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Did you know?
Lawns may look green, but a lot of yards are anything but.
Here are a few tips for eco-friendly lawn and garden care:
1. Choose the right mower.
Using a gas powered mover for just one hour produces the same amount of air pollution that a car emits from driving 100 miles.
Luckily, there are many low-energy, high quality alternatives to conventional gas mowers:
- Rotary Mowers - "Old fashioned" but making a comeback! These mowers have appealing maneuverability, low maintenance costs, and minimal environmental impact.
- Electric Mowers - Emit fewer pollutants, are much quieter, and are often easier to push than their gas-guzzling counterparts.
2. Mow & Fertilize Effectively
- Mow only as often as you need. For most lawns, cut no lower than 2.5 inches; keeping many grasses as long as 3.5 inches is ideal for crowding out crab grass and other weeds. Longer grass retains water better.
- Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They are a natural (and free) source of nutrients, or compost the clippings to use in your garden.
3. Use Less Water
- Water deeply but infrequently. Grasses do best when the whole root zone is wetted and then dries out between waterings.
- Frequent shallow watering causes poor root development.
- Overwatering also promotes lawn disease.
- Early morning watering minimizes evaporation.
- Xeriscape. Why not opt for a yard that's grass free?
- Alternative ground covers: Thyme & Mulch.
- Mulch helps conserve water and insulate roots in the summer and the winter. Pine straw, pine bark, and shredded hardwood bark are great mulch options.
Resources:
Earthshare.org/2008/09/Take-Care-With.html
TheGrassOutlet.com/How-Tall-Should-You-Mow-Your-Grass/
ToVveterinari.ro/Author/Adrian/
GeorgiaEncyclopedia.org/Articles/Arts-Culture/Xeriscape-Gardening
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