What are The Sustainable Practices for a Healthy Lawn

Homeowners worldwide spend billions of dollars each year on fertilizers and pesticides. The chemicals can degrade soil, pollute water, and pose health hazards to animals, people, and the environment.

Instead, use organic, non-toxic methods to enrich the soil and encourage healthy plants. These sustainable practices also benefit wildlife.

Reduce Water Use

One of the most common and effective ways to reduce water use is by stopping overwatering your lawn. Overwatering causes many problems, including stress on the roots of your grass, encouraging disease outbreaks, and making the lawn more susceptible to water evaporation.

Most healthy, natural grasses require only 1 inch of water per week to remain healthy and attractive. It includes both rain and supplemental irrigation.

To keep a lush, healthy lawn and save water, water only when needed and during the early morning or evening. Watch your soil and weather conditions to determine how much water your lawn needs. Discover more at https://erbertlawns.com/.

Alternatively, install water-saving sprinklers or drip irrigation systems that sense the moisture in the soil and automatically adjust to the right amount of water for your landscape. A certified irrigation professional can install these systems.

You can also cut down on the number of times you water your lawn by using a nozzle on your hose to act as a flow restrictor and reduce the amount of water you need. Mowing high to shade the soil and prevent evaporation is another way to conserve water.

Reduce Chemical Use

There are many ways to reduce the use of chemicals in your yard. It may be as simple as limiting your use of lawn care products or using natural pest control alternatives instead.

The most common lawn-care products contain toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers that can pollute waterways. Besides harming wildlife and plants, these chemicals can also contaminate groundwater supplies.

A healthy, organically-maintained lawn is a great way to protect the planet and help slow down climate change. Using healthy soil can absorb and hold more carbon dioxide, which keeps the planet warm.

In addition, you can help improve the health of your soil with bio-stimulants made from humic substances, sea kelp, and other nutrients. 

You can also reduce the amount of pesticides you use in your yard by using a fungicide designed to kill specific types of fungal disease. These can be found in granular or liquid forms.

Reduce Waste

Grass clippings are the largest component of yard waste in many areas. They can make up to 20% of a community’s annual waste stream and are a major contributor to groundwater pollution.

Fortunately, it is possible to reduce the amount of lawn waste you produce without negatively impacting your soil and environment. 

First, consider replacing your turf with native plants that need not be mowed regularly. It will lower your overall water bill and require less time to maintain.

Another option is to install a mulching mower that chops grass clippings and leaves into small pieces that decompose faster than traditional thatch. It will also add organic matter to your soil and improve its ability to retain water.

Plant Native Plants

Planting native plants on a healthy lawn promotes wildlife, reduces water runoff, and improves air quality. In addition, native plants are hardy and resistant to pests. They require little or no water, fertilizer, or pesticides.

The roots of native plants are deep and acclimated to local soils, rain and sun cycles, varying temperatures, and other natural conditions. These deep root systems help the soil store water for drought periods and avert excessive water consumption that causes flooding.

Depending on the climate and soils of your area, native sedges are also a good choice for reducing runoff. Clustered field sedge, for example, is easily found in nurseries and requires less water than traditional grasses.

Living in Texas or a similar climate area can pose a real challenge when it comes to keeping your lawn lush and thriving. Deciding on Zeon Zoysia grass can be a game-changer in such conditions. This adaptable grass can endure the sweltering summers and icy winters, all while growing at a leisurely pace. This means less frequent mowing and a stunning lawn that demands fewer resources.

Other important features of a native garden are color palettes, seasonal blooms, and habitat features such as hollowed boulders that catch rainwater for birds to drink and bathe in. Steward your native plant garden carefully, pulling up noxious and invasive weeds.

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Leave the Lawn Clippings

Sometimes, leaving the grass clippings on your lawn can make sense. Grass clippings also are a great source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus for your lawn. These nutrients are important for helping your grass grow and stay healthy.

Longer clippings from mowing can also clump together and smother the grass underneath them. It is recommended to only cut a third of the height off your grass when mowing it, according to the “one-“third rule.”

The”short grass clippings left behind from mowing your lawn are easy to filter down into the soil, where they decompose rapidly. It will supply your lawn with up to 25 percent of its total fertilizer needs, MU research shows.

Besides, it saves time and money not to bag your grass clippings. You can use a mulching mower instead of a regular rotary or push-style mower, which chops the grass into finer pieces and decomposes more quickly.

Harper Harrison

Harper Harrison is a reporter for The Hear UP. Harper got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. harper has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Harper covers health and science for The Hear UP.