Environmental Lawn Care
There is nothing better than a beautiful green lawn in the summer. Landscaping is a great way to improve the environment as well add beauty and value to your home. Although they can be easily avoided, there are two main environmental issues involving lawns:
LEARN TO WATER RESPONSIBLY
Every year Americans use 7 billion gallons of water maintaining their lawns, that’s one third of all residential usage. Grass only needs about one inch of rain a week to grow correctly. Keep an eye on your weekly rainfall, if you get more than an inch of rain a week then you don’t need to water your lawn. If you do need to water, here are two easy tips to help conserve water. Always water your lawn early in the morning or at night so the sun doesn’t speed up evaporation. Leave your grass 3 to 4 inches long because it helps decrease run off and evaporation before you lawn has a chance to absorb the water.
REFRAIN FROM USING CHEMICAL PESTICIDES
Americans spend $38 billion every year in chemical pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides keeping their lawns looking great. This can turn your lawn from a beautiful asset to a toxic battlefield. Not only are the chemical pesticides toxic, they are made from non-renewable fossil fuels which are the leading of global warming. So what should you do? Use Organic pesticides instead. They are just as effective but are made from animal, plant, and mineral sources instead of fossil fuels. Better yet, perform your own soil test and see exactly what your lawn needs. You might find it needs no pesticides at all! A soil test kit is available at any Home Depot or Lowe’s.
THE FACTS
Every year Americans use 7 billion gallons of water maintaining their lawns, that’s one third of all residential usage.