Gardening assumes as environmentally friendly activities, the soil could store amble of the carbon and could reduce the carbon footprints we have created from various kinds of human activities. Unfortunately, some bad gardening habits could result in pollution of the environment too! The worse is we do not even realize our common gardening habits are actually harmful to our environments. Using pesticides, chemical fertilizer, weedicides and fungicides are considered normal methods in maintaining the health of plants. However, the residues of the toxin chemical will channel to the soil, drain, river and channel to the sea and cause pollution of the environment.

Use of Chemical Fertilizers

The chemical fertilizers usually contain high nutrients like NPK green (15:15:15). High nutrients make the leaves grow bigger and greener in leaf colour. Actually the chemical nutrients could not be totally absorbed by the plants and the residues of the chemical fertilizers will drain to the water sources and cause nutrient pollution. And Nutrient pollution causes dead zones and algae blooms in ponds or rivers. Excess nutrients cause the algae multiplying faster than usual in the water body and covering the water surface. It makes the algae consume the oxygen and reduces the oxygen level in the water. Besides that, the algae more than the usual amount may clog the gills of animals in the water easily. As a result, it endangers the survival of the animals in the water and spoils the ecosystem of the river and ponds.

Use of Chemical Pesticides

Using pesticides may destroy the native habitat of insects and further cause destruction to the biodiversity too. Unselective pesticides may kill all the insect contact with the plants sprayed by the pesticides. It is include the beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs and spiders. Avoid using chemical pesticides to help the beneficial insects to build its habitat and maintain the balance of the ecosystem naturally. Besides that, the pesticides are commonly carcinogenic, it might cause cancer if we are exposed to it frequently! In conclusion, use of chemical pesticides is not only bad for the environment and harmful to human health too. 

Use of Herbicides and Weedicides

Using the herbicides may clear the weeds in the garden easily. However, the residue will be left on the ground and cause the other plants unable to grow on the ground temporarily too! Some more, like using weedicides will destroy the native habitat of the insects too and further affect the balance of the ecosystem! Moreover, the residue of herbicides may drain to the soil and rivers pollute the soil and water resources! And the residues drain to the river are absorbed by fishes and animals after that and eaten by humans too. At last, the toxins residues entered our whole food chain too. 

Therefore, we should encourage the plant lovers who love to do gardening using natural methods in growing their plants in the house and gardens. Gardening should be an eco-friendly activity that is good for the body, mind and soul of humans. Do not choose the wrong methods in maintaining our plants' health, it will destroy the true meaning for gardening and bring bad effects to the environment and humans!