“Green” lawncare

Everyone likes the beauty of a lush, green lawn that is weed-free and healthy.   But is your green lawn really “green”? i.e. Is it earth friendly ? Is it friendly to the nature around you?

You can have a green lawn and still be “green” or “eco-friendly”. Here are some ideas for lawncare and the green lawn ideal .

Choose the right kind of grass

What kind of grass is there in your lawn?  Does this grass thrive well in your climate?   If you are living in the North or Pacific Northwest, you should plant fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, which survive well in these cooler and humid climates.   For those living in the warm and humid South or Southwest, zoysia, Bermuda and St. Augustine grasses are the best choices.   In the semi-arid plains or other cool areas, your best best is Buffalo grass.

Get your soil nourished

Ok. Now you have the right grass to use.  How’s is the state of your soil?  Is it nutrient rich?  Is it healthy?   Choose organic products to feed your lawn instead of synthetic fertilizers.   Though more expensive in the beginning, organic products will pay off over the long haul. Synthetic fertilizers do not last as long as organic ones, which means you have to reapply a synthetic fertilizer more often.   Important note: Just because you are using an organic fertilizer, it doesn’t mean you can be careless with its usage. Organic fertlizers can cause water pollution just as synthetics can. So be sure to sweep the fertilizer off sidewalks or driveways back onto your lawn to prevent water pollution. 

Control the weeds

Pests are pesky. But before you reach for the toxic synthetic pest control product, give an organic, non-toxic pest control product a try. There are plenty of such safe alternatives in the market these days. There is no excuse any more to add more toxic chemicals to our lawns to control weeds, and increase the pollution to our streams and rivers and ground water in the process. This helps maintain an organic lawn.

Improve your watering habits

Most people over-water their lawns. Look for tell-tale signs of moss growing on your driveway or the edges of your sidewalk. This is a sure sign that you are over-watering your lawn.  A cheap solution is to use an inexpensive lawn moisture meter to know for sure how much water you are giving your lawn.  If you can afford it, an intelligent lawn irrigation system may be your best bet.

Are you tapping into a free source of water in your home? Think rain water!  You can collect and reuse rain water. Just put a barrel under your gutter’s downspout and you will see just how easily it fills up with “free” rain water, nature’s own gift to water your lawn when you need to!

Another smart water habit is to avoid hosing down your driveway with water . Every time you hose your driveway, you are also washing away oils, toxic chemicals etc. which end up in rivers and other water sources, polluting them.

Be smart about mowing your lawn

Who knew that the exhaust from lawn mowers is a major contributor to air pollution? Now that you do, it’s time to choose a push mower. For health or other reasons if you can’t pick a push mower, you can do well to choose a plugin mower.  It has a better (smaller) carbon footprint compared to gas-driven mowers.

Also, when you are mowing your lawn, you generate a very useful resource that you normally throw away – grass clippings! Choose a mulching lawn mower instead.  Crushed grass clippings left on the grass by a mulching lawn mower provides food the grass, and conserves the amount of water needed for the grass to grow. Amazing isn’t it?

Eliminate your gas-powered blowers

Gas-powered blowers have a major carbon footprint. Use old-fashioned rakes and brooms instead. If that seems daunting and too much work, you might want to consider that the raking activity will give you plenty of exercise easily. Seems like a win-win, doesn’t it?

Don’t waste your yard waste

Don’t get rid of your yard waste. You can collect it and compost it. Composting is a simple way to convert yard waste, and other organic household waste like vegetable and animal product waste into a nutrient-rich compost for your soil.

And one real good reason to choose “synthetic” to go “green” …

Surprised by this suggestion? Consider this. Let’s say you are living in a high drought area, but have a serious addiction to lush, green grass in your lawn. Choosing the conventional way, you will be consuming large quantities of water, a scarce commodity in your region – that is certainly not friendly to the place you live in. What choices do you have if you still wanted to be “green” with your lawncare ? One idea : Choose synthetic grass. Synthetic grass can look lush, and bring the green you wish to your yard. It can last for over ten years , and uses little water . And it looks very real ! Imagine that!  Finally!  A synthetic solution that is actually “green”!

All in all, these are practical ways for ensuring that your lush, green lawn is also “green”, and earth-friendly .