10 tips for a greener yard
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By Alma Gaul | Sunday, April 13, 2008 |
When the weather turns hot and dry in midsummer, Sonny and Kay Stephens of Moline let the grass on their boulevard go brown and dormant. Under normal conditions, the green will return in the fall when it’s cooler and rainier, and watering isn’t worth it to them.
When Japanese beetles light on their favorite plants for a midsummer feeding frenzy, Sonny and Kay pick the bugs off by hand and drown them in a bucket of soapy water, using no chemical sprays.
And they do very little mowing — with its attendant pollution — because they have very little lawn. Their entire backyard is given over to perennials, shrubs and a pond that provide habitat for birds, squirrels, frogs and other critters.
The Stephenses are a good example of how to maintain a “green” yard, or one that is gentle on the environment. Here are 10 tips that can take you in that direction, too.
Most of the information is from the Iowa State University and University of Illinois Extension services. To learn more, call or visit the Extension office in your county. Contact information is on Page D7.
1. Go easy on the lawn fertilizer
Homeowners like the strong green flush brought about by a nitrogen application, but remember: Spring is not the best time for heavy fertilization. The heaviest application should come in the fall when the fertilizer will boost root production, with a lighter application in the spring.
Nitrogen that washes away in the rain ends up in creeks and rivers where it contributes to elevated levels of nitrates that promote algae growth beyond natural, balanced levels.
In addition, synthetic fertilizers are made from petroleum and natural gas. It’s estimated that the average 40-pound bag of synthetic chemical fertilizer contains the fossil fuel equivalent of three gallons of gasoline.
If you do use nitrogen, use the slow-release kind, being careful not to spread it on sidewalks and driveways (where it will wash away), and calibrate your spreader correctly so you don’t spread more than you need.
Also, work to enhance your soil by other means: Aerate to reduce compaction and get oxygen down to the plant roots (machines/services can be rented), and apply compost, either purchased or your own.
In summer, mow high. Longer grass blades promote deeper roots that help retain moisture. Leave the clippings on your lawn where nutrients will cycle back into the soil.
Flower/vegetable gardens also benefit from the incorporation of compost or other organic matter; in fact, this should be done yearly.
2. Go easy on herbicides.
Mid-April to May is a time when homeowners typically apply crabgrass preventive to their lawns, but you could just decide you don’t mind crabgrass and forego the chemical. Maybe you don’t even have crabgrass. How would you know?
In the garden, select plants that are resistant to pests. For example, plant only those tomato varieties that resist wilt diseases. That information should be on the plant stick. In the landscape, select crabapples that resist leaf scab, a fungal disease that causes trees to lose their leaves.
In your flower and vegetable beds, apply mulch to control weeds and conserve soil moisture.
Mulch also reduces “soil splash,” which brings soil-borne disease in contact with lower leaves.
3. Go easy on insecticides.
In the garden, rotate crops to reduce the buildup of plant-specific pests in the soil.
Recognize that there are “good bugs” or “beneficials” that will consume pests generally regarded as “bad.” These “good bugs” include lady beetles, praying mantids, lacewings and parasitic wasps. To encourage them, plant flowering borders and other perennial habitat.
When Japanese beetles begin their annual invasion, do as Sonny and Kay Stephens do: Use hand-picking and squishing/drowning as your first line of defense. Scout your yard early in the morning when the beetles are sluggish and easy to catch. There’s some indication that the more beetles you have in your yard, the more that will come. If you keep the population down, it will stay down.
Try using insecticidal oils and soaps to control pests; neither causes environmental contamination. Soaps are “selective,” meaning that most beneficial insects are not harmed by them. Oil sprays, which work by suffocating insects, are not selective, so overuse can be detrimental to beneficials as well.
Sometimes synthetic chemicals are warranted. Even Master Gardeners dedicated to no chemical use have resorted to some spraying when potato beetles and vine borers got out of hand.
When using chemicals, use the least toxic, yet effective, materials and follow the label directions.
More information can be found in a publication titled “Reducing insecticide use in the home garden” (Pm-1502) from the Iowa State University Extension.
4. Create habitat.
As cities and suburbs spread farther into once-rural or wild areas, wildlife loses habitat. But homeowners — even those with average-size city lots — can create habitat that is welcoming for birds, frogs, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, mice, deer and, yes, snakes.
You may not want all of these critters, but, as one Davenport woman said, “If you make a habitat for one, you accept them all.”
Elements needed for habitat are shelter, food and water.
Shelter means trees, shrubs, vines — even a brush pile — that give wildlife cover and a place in which to raise their young.
