Lawn Care

Because many of us want a green lawn we tend to apply our yard care products base don the calendar instead of the chemical needs of the soil in our yard.  Often, excess fertilizers are washed off our lawns and are carried to the nearest river or lake where they feed algal blooms that reduce available oxygen in the water and create unsightly conditions. Follow the common-sense guidelines below for a healthy lawn while minimizing environmental risks.

Lawn Care

• Reduce fertilizing, watering and weeding by properly mowing, mulching, and composting leaves and grass clippings. Grass clippings allowed to remain on lawns instead of being raked or bagged provide nutrients for your turf. Even pests become less of a problem if more "natural diversity" in plantings is used-as opposed to typical urban uniformity-so that susceptible plants are grown farther apart.
• Think twice before deciding to convert natural or “wild” areas to more formal landscaped areas. Natural landscapes often require less time and money to maintain than formal landscapes, and are usually the best at preventing water pollution from runoff.
• Seed bare soil and cover it with a mulch as soon as possible to minimize erosion.

 

Fertilizers

• Test the soil. A soil test takes the guesswork out of fertilization. Use the results of the soil test to guide you to use the correct fertilizer ratio.
• Fertilize in the autumn when the average daily temperature is near 50°F, never in the spring. Spring applications can actually harm lawns by promoting more top (leaf) growth than root growth. Shallow root systems are unable to sustain lawns through a drought or a harsh winter. Fall fertilizer applications, however, promote deep, healthy root systems and hardy lawns.
• Use organic fertilizers on sandy or loamy soils since they contain relatively low concentrations of plant nutrients compared to synthetic fertilizers and release nutrients more slowly.
• Use fast release fertilizers on heavy (clay) or compacted soils since clay soils often produce more runoff. The longer a fertilizer granule remains undissolved, the greater the chances of it being washed into our water bodies.
• Sweep all fertilizers, soil, and vegetation off paved surfaces.

 

Pesticides

• Do not mix pesticides and fertilizers.
• Read all directions and warnings on the product labels. Pesticides should be a last resort. Resist the urge for a quick chemical solution.
• Clean up any spilled chemicals. Chemicals spilled on pavement during chemical mixing and loading can quickly be washed away with the next rain to pollute our waters

 

Leaves

• Spread leaves in garden beds or under shrubs or compost in a designated area. Rake leaves over flower or vegetable beds as a supplement to help reduce weeds. Leaves raked under shrubs and trees will also help cut down on weed seeds that sprout in the spring. Decayed leaves enhance the soil for any planting bed and save money on mulch.
• Mow your lawn when covered with leaves. Mowing a lawn covered with leaves will shred the leaves into small pieces that quickly break down, releasing nutrients for a green, well-fed lawn.
• If your property has too many leaves for use in your own yard, follow your municipality's guidelines for leaf collection.
• Keep fallen and raked leaves out of the street-side gutter, curb or ditch. Properly place the remainder near the curb (not in the street) just before municipal collection. Grass stops growing in fall and becomes dormant until spring so leaf piles and bags of leaves won't kill your grass.
• Put a tarp over the leave pile near the road or bag the leaves in recycled bags to prevent them from blowing away.

 

Buffers

• For waterfront property, grow a "buffer strip" of dense, natural vegetation along the water's edge to filter pollutants and stabilize the shoreline.

 

Plant selection

• Choose natives that are best suited to our climate. They are hardier and require less maintenance.
• Plant an extra tree for multiple environmental benefits, especially where it becomes part of a planting bed or "naturalized" landscape area that recycles leaves, twigs, and other yard "wastes."

 

Compost

• Compost fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, tea leaves, grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste. Although never add dairy or meat products to your compost, nor bones, lard, mayonnaise, pet waste, oils or fats.  Composting saves you money by reducing the need to purchase store bought fertilizers.

 

Erosion control

• If your garden is on a slope, plant rows along the contour, rather than up and down the slope. This helps slow runoff and decreases the rate of soil erosion.
• Spread mulch around your garden plants using compost or grass clippings to help reduce erosion, keep moisture in the soil, suppress weed growth and add nutrients.
• Build steps of logs or old railroad ties on areas with steep slopes to help prevent erosion. Between steps, spread a thick layer of wood chips to protect the soil.
• Cover piles of soil with tarps to prevent it from blowing or washing away until you are ready to use it.