Expert: C. J. Brown - 3/16/2009

Question
I'm in NE Ohio.....I heard of a mixture of products that will help your grass to grow. It had in it beer, liquid dishing detergent, ammonia, and other ingredients that I can't remember...What are the other ingredents?

Answer
What you have described is a "Home Brew" of products that are claimed to have positive effects on the lawn. There are many such recommended concoctions, but I don't recommend that you use any of them, if only because they have not been properly tested.

The underlying theory tends to be something along the lines of "if you can find it in your cabinets, it must be safe." just to show the fallacy in that argument, one of the most toxic insecticides we know of is nicotine. It is readily available in many homes in tobacco products, yet is more toxic that most of the commercial insecticides you might otherwise spray on your yard.

Ammonia contains nitrogen, which will green up the grass if applied correctly. If applied incorrectly, it will have the same effect as dog urine, which actually has a high concentration of ammonia in it.

I could go on for a while here, but suffice it to say, I don't follow the lead of many of these holistic proponents. In most cases, they are simply trying to come up with "feel good" ideas that have little to no basis in fact, but will help them sell books.

Good luck.

C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com