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5/26/2020

Conservation Minded Lawn Care

4 Comments

Read Now
 
Having a nice lawn is something that many people think about, especially during the summer. By targeting several management strategies, lawn care can become more environmentally friendly and help keep our water clean.

Leave the clippings on your lawn. Over time the action of mowing and taking away the clippings can deplete the soil of valuable nutrients. Leaving the clippings returns these nutrients to the soil and can promote less fertilizer usage over time.
Mow high. Adjust your lawn mower to mow in the 3 to 4 inch range. In general, grass should be in the 4 to 4.5 range at its longest. The health of the grass significantly increases when you can leave more green growth on the plant. Healthier grass means that your lawn will have less instances of disease, insect and weed issues.
Keep your lawn mower blades sharp. This ensures that you are not tearing/shredding the blades of grass. Continuously tearing and/or shredding the plant can hurt the crown of the plant and ultimately kill the grass. Check at your local hardware store as to who in your local area can sharpen your blades.
Fertilize in the fall. Fertilizer applications should always be based on a soil test. Fertilizing without a soil test can easily lead to over-applying fertilizer, which can cause problems for our environment such as algae blooms in our local waterways. If you choose to fertilize, a late fall application in September and then in mid to late October is the best time.  Adding a fertilizer application again in mid- to late May helps keep the lawn green and healthy throughout the summer. Do not add fertilizer during or right before an expected rain event as that is throwing money away, and adding nutrient pollution to local waterways.
Consider letting the grass go dormant in a dry summer. If the summer is dry, you may decide to save water and not irrigate your lawn. If you choose this option, the grass will go dormant and turn brown. Don’t worry, the grass is not dead. It will revive when cooler weather and rain come back in the fall. Grass generally does not die until you have 4-6 weeks of very dry weather. Choosing to water is your personal decision but know that you should water deeply and infrequently rather that quickly and often. As a general rule apply a half-inch of water every four weeks after the lawn turns brown. Also, it is important to minimize traffic on a dormant lawn to reduce possible damage.
Rethink your lawn. Did you know that we can thank pollinators for 1 in 3 bites of our food? Unfortunately, grass does not offer the nectar or pollen sources that pollinators need to survive. Consider turning part of your landscape into a pollinator garden or admiring the beauty that clover, violets and dandelions provide in a sea of green. It is important to do your research on local ordinances especially if you choose to make your yard a “pollinator lawn”. To check out more information on pollinator lawns, go to Michigan State University, https://pollinators.msu.edu or the Blue Print Partnership, https://bluethumb.org/ .
Picture
Photo credit: Metro Blooms
For additional questions on conservation minded lawn care, contact the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District main office at 513-695-1337.

Additional Resources: 
  • Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, landscapes, Fruit Crops, and Vegetable Gardens- https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg=1132
  • Ohio State University Extension, Natural Organic Lawn Care - https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-4031
  • Blue Thumb Partnership – https://bluethumb.org/
  • Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District- https://warrenswcd.com
  • Purdue Extension, Taking Care of Your Yard (HO-236-W) - https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-236-W.pdf
  • Michigan State University, Pollinator Lawns - https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/pollinator-planting/pollinator-lawns/

Share

4 Comments
Belinda Goris link
6/1/2021 11:25:20 am

This Is very Helpful thank you.

Reply
Braden Bills link
12/2/2021 12:20:47 pm

I want to make sure that my lawn is healthy and lasts a long time. It makes sense that I would want to ensure that it's good for the environment, too! I'll be sure to work with a professional to help me out with this.

Reply
John Carston link
3/24/2022 09:56:41 pm

I'm glad that you talked about the importance of considering the weather in your area and having a solution for safety. My aunt mentioned to me last night that she is planning to buy solutions for her lawn as their current lawn has discoloration and asked if I have any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks to this informative article and I'll be sure to tell her that it will be much better if she consults trusted lawn solutions services as they can answer all her inquiries and will surely provide good-quality winter grass.

Reply
Victoria Addington link
5/23/2022 10:06:06 pm

Thank you for explaining that leaving the clippings can promote less fertilizer usage since they provide nutrients. My mother wants to treat our lawn to make it more appealing. I should advise her to look for a contractor that can guide her through the proper lawn care treatment.

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  • Home
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Board Supervisors
    • Staff
    • NRCS
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Events
    • Fossil Fanatics
    • Future Conservationist Day Camp
    • Pond Clinic
    • Women for the Land
    • Stream Encounters
    • Stream Clean Ups
    • Pickin' at the Park
    • Partner Events
  • Services
    • Agriculture >
      • Land Preservation
      • Cover Crops
    • GIS/Mapping
    • Property Owner Assistance >
      • Drainage, Erosion & Pond Assistance
      • Soil Testing
      • Water Testing
      • Stormwater Basin Inspections
      • Backyard Conservation >
        • Ohio Native Plants
        • Rain Gardens
        • Rain Barrels
        • Composting
      • Illicit Discharge Detection Program
  • PERMITS
    • Earth Disturbing in Warren County >
      • Earth Disturbing Permit Application
    • Floodplain Management >
      • Floodplain Determination Request Form
      • Flood Applications, Forms & Documents
  • Education
    • Education Ambassador
    • Programs
    • Virtual Classroom
    • Program Loan Portal
    • Scholarship Opportunities
    • HS Envirothon
    • Educator Workshops
    • Contests
  • Caesar Creek Collaborative
    • Pickin' at the Park Music Fest
    • Meet the Collaborative
    • Our Work
  • Blogs
    • Conservation Connection
    • Education Connection
    • Development Digest