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Lawn Care for a Small Planet You may have heard that lawns are the most labor intensive part of landscaping – that they consume more water and require more fertilizer and pesticides than any other type of planting – in some yards this is true, but it doesn’t have to be. Your lawn can be a cool oasis that contributes health-promoting oxygen; a soothing experience in an information overload world, or it can be a menace to the planet. Which one it is depends on how you care for it.
A
healthy lawn can help clean the air by absorbing pollutants and changing
carbon dioxide into life-giving oxygen, provides food and shelter for
beneficial wildlife, such as earthworms and birds, and prevents soil
erosion. It provides a comfortable place for the family to enjoy the outdoors
and boosts the value of a home. For an earth-friendly lawn, start by
planting an appropriate grass. Your local cooperative extension, department of agriculture, university or knowledgeable nursery staff can steer you to a type of grass that is native, or at least well adapted, to the climate and soil in your region. Finding a grass type that is comfortable with the natural environment will minimize the effort to allow it to flourish. The same sources can guide you in how and when to plant that lawn.
Watering,
soil health and cutting the lawn are the main steps in lawn maintenance. Each
step of the way we are making decisions that reach far beyond our
property lines. The most common error in lawn care is over-watering, which leaches nutrients from the soil, increases the likelihood of disease or insect infestation, and creates a shallow-rooted lawn, which becomes dependent on frequent watering. Most lawns would benefit from deeper, less frequent watering. Again, your local experts can guide you in the details of an ideal watering plan, which will vary with climate and soil. Some soils absorb water more readily; in some areas evening watering will conserve water, in other areas that same pattern will promote fungus growth. Certain grass types, such as Bermuda and Zoysia, are drought resistant and can thrive with a minimal amount of water. The ideal in all cases is to water deeply in order to develop deep, drought-resistant roots.
A healthy soil is a living soil – it may be primarily clay or sand but it is full of organic material, which promotes a cycle of life by providing food and air for beneficial earthworms as well as for the plants. The best way to provide organic material for your lawn is to recycle household and yard waste via composting or "grasscycling" – leaving grass clippings on the lawn.
Over-fertilizing is common and detrimental to the lawn and to the environment. The ideal approach to fertilizing your yard is to have your soils tested by, and to follow the advice of, those local experts. Generally, a light once-a-year feeding of a fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is best. Some gardeners swear by organic fertilizers such as steer or chicken manure because they are not so concentrated, add trace minerals, and are less likely to injure earthworms and other wildlife.
Mowing is the routine maintenance step that is best when done often, though most of us would benefit by raising the cutting height of our mowers. A higher cut means a longer leaf to convert the sun’s rays into food for the plant, to shade and cool the soil, which in turn slows evaporation and conserves water. Weed seeds face a greater challenge sprouting and growing when crowded out by the grass that towers above them, blocking the sun’s rays. A higher cut means the mower will trim a smaller proportion of the plan - it is best to avoid cutting more than one third of the plant at a time. Deeper grass is greener, healthier, and more resistant to disease, produces more oxygen, attracts beneficial wildlife, and works harder to provide cool, moist, clean air.
Reel-type mowers make a clean, even cut across the grass blade, minimizing the trauma to the plant, unlike the tearing action of rotary mowers. Using a people-powered push mower is easier than ever before because today’s reel mowers are made of lightweight materials and are geared so that the blades spin several times for each turn of the wheels, which are generally larger than older models. The blades are made of tempered steel, which keeps a sharp edge longer. Many people find the new reel mowers are actually less work to use than their gasoline-powered models. Switching from a power mower to a manual one is one of the most dramatic steps in reducing air pollution. The motors on power mowers are inefficient - some release as much as 25 percent of their fuels unburned into the atmosphere. At best, a power mower pollutes many times – estimates run from 50 to 350 times – as much as a car does in one hour.
Manual reel mowers are economical to buy, use and maintain. They are also much safer. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, power mowers send some 55,000 people to emergency rooms each year. Injuries range from sprains that occur while attempting to start the mower to amputations.
Manual
mowers do not require fuel, spark plugs or tune-ups, nor do they produce
hazardous waste. Most come with optional sharpening kits that allow even
the unskilled to maintain a sharp blade quickly, easily and economically. Whatever type of mower you use, keeping those blades sharp will make life easier for you and your lawn.
copyright 2000 Marjorie King, all rights reserved previously published REPORTER, Vacaville, California
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