How to minimize pollution emanating from your lawn

A beautiful lawn is one of the greatest sources of pride most homeowners have. A yard of thick, green grass, neatly mowed and without a single weed, is a dream that lots of people spend a great deal of time and money to achieve.

The problem with that is that some of the steps many homeowners take to achieve zero weed population and deep, luscious green color can also be detrimental to the environment. It’s ironic that our care for plants is actually worse for the environment than leaving them alone!

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways to manage your home lawn that will provide that beautiful color and eliminate weeds without turning your soil into a chemical-soaked sponge of pollution. Environmentally-friendly lawn care can be part of your overall green strategy, if you just use these simple tips and tricks.

Build Strong Grass

Lawns are an area of such pride for homeowners that they often want theirs to stand out. Many people plant unusual species in order to display a different texture, or even just to have something to brag about.

While there are a lot of varieties of grass that do well in different parts of the country, the best thing to do is to stick with those tried and tested ones. Seeding perennial ryegrass instead of some variety that’s not suited to your area may sound boring and unoriginal, but it is a very practical strategy. Healthy grass is the first line of defense against weeds. The thicker and healthier your yard is, the less water and sunlight it leaves available for weeds.

Fertility management is the key. It’s polluting to indiscriminately throw out large doses of nitrogen, because it can contribute to algae blooms and countless other environmental problems. And if you fertilize at the wrong time, you’re helping the weeds. Shoot for a fall fertilization schedule, and get a soil test done through the Cooperative Extension Service in your county to pinpoint fertility rates.

Mow Correctly

We love to see our grass neatly trimmed, and it looks better when it’s short. However, mowing must be done correctly. It’s essential to maintain some height. Grass makes its own food in the bottom inch or two of the blades, so the more of that you cut off, the weaker the grass is.

You also want to think about moisture when you mow. During the hottest part of summer, cool-season grasses like rye and fescue go dormant. To the untrained eye, they look dead. Those brown grasses aren’t growing, so it’s not necessary to mow them. Yes, they do look shaggy and unkempt, but cutting them will release water from the plant and inhibit its ability to resume growth when rainfall and temperature rates are more to the plants’ liking.

Attack Weeds Strategically

Most people handle weeds in one way. They see a weed, so they spray it. But that’s a reactive approach that isn’t the best option.

Prevention is the key to managing weeds. We’ve already noted that a healthy stand of grass fights weeds, but there are other steps you can take as well. Crabgrass is a notorious enemy of the lawn, and the only way to beat it is to prevent it. Make an early-spring application of crabgrass prevention product to ward off its advances.

Annual weeds are easier to defeat. All you really need to do is keep them from producing seed, which is best done with proper mowing. Once they release seed, they have set themselves up to appear again the following year, so again, prevention is essential.

So many people struggle with their lawns, fighting for the ideal look. They often feel like they can’t ever get the yard they want. Their problem may be a simple matter of management, and if they follow the right steps, they can improve the lawn while avoiding pollution.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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