Thinking Outside the Lawn

The Washington Post

 

When the suburb was invented in the 19th century, a pattern of landscaping was established that remains dominant, if not bullying.

Here's the deal: Place the house back from the street, hide its ankles with foundation shrubs, and give the intervening space over to lawn and perhaps a tree. It's easy, it's passive and it fits a long-held notion that one front yard should flow into the next in an unspoken gesture of neighborliness, even patriotism.

But isn't it at the core of American values to express ourselves freely? So let's toss the turf.

Fortunately, you don't have to look too far these days to find homeowners who have rejected the model and have turned their former lawns into ornamental gardens. They have built a space that is more interesting, more welcoming to wildlife and, contrary to expectations, brings neighbors closer together.

For many converts, a major aim of going turfless is to reduce the damage their lawn would otherwise do to the environment by avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers as well as by trapping storm water that can pollute waterways.

"The most harm we are doing in our gardens is related to lawn care and yard care, and awareness of that is growing," said Susan Harris, a garden blogger (http://www.gardenrant.com) and activist in Takoma Park who last year helped form a nationwide group called the Lawn Reform Coalition. Harris put a low fence around her front yard after removing the lawn and planting a decorative garden of herbs and low-growing ground covers.

For many gardeners who have replaced their lawns, the shift is as much or more about finding additional real estate to play with plants as it is about going green. Wouldn't you rather look out your window to, say, drifts of lavender in June, or black-eyed Susans now, or asters in September and October, than to see a thinning and weedy lawn?

We visited four properties where the lawn is a memory, and the front yard a place of dynamic beauty.

A Cut Above

Delaware Online

Cleaner models challenge the polluting gas mower

You've been recycling for years, switched out your lightbulbs and even bought a small fuel-efficient car. But if you've still got that old gas-powered mower in the garage, there's one more thing you can do for the environment: Replace it.

Mowers are among the worst household polluters, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Using an older model gas-powered lawnmower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a sedan from Washington to Boston, said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The EPA estimates there are 44 million gasoline-powered mowers in the country. But the topic of pollution rarely comes up when customers come in the store, said Chris Babbitt, general manager of Burke Equipment Co., in Newark.

"It's usually other features they're more interested in," said Babbitt, referring to performance, size, ease of operation and safety. "Pricing's always a concern," he added.

Modern lawn equipment is usually more energy-efficient than earlier models, experts say. The EPA is helping: Standards for mowers that will go into effect next year set a 35 percent emissions reduction standard.

For those who want to go above and beyond, there are a few lines of cordless, battery-powered electric lawn equipment. Mowers are just the start: There are also battery-powered hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, even battery-powered chainsaws.

But "you do sacrifice power, there's no doubt about it," Babbitt said. A cordless electric mower might be good for a homeowner with less than an acre, who could finish cutting before the battery dies, he said.

The version with the cord provides more power, but "people don't like to be tethered. That's the bottom line," Babbitt said.

Neuton brand electric mowers, made by DR Power, sell for $400 and $500 at Suburban Lawn & Equipment in Newport. A "quality" gas mower sells for $350 to $400, said Grey Petruccelli, a member of the family that owns the store.

According to company literature, the Neuton's battery fully recharges in 12 hours, at the cost of 10 cents, and delivers an hour of mowing charge.

There's also the cordless electric Toro e-Cycler, which is listed on that company's Web page for $419.

Worx also makes some nice, affordable, battery powered hand-held lawn equipment, Petruccelli said.

For those with larger lawns to tend and more money to spend, there's an all-electric riding lawnmower called the Zeon, from Hustler Turf Equipment. It costs about $6,500, compared to a $4,000 gas-powered model, Petruccelli said. Its battery provides a charge of about 80 minutes.

"It sounds like a golf cart when you're riding it," Petruccelli said.

Environmental groups and local clean air agencies are working to motivate people to buy environmentally friendly lawn equipment. They're spurred, in part, by federal air quality standards, which many counties are out of compliance with.

