Eco-Friendly Friday Tips Volume Forty Four
April 24th’s Tip
Chemical free tips to grow your lawn greener: With spring here and weather getting nicer, we’re going to see more and more people tending to their lawns. Maintaining your lawn without the use of chemicals is important, not only for the environment’s health, but also for your health and the health of any children or pets who might be playing on your lawn. Here are some tips for keeping a healthy looking lawn in a healthy, chemical-free way.
- Mowing height: The depth of your grass roots is proportional to the height of the blades – any lower than 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches can kill the root system by preventing photosynthesis, and can aid in the growth of weeds. In general, a good lawn height is 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Don’t mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time, and keep your mower’s blades sharp so they cut the grass rather than tear it.
- Grass Clippings: Leave them on the lawn after mowing. They contain about half of the nitrogen needed for your lawn and improve soil conditions. You can use a mulching mower and leave the leaves on the lawn, too.
- Raking: Rake as little as possible. With a mulching mower and leaving the leaves, you might be able to avoid it. If you do rake, do it gently so you don’t damage your grass.
- Watering: This can be site specific, depending on your soil type and weather. Keeping your grass longer and helping establish a deeper root system will help your lawn need less water. Wait 7 days after rain, and soak your lawn in about 1 inch of water. Make sure to water in the morning, and avoid windy days to minimize evaporation.
A great site for more information on maintaining your lawn and on gardening is Beyond Pesticides. For reasons why avoiding chemicals in your lawn care is important, check out their Lawn Pesticides Facts and Figures sheet (PDF).
Contribute
If you want to contribute a tip for Eco-Friendly Friday, shoot us an email (don’t post the tip in the comments!). Be sure to include your URL if you want a link to your site included with your tip!
