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Conservation Commission

Lawn Maintenance Tips

It is possible to have a beautiful lawn without spending a lot of money or time. You can have a green lawn and practice conservation at the same time.

Non-Point Source (NPS) pollution can begin in your yard if you use chemical fertilizers incorrectly or allow soil erosion to occur. NPS pollution is difficult to trace because it does not come out of a pipe into a stream. NPS pollution is carried by surface water run-off or ground water infiltration. In 1994, about 900,000 farms used pesticides, while in the same year 69 million households used pesticides. On average, homeowners apply 5 to 10 pounds of pesticides per acre of lawn each year. This is about 5 times the amount that farmers apply per acre.

For a beautiful and healthy lawn, follow these lawn care recommendations.

  • Use Enough Loam. When new homes are built, the developer often only puts down an inch or two of loam (the nutrient rich top soil that grasses need). This is not enough. A good healthy lawn needs at least 4"-6" of loam.

  • Avoid Monoculture Lawns. A mixture of grasses and legumes, such as clover, are needed for a healthly lawn. The grasses use the nitrogen in the soil, while the legumes take nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil. They work together to provide a traditional low maintenance New England lawn. A mix of different species is also more resistant to pests because a single pest usually prefers a single species.

  • Rake In The Spring. remove leaves and dead grass that can block the sunshine that the new lawn will need.

  • Don't Remove Your Clippings. The grass clipping should be left on the lawn after mowing. They return nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, and, in fact, become part of the soil themselves. They are free fertilizer and new soil.

  • Fertilize Only When Necessary. Test your soil to find if fertilizer is needed and if so, what type is needed. When fertilizer is used, choose an organic or slow-release fertilizer. Slow-release organic fertilizers help create healthy soil and strong root systems, while quick-release chemical fertilizers often just provide a quick-fix green that soon fades.

For more information, try the following web sites:

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