Exchange programs are planned for this spring in Denver and Sacramento, Calif., among many other spots.

Last year, Together Green and Audubon Maryland-DC, as well as a Baltimore-area neighborhood association, sponsored "Cash for Lawn Guzzlers." It allowed people to turn in their gas mowers for $110 coupons toward push reel lawnmowers.

Delaware's Sustainable Energy Utility, which has run appliance rebate programs and encouraged other forms of energy efficiency, has no such offerings at this time, a spokeswoman said.

Of course, there's nothing more environmentally friendly than a manual reel mower, said Philip Socorso, manager of Foulk Lawn & Equipment in Wilmington.

But "there are very few good ones out there," he said. There's no easy way to sharpen the blades, except on a few high-end ones that are self-sharpening, he said.

Modern gas-powered models use less fuel, Petruccelli said. Honda's new lawnmower engines are "very green," he said, but he added that they have their limits. "You're still talking about a gas-powered machine."

Petruccelli noted that a New Jersey electric utility recently had a promotion in which the utility would credit ratepayers up to $250 for buying a cordless electric lawnmower.

In Delaware, Suburban Lawn & Equipment did a lot of business on this promotion, he said.

"If they could get something like that done over here, that would be pretty nice," Petruccelli said.

Taking Care of your Little Green Patch

Daily News Online (NY)

A thriving lawn is more than a soft, friendly playground. It can help cool the environment and clean the air. And it's not hard to practice a little backyard environmentalism - here's how it works and what you can do to ensure good lawn care.

Keeping It Cool

Have you ever noticed that temperatures in town are often higher than in outlying areas? That's due to what's commonly called the Urban Heat Island Effect. Pavements retain heat, so the more pavement there is instead of grass, trees or shrubs, the more an area "bakes" in the heat.

Through its natural processes grass releases water to stay cool, much the same way our bodies stay cool through perspiration. Water evaporating from your lawn or body absorbs excess heat to keep a constant cool temperature. (Just like the big fans with water mist sprayed in the air at amusement parks and ball games!) Because your lawn stays cool the air above it can be as much as 30 degrees cooler than it is above your driveway, patio or sidewalks.

Cleaning the Air

An average lawn has over 11 million individual grass plants. These little green machines work 24/7 to trap dirt, dust and impurities from the air. And like all plants, grass absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, making it possible for us breathe a little easier.

How to Have a People and Earth Friendly Lawn

    * The Most Important Thing for Your Grass Is Feeding Regularly: Well-fed lawns are strong and vibrant. In general, feeding two to four times a year will build a lawn that is ready to stand up to weeds, heat, drought and insects. So how do you decide? Well it's pretty easy. If your lawn doesn't get much activity from the kids, pets or parties, 2 to 3 feedings is enough. Feeding a couple of times a year also applies if the spring and fall seasons where you live are only a few months long.

      On the other hand, if your grass is used for ball games, Slip'n Slide or parties, you'll want to feed 3 to 4 times a year so the grass can regenerate and withstand wear and tear.

      So when should you feed your lawn? That's easy too! Anytime grass is growing and you are mowing is a good time to feed.

      Some fertilizers are designed for lawns, some aren't. Choose a fertilizer that says "for lawns" on the bag and has a spreader setting. All-purpose fertilizers don't have the right nutrient balance for lawns and may not even have spreader settings to apply the right amount!

    * Mow High: Set your reel mower to one of the highest cut settings to give your grass an advantage over heat, drought, weeds and bugs - and make lawn care simpler. Mowing high means more grass leaves and therefore more deep roots that reach water in the soil better. Longer grass blades crowd out weeds, capture rain water better and reduce moisture loss from the soil. Not only does longer grass look better, it's greener! Why? Because you see more grass leaves.

    * Keep Clippings: Mow and feed your lawn at the same time by leaving grass clippings from your push reel mower on your lawn. These break down quickly and recycle nutrients back into the soil.

    * Clean Up: Sweep any fertilizer and grass clippings that land on driveways and sidewalks back into the lawn to keep nutrients where the grass can use these for food.

