Sustainable landscaping not only saves the environment, but can greatly improve the quality of your lawn. Practicing sustainable landscaping habits is simple! All you have to do is incorporate these tips into your lawn care:
Grass Clipping Recycling
By recycling your grass clippings, you’re helping your lawn in a number of ways:
- Grass clippings contain roughly 4% nitrogen, providing 25% of your lawn’s annual nitrogen needs.
- Green growth is encouraged by nitrogen flushing back into the soil.
- Grass clippings serve as a natural mulch, conserving soil moisture to prevent drought.
Avoid Fertilizer Run-Off
- Have your soil tested before fertilizing.
- Carefully follow label instructions to spread the fertilizer accurately.
- Clean up all spilled fertilizer.
- Never apply fertilizer to the frozen ground, as most fertilizer contains phosphorus that can runoff and lead to increased algae and weed development in streams and tributaries.
- Leave a buffer zone when fertilizing near a body of water.
- Do not allow water or clippings to flow into the street or drainage basins.
- When aerating, it is suggested to use coring machines and slow release fertilizer.
Water Plants Properly
Roots are the primary source for water, food, and the intake of oxygen, making them crucial to plant life. It is very important to be careful not to over or under water.
Too much water will:
- Drown your plant, leaving no room for oxygen to fill the space between the soil particles.
- Keep roots at the surface of the ground where it can become sweltering in mid-summer.
- Turn leaves yellow/brown, as they wilt and turn soft and limp.
- A sign of too much water is when yellowing old and new leaves fall at an accelerated rate simultaneously.
A lack of water will result in crispy leaves, letting you know that you need to water your plants more thoroughly and/or frequently. It is recommended to water less frequently but for longer periods of time to train plant roots, including turf roots, to grow deeper in the cooler, moist soil.
Keeping these simple habits in mind while landscaping will make a big difference to the environment, as well as the overall health of your lawn. If you need help, Gallivan Corporation is here for you!