Food can be birdseed and peanuts purchased in a store, or the berries and nuts that grow on trees and shrubs, including crabapples, viburnum, sunflowers, serviceberry, dogwood, oaks and walnuts.
Water is important year-round.
If you would like help creating a backyard habitat, contact the National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org/habitat on the Web), which has operated a certification program since 1973.
5. Use natives.
Native plants — such as big bluestem, pale purple coneflower or butterfly milkweed — are by definition less fussy because they already are adapted to our climate. Once established, they require less watering, and they are bug- and disease-resistant.
They also draw birds and bees like no other. Most natives bloom only once a season, which many gardeners find undesirable. Two natives that re-bloom are spiderwort and prairie coreopsis.
The flip side of planting natives is to avoid planting exotic species that are invasive. Although these plants may be beautiful and mannerly in your yard, they spread in wild areas, crowding out native plants and destroying the natural habitat.
Plants to avoid include the popular and widely sold burning bush (euonymous). If you want to see this destructive plant in action, visit Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, where caretakers have spent thousands of dollars and volunteer hours trying to eradicate it.
Also avoid purple loosestrife, Japanese honeysuckle, glossy buckthorn and amur honeysuckle.
6. Reduce your turf
Golf course turf — also known as “television turf” — requires chemicals and watering to achieve and maintain. If you don’t want to give up chemicals or watering for bad-looking grass, how about giving up grass all together?
Reduce the amount of yard devoted to turf by installing beds of ornamental grasses or perennials.
7. Tune your mower.
A 3.5-horsepower, poorly tuned lawn mower will emit the same amount of pollutants in one hour as driving a new car 340 miles, according to the Web site hgtv.com. Among the pollutants are carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
To reduce pollution, make sure your mower is tuned, and if it’s old, consider buying a new, more energy-efficient model. You also could consider an electric power mower or — for a real workout without the cost of gym fees — a human-powered reel mower.
Another concern about power mowers is the amount of fuel spilled by filling them; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says 17 million gallons of fuel (mostly gasoline) is lost each year filling lawn equipment, more than was lost in the Gulf of Alaska by the Exxon Valdez.
Power equipment such as leafblowers and weed whackers also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions; consider manual tools such as rakes, brooms, shears and your very own hands as alternatives.
8. Water wisely.
Plants (that means grass and flowers) need about an inch of water a week to do well. If that inch doesn’t come in the form of rain, you either need to water or accept some downturn of your plants.
The landscape is a water hog, though.
It is estimated that nearly half of urban home water usage goes to watering lawns (according to hgtv.com and other sources). In a world in which water shortages are becoming more of a problem, this is not good stewardship.
The typical bluegrass lawn goes dormant in the summer unless you water. You could decide to accept this, knowing — as the Stephenses do — that unless we experience a severe drought, the green will come back with fall rains and cooler temperatures.
As for flowers and vegetables, drip irrigation is the most efficient method because it gets water to the roots with little evaporation.
No matter how you water, be sure to do it in the mornings, between 5 and 10 a.m. Temperatures are usually mild and winds are calm then, so, again, there is little evaporation. Avoid watering in the evening after 6 p.m. because your plants, including grass, will remain wet overnight, subjecting them to invasion by fungal diseases.
If you really want to irrigate, make sure your system is efficient. Do not water the sidewalk, driveway or street, and don’t have a system that runs during rainstorms.
Also, make sure the system is in good shape. Replace broken or ineffective heads and clear obstructions from sprinkler heads. And establish separate watering zones for the lawn, which requires a lot of water, and ornamentals that don’t need so much. A University of Florida study showed that when lawns and shrubs were watered separately, the landscape consumed 39 percent less water than a traditionally irrigated yard.
9. Build a rain garden.
A rain garden is a depression in your yard that catches stormwater runoff from your roof, concrete driveway and slopes and allows it to absorb into the ground rather than run into the storm sewer. This reduces pollution (because runoff picks up things such as oil spills, salt from the streets, cigarette butts and dog droppings) and flooding. Putting the water in the ground also helps rebuild water tables.
The depressions are planted with deep-rooted plants, generally natives.
The City of Rock Island actually reimburses residents for the cost of putting in a rain garden.
For more information, visit http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/home.htm#rain on the Web.
10. Plant shade trees.
If you have no tall trees, it may take years to get to the point where they will provide shade, but this is a good way you can pay forward. Properly placed trees reduce heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer, take carbon (a greenhouse gas) out of the air, help prevent/reduce soil erosion and provide habitat.
Alma Gaul can be contacted at (563) 383-2324 or agaul@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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