Watering Optional!

In many parts of the country, Mother Nature provides enough water for your grass to survive. Well-nourished lawns are particularly good at bouncing back from dry spells. These tips should guide you to deciding if you need to water.

    * Sometimes when it's hot and dry, the lawn will go dormant and turn brown. Don't worry. Grass will bounce back again once it rains, especially if you've fed it well and mowed high. Properly fed grass survives on Mother Nature's drinking fountain.

    * If you use your lawn as an extension of your living space, then your grass will let you know when it needs a drink. It will turn dull in color and footprints appear.

    * If rain isn't expected soon, water using a sprinkler that shoots the water in a jet fashion, low across your lawn, and in the morning to reduce water loss from evaporation.

    * Compared to unfed lawns, properly fed lawns tolerate heat and dry weather better than unfed, weak lawns. That's because they have better roots and stored energy reserves to bounce back when rainfall or water returns. Keep your lawn well-fed and let nature be your primary sprinkler.

Feeding Menu
 

Grass is like any other living thing, it needs nutrients to grow strong. Just like humans need several small meals, so does your lawn. Here is a menu to help you make your green space great.

Fall

Think of fall as the breakfast for your grass: the most important meal of the day.* Many experts say this is the single most important lawn feeding of the year. Feeding right before the winter months gives your grass nutrients to recover from summer damage and increase nitrogen storage for an early spring green-up next year. (*Except for Southern grasses which benefit from lawn fertilizing during the rainy season in June-July.)

Early spring

Feeding your lawn in the spring is the lunch that strengthens roots and gets it off to a good start before the heavy growing season. If you have had crabgrass in the past, now is the time to apply a combination fertilizer with a pre-emergent to control it.

Late spring

Grass is busy growing and using up stored energy. If you are bothered by the dandelions and other weeds popping up, use a weed and feed combination product that gives the lawn nutrients and helps control broadleaf weeds. If your lawn has only a few weeds, use a liquid spot weed treatment. If weeds don't bother you, a dinner of lawn food is great to continue keeping your lawn strong.

Summer

Heat, drought, foot traffic and insects can stress grass out. Your lawn might appreciate a snack to help protect and strengthen it against these problems.

If weeds or bugs don't bother you or aren't a problem in your lawn, you can substitute an application of a straight lawn fertilizer for any of the meals on the menu above.

Follow these easy tips to make good lawn maintenance a breeze.

Eco Lawn Service Opens in Scotland

Horticulture Week

The Great Lawn Company has launched with eight franchisees offering environmentally-friendly domestic lawn care in the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas.

Founded by ex-greenkeepers Ian MacMillan and Andrew Turnbull, the company has adapted the range of chemical-free lawn care products and petrol-free reel lawn mowers offered by All Turf Management to meet the needs of the domestic market.

Turnbull said:  "We intend to compete with the likes of Greenthumb when we roll out nationally with a focus on being family friendly.  When you have companies doing lawn care and spraying people's lawns with all sorts of chemicals - for the kids to then go and roll in; to us that's just not right."

Turnbull has been producing carbohydrate nutrition mixes in Belfast and MacMillan has trialled them on turf grass in Scotland over the last two years.

They plan to trial the business model with the eight franchisees for another year before rolling out nationally in 2011.

Five of the eight lawn service franchisees are ex-greenkeepers and all have undergone an intensive training course in carbohydrate nutrition.

Turf care machinery dealer SGM have already endorsed the new business and they have opened their premises to house the product range and for training and help in the management of the business.

Oregon Town Becoming 'Reel' Green

Sandy Post

Gas-powered lawn mowers produce as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles thanks to high levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other compounds they create, according to peoplepoweredmachines.com.

The site also notes that each year, approximately 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year when people try and refuel their mowers – an amount greater than the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez.

Sandy’s Jay Bradshaw hopes to help abate that impact with his new business, The Quiet Garden. Born out of the downturn in the economy and difficulty with his job selling blueberry plants wholesale, The Quiet Garden offers lawn care, including mowing, edging, pruning and even his own natural pest repellant, in an environmentally friendly way. That means methods such as using a reel mower rather than a gas-powered one and composting trimmings.

