildlife and pets.”

Not to mention people. Many years ago when Sherwood’s house was infested with cockroaches, and exterminator sprayed chemical pesticides throughout her house. She woke up with burning eyes and a skin rash. “That was the last time I ever used chemical pesticides.”

Dursban and Diazinon

In just six months, the EPA has cracked down on the two most commonly used pesticides in the United States. At the time of the EPA’s announced ban on chlorpyrifos (Dursban) last June, chlorpyrifos was the most widely used chemical pesticide in the United States-found in more than 800 over-the-counter products including ant and roach sprays, wasp killers, lawn insecticides and flea collars for dogs and cats.

Diazinon, the nation’s number two pesticide in total amount used is currently listed as an ingredient in more than 2,000 home and garden products. Diazinon is commonly used by homeowners to kill insects around the home and grub worms in lawns. It is marketed under brand names such as Ortho, Spectracide and Real-Kill.

Both Diazinon and Dursban are powerful organophosphates, a group of chemicals derived from the same family of chemicals as the sarin nerve gas developed during World War II. Organophosphates interfere with the action of important enzymes in the nervous system, resulting in rapid twitching and then paralysis of muscles. In the event of a fatal dose, paralysis of the respiratory system causes death. Some of the common symptoms associated with Diazinon poisoning in humans include headaches, weakness, blurred vision, nausea, diarrhea and muscle cramps.

Although the chemicals themselves haven’t changed, Diazinon and Dursban don’t meet the new tough safety standards mandated by the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, which require the EPA to restrict or ban a pesticide if it poses a specific threat to children.

The tide is turning against chemical pesticides. People who once thought nothing about using organophosphates such as Diazinon and Dursban are now looking for less toxic alternatives. They are making different choices about the products they use in their homes and yards.

Organic Methods Take Time

While advocates of organic pest controls maintain that organic methods are very effective, they also point out that organic pest control can often take more time to work than using powerful, broad based chemical insecticides.

Chemical pesticides kill quickly and indiscriminately. While natural methods of insect control can be very effective, methods that rely on natural systems can take a little longer and involve a little more effort than spraying a chemical pesticide that kill everything in its wake. The natural alternatives are worth the extra time and attention they require to protect you, your family, your pets and your environment.

Penelope Sherwood, a Gardens Alive! customer, agrees. “When you’re doing things organically, you have to be more attentive,” said Sherwood. “You have to start paying attention to what product takes care of what problem. You can’t just spray Diazinon and kill everything.”

Last summer, Sherwood admits that cucumber beetles attacked her garden. She picked some of the bugs off by hand and sprayed the affected plants with Pyola. Pyola, available exclusively from Gardens Alive! is a natural insecticide that combines pyrethrin, made from chrysanthemum flowers with canola oil, which kills a broad range of insects in all of their life stages. As a result, Sherwood controlled the insect problem.

Many plants and natural plant-based products can be used to effectively control insects. One example is the seed of the neem tree, which is native to India and Africa. The seeds of the neem tree have been used for hundreds of years to repel insect pests in stored grains, in gardens and in homes. Today, the extract of the neem tree seed is the active ingredient in Neem-Away Insect Spray, available exclusively from Gardens Alive! Neem-Away suppresses an insect’s desire to feed and disrupts its hormonal balance so it dies before molting. Field tests have shown Neem-Away to be effective against a wide range of insects from aphids and caterpillars to corn borers and squash begs. Neem-Away will not harm beneficial insects such as lady beetles and lacewing.

Neem-Away and many other natural insecticides are most effective when applied several times at intervals of seven to 10 days. Natural pesticides also work best when applied at the early stages of an infestation-not when plants are completely covered with insect pests. According to Kinerk, it’s best to examine your plants regularly so you’ll notice when insect pests arrive. (If an insect infestation is severe and immediate action is necessary, check with your local county extension agent for the least invasive pest-control product.)

Sue Buchan, 47, of Deale, Maryland, admits to being totally committed to natural gardening. She, like thousand of natural gardeners, has successfully used Neem-Away to get rid of Japanese beetles. She says some people think she’s weird because she’s “always preaching about using natural products.” But that doesn’t bother her a bit.

“Mother Nature managed to make plants survive without chemicals for thousands of years,” said Buchan. “If you use too much [of a] chemical pesticide, the insects build up a resistance. That’s why I go for the natural approach. Mother Nature knows best.”

Besides, if you’ve got ladybugs and lacewings working for you in your garden. Why kill them with chemical pesticides?

So much of gardening is getting touch with the natural cycles of plants and insects. The more observant and knowledgeable gardeners become, the more they find they don’t need to use Diazinon or Dursban, or any other chemicals in their gardens.