Eco-Friendly Lawn Care: Making Green Grass "Green"

Summer is just around the corner, and this is the time of year when we really ramp up our lawn activities watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc. And all of these can have major negative environmental consequences. Did you know that over 50 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend, and contribute as much as 5% of the country’s air pollution? And it’s staggering to realize that the average American grassy lawn can use over 20,000 gallons of water each summer! So, a major part of any green home strategy should be to embrace eco-friendly lawn and garden care. Here are 12 tips...

Want to keep your lawn healthy while staying true to Mother Earth? Here are some organic lawn care tips that are environmentally responsible.

Throughout the new eco-friendly society that seems to be growing each day, many people are asking "how do I keep a green lawn without poisoning the lawn?" Well, many of you will be thrilled to hear it is possible to be eco-friendly while showing off a healthy green lawn. With increased efforts, lawn owners can promote energy conservation and water conservation while reducing other environmental impacts.

Eco-friendly living and your lawn care have much in common. Unfortunately, we use a lot of chemicals and water to have green yards at home here in the United States. ...

"According to the Audubon Society, the average American lawn generates almost 2 tons of clippings a year, and requires 2½-4 times more water than shrubs or trees. Homeowners use 50% more herbicides than they did 20 years ago, spend 40 hours per week mowing the lawn each year, and spend over $8 billion annually on lawn care products and equipment.”

As were all increasingly concerned that our gardening practices might harm the environment, lawn care is a prime target of examination. Certain types of fertilizers, especially if applied in the spring, run off into waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and harm the fish and crabs there. There are concerns, as well, about pesticides and wasteful use of water.

Most lawns in New York already have enough phosphorus and don't need supplementation, especially if clippings are left on lawns, according to recent research by Marty Petrovic, a turf specialist at Cornell. He says that new guidelines can help promote an eco-friendly lawn.

"The first step to minimize the environmental impact of your home lawn is to raise the mower's blade to a height of 3 to 4 inches -- usually the highest setting on your mower -- and leave the grass clippings on the lawn to recycle nutrients," says Petrovic.

For homeowners tired of their chemical-saturated lawns, this book provides step-by-step guidance for "get[ting] your lawn off drugs." Paul Tukey, a lifelong lawn lover, started mowing as a teenager, and as the owner of a successful lawn care company, he was well entrenched in the "weed 'n' feed" method prevalent since the 1940s: "With one pass of a lawn spreader, we could feed the grass" (with chemical fertilizers), "kill the weeds" (with pesticides) "and still have time for a round of golf at the course we so envied"). When, after years on the job, he began to experience nosebleeds and shortness of breath, his doctor ordered him to stop using lawn chemicals, and that was the beginning of his commitment to organic lawn care.

Professional landscaper Stuart Franklin wrote this book in response to numerous customer questions. In clear, direct language, he explains exactly how a lawn grows and how to care for it. He then shows the homeowner how to move away from reliance on hazardous chemicals.

The secret, he explains, is to build healthy soil and roots. The homeowner must work with the lawn, not against it, in mowing (don't cut the grass too short) and watering (water deeply, but not too often). There are 900 billion organisms living in a cubic foot of soil, and Franklin explains how to put them to work for the homeowner.

An excellent handbook with entries for common fruits, flowering plants, vegetables, and trees. Each listing has information on disease and pest problems and tips on how to solve them without chemicals. Especially useful sections feature photos of garden insects and diseases.

Organic lawn care is becoming much more prevalent for many home owners, but knowing how to effectively plant a grow a lawn, keep weeds away and kill bugs without using chemicals and unnatural law products can be complicated and downright confusing in many cases. This book was written with these things in mind, guiding every lawn care enthusiast through the steps needed to continue caring for a lawn without letting the concerns that develop because of unnatural products overwhelm you or your lawn. The keys to organic lawn care, starting with how to create a low maintenance lawn are laid out in great detail in this book, providing the essential details you need to enjoy your yard while not endangering the environment, your pets, or your children. You will learn how to keep your lawn healthy with the right soil, seed, sod, and feeding without using any chemically enhanced products and how you can start caring for your lawn by mowing, watering, fertilizing, edging, and trimming with organic fertilizers and tools.

Wildflower Farm: Lawn That Doesn't Need Water, Fertilizer or Regular Mowing Is Gaining Ground as Landscaping of Choice in Health Care & Municipal Facilities ...

Vermont Dept. of Agriculture promotes the use of no-phosphorus fertilizers in its "Don't P on your lawn" public service announcement.

Green Canary Grass painting The eco-friendly solution to dried, dormant or diseased grass. Some use it to save on water, some to spruce of neglected lawns of foreclosed homes in order to make them more market-ready for new buyers/owners.

University of Minnesota Extension educator Bob Mugaas explains how to re-seed your lawn and be environmentally friendly while keeping it green.View more Univ...

This homeowner uses not one but four - count 'em - to get the "perfect" no-gas grasscut.

Denver's Park System uses goat to remove weeds and restore prairies to a more natural state.

In one day, 50 goats cleared one-quarter acres of invasive ivy, kudzu, brush, bushes and weeds.

Summit County, CO., uses goats to keep thistles and thatch under control.

The City of Chattanooga, TN., uses herds of goats to nibble away the invasive weed/vine called kudzu, and they also keep other weeds and brush under control - AND provide free fertilizer!

Some adventurous homeowners turn loose a goat or two to eat - and fertilize - the grass and eliminate the need for mowing/trimming.

No-chemical lawns are safer for the environment, children, even pets.

Arundel's SolarLawns service is an eco friendly lawn care services uses a combination of propane and electric equipment for a clean lawn care service.

Two brothers use only push mowers to save the earth from exhaust fumes emitted by gas mowers.