“People say, ‘find the job that you like to do,’” Bradshaw said. “I could go out and work in the yard until dark. I really enjoy it; it’s peaceful, good therapy.”

Bradshaw sees the green lawn services business as a way to save gas, decrease emissions and build healthier lawns. And he noted that reel mowers offer a better cut for the grass and provide some good exercise, while the option of leaving clippings, which contain nitrogen, can also be beneficial to a lawn.

“When you use reel mowers to cut a yard, the blade cuts the grass instead of tearing it, so it’s healthier for the grass,” said Bradshaw, who also worked in the landscaping business in Chicago for the Theodore Brickman Company after attending Michigan State University. “And if you leave (the clippings) on the grass, you don’t have to worry about fertilization as much.”

Meanwhile, Bradshaw is also taking to heart that others have been affected by the recent economic difficulties and plans to incorporate that into his business. Last December, when his job took a turn for the worse, he noticed a Post article about the homeless around Sandy.

“I’m in a warm house and turning up the thermostat and thought of people in the woods,” Bradshaw said. “That really gets to my heartstrings.”

As part of his business, he plans to donate 10 percent of his earnings to the Sandy Action Center, with the hope that an endowment can be created to fund the organization’s activities.

“The more money you get in it, it starts growing,” Bradshaw said. He encourages others to help too, noting that a lot of people each doing a little bit will add up.

For more information, call 877-432-GREEN (4733) or visit thequietgarden.com.

Did you know?

• Americans burn 800 million gallons of gas each year trimming their grassy yards, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

• One gas mower running for an hour emits the same amount of pollutants as eight new cars driving 55 mph for the same amount of time, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

• One hour of mowing is the equivalent of driving 350 miles in terms of volatile organic compounds.

• One gas mower spews 87 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and 54 pounds of other pollutants into the air every year.

Facts taken from peoplepoweredmachines.com

Winter and Spring Lawn Care - What to Do Next

All About Lawns

Wondering if you're off the hook yet with your lawn? This helpful list includes a few simple guidelines for what maintenance steps you can still take with your lawn (unless winter has come early--hello, Denver), and what things on which you should hold off until spring.

There is still time for:

    * "Clean" your lawn in preparation for winter. Removing leaves, branches, and any debris from your lawn before colder temperatures and/or snowfall is a great idea, and in most areas of the country, you still have time. (Sorry, states like Colorado; hopefully your lawn was ready!).

    * One last meal for your lawn, in warmer climates. Seeding in late fall is called "dormant seeding." This practice enables seed to take root while your lawn is dormant during the colder months. If your local temperatures have already begun to sip into the 40s, hold off until spring. You can keep opened bags of fertilizer, too, if sealed and stored properly.

    * Tackle those weeds. Some kinds of weeds grow healthily during the winter, so if snow and cold temperatures don't keep them away, you can continue weed killing all the way until spring.

Wait until spring to:

    * Install new landscaping elements. Unless you live an area like the Southwest, where winter temperatures may get cool but never cold, and you have plenty of sun, wait until spring to install new landscaping elements like edging, trees, ponds, and more.

    * Seed patchy areas. Chances are, those pesky patches in your lawn won't get worse during the winter. Your lawn will be preserved beneath snowfall or simply by the colder temperatures.

    * Start a new lawn. Processes like soil testing, seeding, and even hydroseeding are best done right before prime grass growing season in the spring and summer. When you do plant a new lawn, plan ahead for next winter if you like rich, green grass. Rye and Kentucky bluegrass are great grass choices for their deep color.

Remember, in order to get the most from your lawn come springtime, it's best to let it rest during the winter. Most grass grows when temperatures are above 46 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area where temperatures will never get this low, feel free to continue light maintenance like mowing. If you are using reel mowers, keep your setting high. You want to give your lawn the best chance to rebound and thrive again in just a few months.