You can have green grass and protect the environment

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Many New Albany residents are in pursuit of a lush lawn. With this in mind, here are a few mowing tips from our friends at the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District:

  • Keep your grass tall at around 2½-3½ inches to shade the ground and prevent weeds from sprouting.
  • Follow the one-third rule: Mow your yard when the lawn gets one-third taller than the recommended growing height of 2½-3½ inches.
  • Don’t scalp your lawn if spring rain or vacation leaves you with really tall grass. Instead, gradually reduce the cutting height to keep a healthy balance between root and blade growth.
  • Sharpen your mower blades. Dull blades chew, tear and rip grass, stressing the plant and making it more susceptible to disease and pests.
  • Use a mulching mower. Mulching blades are great for breaking down leaves and grass clippings back into your lawn, which can cut fertilizer applications by 25 percent.
  • Keep grass clippings and yard waste out of streams and away from storm drains.

Another key ingredient to yard maintenance is fertilizing, and the choices you make can impact the environment. Healthy lawns don’t just look nicer; they absorb more rainfall and have deeper root systems and higher tolerance for drought and disease. Here are some tips to help your yard prosper while protecting the environment:

  • Take advantage of Franklin County Soil and Water’s Community Backyards Conservation Program. This program promotes the use of rain barrels, rain gardens, native plants and composting. It offers eligible residents $50 reimbursements once they purchase an approved rain barrel, compost bin or native plants and trees. Visit www.communitybackyards.org for more info.
  • The best time to fertilize is September through May. Shorter days and cooler temperatures encourage root and stem growth. Too much fertilizer, especially in the spring and summer, can hurt your grass.
  • Look for products with a higher percentage of slow-release forms of nitrogen. Quick-release products may not be absorbed by the plants in time.
  • Keep some of your mulched mowed clippings (and leaves) on your lawn. They are an excellent source of nitrogen.
  • Watering: Make a decision about whether you will water your lawn this year and stick to it. If you are going to water, ensure your lawn gets about one inch of water per week. Don’t water your yard sporadically; this practice essentially confuses your turf, resulting in shallow rooting.

Rebecca Malik

Rebecca Malik has lived in New Albany with her family for two years, moving here from Washington, D.C. She and her family enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, and she is cognizant of the potential dangers of traditional chemical yard treatments. She decided to treat her yard organically, and agreed to share her experiences:

  1. Why did you go switch to organic lawn maintenance?

Family and the environmental health concerns. Conventional lawn treatments can be linked to certain types of cancer, immune system and hormonal issues, and developmental disorders in children. Lawn chemicals are also toxic to birds, fish, insects – including butterflies and bees necessary for pollination of much of our fruit supply – and non-target plants.

  1. What are the most important things to know when considering going organic?

Do not expect immediate perfection. If you’ve treated your yard with chemicals, your lawn is dependent on them and it will take patience to build up the health of your lawn. Organic lawn care can be more costly up front than conventional methods. Knowing that you are making the healthiest long-term choice for your family, your yard and the environment really is worth it.

  1. Do you use organic products on anything else besides your lawn?

Definitely. I use a lot of vinegar and water inside the home, as well as organic bath and body products and laundry detergent. We also have two small garden beds in our back yard and use compost from our compost bin to fertilize the soil. The garden time commitment is surprisingly minimal and it’s really been a lot of fun for our family to see things actually grow.

Scott McAfee is public information officer for the city of New Albany. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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