How to make your green lawn really “green”?
Who doesn’t like a lush and green lawn! If you could opt for a weed-free and healthy lawn, as a homeowner, you’d surely jump on that offer. But is your green lawn really “green”? i.e. Is it earth friendly ? Is it in harmony with nature?
The quest for a green lawn need not be at odds with wanting to be “green” or “earth friendly”. Here are some ideas for lawncare and the green lawn ideal .
Choose the right kind of grass
Start with the kind of grass in your lawn. It is important to choose grass that will thrive in your climate. If you are living in the North or Pacific Northwest, you should plant fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, which survive well in these cooler and humid climates. If you live in the South or Southwest, you should plant zoysia, Bermuda and St. Augustine grasses, which survive well in warm and humic climates. People living in the cool and semi-arid Plains should plant Buffalo grass.
Get your soil nourished
Ok. Now you have the right grass to use. How’s is the state of your soil? Is it nutrient rich? Is it healthy? Use organic products instead of synthetic fertilizers to feed your lawn. Though more expensive in the beginning, organic products will pay off over the long haul. Synthetic fertilizers do not last as long as organic ones, which means you have to reapply a synthetic fertilizer more often. Make sure to sweep your fertilizer off the sidewalks or driveways and back onto your lawn to prevent water pollution. Both synthetic and organic fertilizers can cause water pollution if they wash down into storm drains instead of feeding your lawn.
Control the weeds
Pests are pesky. But before you reach for the toxic synthetic pest control product, give an organic, non-toxic pest control product a try. Today, there are plenty of safe pest control alternatives in the market. So you have no excuse to choose to add more toxic chemicals to your lawns to control weeds and increase pollution to our streams, rivers and the ground water. This helps maintain an organic lawn.
Use water wisely 
Are you over-watering your lawn? Most people do. How can you find out? If you have moss growing on your driveway, or sidewalk edges, then it is a sure sign that you are over-watering your lawn. A cheap solution is to use an inexpensive lawn moisture meter to know for sure how much water you are giving your lawn. If you can afford it, an intelligent lawn irrigation system may be your best bet.
Are you tapping into a free source of water in your home? Think rain water! You can collect and reuse rain water. Just put a barrel under your gutter’s downspout and you will see just how easily it fills up with “free” rain water, nature’s own gift to water your lawn when you need to!
Another smart water habit is to avoid hosing down your driveway with water . When you hose your driveway, not only are you using valuable water, but you are also washing away oils and other toxic chemicals into the drain which ends up polluting rivers and other water sources.
Be smart about mowing your lawn
Who knew that the exhaust from lawn mowers is a major contributor to air pollution? Now that you do, it’s time to choose a push mower. If you can’t push a mower for health or physical reasons, you can at least choose a plugin mower, which has a smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional gas mowers.
Are you throwing away those grass clippings from your lawn mower? Most people do! But that is a fantastic resource you are wasting. If you used a mulching lawn mower, the grass clippings are crushed and left right on the grass, and this does two things for your grass – it provides it food, and it conserves the amount of water the grass needs to grow. Amazing isn’t it?
Eliminate your gas-powered blowers
Are you using a gas-powered leaf blower? Did you know that they are a major source of pollution with a major carbon footprint? You’d do well to revert to rakes and brooms for eliminating your leaves. And while this extra effort may seem too onerous, you will be pleased to know that you will be getting the exercise you need in the process. Seems like a win-win, doesn’t it?
Reuse your yard waste
If your city doesn’t collect yard waste (and even if they do), you can collect your yard waste and use it for composting. Composting is a simple way to transform yard waste, and other organic household waste like vegetable and animal product waste into a nutrient-rich compost for your soil.
Go “green” by choosing synthetic?!
What? How can choosing synthetic anything be compatible with going “green”? Consider this. Let’s say you are living in a high drought area, but love to have lush, green grass in your lawn. Going about it the conventional way, you will be consuming huge amount of water, a scarce resource in your region – that is certainly not friendly to the place you live in. What choices do you have if you still wanted to be “green” with your lawncare ? One idea : Choose synthetic grass. Synthetic grass can look lush, and bring the green you wish to your yard. It can last for 10 years , and uses no water whatsoever . And it looks very real ! Who would have thought! A synthetic solution to go “green”!
All in all, these are sensible ways for ensuring that your lush, green lawn is also “green”, and earth-friendly .