Sustainable Lawns Tips

Sustainable Lawns Tips

Maintaining Lawns and Grass Recycling:

"Grass-cycling" or mulching your lawn with grass cuttings is very important to sustainable lawn maintenance. When mulching you are reintroducing nutrients back into the grass and not contributing to landfills. Keep in mind that you have to cut your lawn more often in order for this to work. Many people believe that mulching a lawn causes thatch, this is incorrect. When done properly it helps fertilize the lawn.

The ideal technique would be to cut the lawn on a dry day and remove no more than one third of the grass blade. To do this I recommend a mulching mower. A mulching mower works by suspending the cut grass tip in the air, which the lawnmower blade then cuts into many fine pieces and shoots back into the lawn as a recyclable product. This speeds up the lawn mowing process since you don't have to bag the grass.

In the last several years there are some terrific new rechargeable recycling lawnmowers. This is allowing many people who were not able to before, to cut their own lawn, while saving a considerable amount of money.

Remember to keep your mulching lawnmower blade sharp. This will prevent disease from entering the cut part of the grass blade and will ensure proper mulching technique. Good luck!

Fertilizing for Lawn Health:

Fertilizing your lawn for sustained health consists of using organic fertilizers and/or slow release synthetic fertilizers. It does not include 'weed in feeds' although, when addressing weed issues, it is okay to spot spray individual weeds. The reason slow release fertilizers are used is to control the growth habit of the lawn. For instance, you would not want to use a quick release fertilizer in the spring. When it is warm and rainy it causes the grass to grow too quickly and you can't cut wet lawn using a recycling lawnmower.

Slow release fertilizers may cost a little more, but in the long run they are less expensive. The fact is, they last longer and require less effort with fewer applications. I personally like the combination of using synthetic and organic fertilizers. It is important not to mow your lawn too soon after applying your synthetic fertilizer. The lawnmower will cut or fracture the fertilizer, destroying the slow-release technology. You should wait one full week after application to cut your lawn.

Organic fertilizers improve the quality of your soil. If you take care of your soil, it takes care of your lawn, reducing problems and cost. Please remember, that most of your higher quality organic fertilizers have a very strong smell, so take this into consideration when planning. Organic fertilizers have a temperature window between 55 and 75°F.

We fertilize our lawns because the rain washes the nutrients out of the soil. During construction of our homes, much of the good topsoil that naturally occurred has been scraped and taken away. Often this leaves the home owner with a hard pan construction surface.

The natural growth habit of the lawn also takes the nutrients and minerals out of the soil. This is why it is important to recycle your grass clippings and fertilize at optimum times, with fall being the single most important time to fertilize your lawn.

One of the single best things you can do to optimize your fertilizer use and know the requirements of your particular soil would be to get a soil test. This way you know exactly what is required to build and keep a healthy soil profile.

Watering:Although we live in the Seattle area where rain is abundant, we still have to be careful when we water the lawn. It is best not to water during the heat of the day. Generally it is better to water less often and heavily, thus imitating nature. This will encourage deeper root growth from your lawn. If puddles develop on the lawn you should stop watering.

If you have a sprinkler system you should check it several times a year to make sure you are getting adequate coverage and that the sprinkler heads are not broken or spraying into the street. To help reduce the use of water, consider lawn aeration and introducing compost in the fall to help improve water retention.

Surprisingly, it does not harm your lawn to let it go dormant during the summer. The grass plant is unique because it can be dehydrated then rehydrated without being damaged. It is best to fertilize earlier in the spring to prepare your lawn for the summer.

Thatch/Compaction Issues:

Thatch is naturally produced by many grass plants. Thatch is a dense mat of roots, stems and grass clippings that accumulate between the soil and growing blades of grass. Thatch typically becomes a problem with unhealthy soil or over-fertilized lawns. Your fescue and bent grasses produce a lot of thatch. These types of grasses spread horizontally and self-replicate. A healthy soil will naturally digest excess thatch preventing the thatch layer from getting too thick. This happens with the use of microorganisms that happen naturally within a healthy soil profile.

For instance, an over-fertilized lawn growing on clay may grow crazy and keep producing thatch. It looks healthy for a while, but this is short lived, as there is no root structure developed. The roots will not be able to develop because the clay is so hard that all the growth will be directed upwards. Lawn aeration helps to reduce thatch levels by keeping the soil healthy. This is done by reducing compaction and incorporating air into the soil and the thatch layer. With a healthy exchange of air between the soil and atmosphere, microbial activity can continue, which then helps breaks down the thatch.

Pests/Cranefly:

Having a healthy, properly maintained lawn helps to withstand a fair amount of damage from pests and predators. The healthier the lawn, the faster it will rebound after being damaged. Unhealthy lawn, such as one that has been growing on hard pan clay and devoid of organic material, potentially will show damage fairly rapidly. When the lawn is growing on unhealthy soil there is almost no root structure. The clay prevents winter drainage so that the rotting roots are very susceptible to disease and Crane Fly larvae damage.

Weed Control:

Having a sustainable lawn means tolerating some weeds. You have to decide as a homeowner how many weeds are acceptable in your lawn. It was perfectly normal back in the 1950s for lawns to have English Clover. It was only with the introduction of 'weed and feed' that clover became unacceptable. The clover plant is usually found on lawns with low nitrogen and heavy clay. It can be a difficult weed to control, so it is extremely important when applying any chemical to control clover, that you apply it at the proper time of year. This means that the correct application rate and timing should be coordinated.

As mentioned earlier, with sustainable lawn care, it is best to spot spray weeds. This way you are not dumping chemicals over your whole lawn, just the specified amount of poison in a small area.

If you are going to be purchasing an herbicide I strongly suggest you purchase it from a nursery. They may have a licensed chemical consultant there to talk to. I have found the best day for homeowners to go to a nursery is on cloudy or rainy days. The staff tend have less clients to serve and will be able to provide you with a higher quality of service. Your neighborhood nursery may charge a little more than a national chain but with the quality of product and the knowledge they can provide, you may find this to be a much better value.