Americans love our yards. About 83% of us say that we think having one is important. Of the people who have a yard, 90% place a high premium on taking good care of it. Three-quarters of all Americans think it is crucial to get to spend time in the yards, according to a new survey by Harris Poll for the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Good landscaping will add value to a home. Almost all real estate agents (97%) say that recommend people invest in landscaping before they try to sell their home. The result of this is a return on investment of 215%. If you want to take care of your lawn but do not want to kill the environment while doing so, there are green lawncare options.

After you mow, leave the clippings. The clippings from when you mow your lawn do not need to be raked up as so many people do. Some people think they need to remove the clippings so that the soil can get the water it needs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The clippings are almost 90% water. When they land, they start to decompose almost immediately and when they do, they release their nutrients back into the soil. This is almost “Green Lawncare 101.” It is a really good was to fertilize your lawn. What you should remove is the thatch. That is the remnants of the grass roots. You can rake that up and compost it. This is also the ultimate organic lawn care.

Your soil is alive. There are a lot of different organisms that live in the soil. While they are there, they breathe oxygen, eat, drink and then they die. The food and water they consume is excreted. Non-compacted, healthy soil that has been given natural nutrients is healthy. Natural lawncare includes organic fertilizer that is really just the food for the organisms in the soil. Growing your grass in healthy soil that is brimming with life is a much better choice for the environment. Too much chemical fertilizer gets into the runoff water and then ends up in our rivers, lakes and oceans. This spring Florida suffered from several toxic algae blooms due to this runoff.

Before you add nutrients, test your soil. You want to give your lawn what it needs, not what you think it needs. to find out, you can have your lawn tested. Cooperative Extensions sell the tests all over the country and they can tell you the exact chemical content of your soil. You will get a report with the levels of nitrogen, potassium, lime, sulphur and phosphorus. If you want to practice green lawncare, you will only add what your lawn needs. When there is an excess of phosphorus or nitrogen in the yard, it will enter the runoff water and can be an environmental hazard for lakes, oceans, lakes, rivers and can even make it into the drinking water supply. Do it yourself testing kits are available online.

Cut down on the amount of water you use. You can reduce the amount of water that is needed to keep your lawn hydrated between 70 and 100%. Everyone knows that lawns can be some of the biggest wasters of water. That is not green lawncare at all. So, here is what you do:

• Water in the early morning before the sun has come out. When you water during the hotter parts of the day, Your lawn never gets a lot of the water. It evaporates before it really reaches your lawn’s roots.
• When you water, do it deeply. Really soak your lawn. That way you do not have to do is as often.
• When you are away from home, put an auto shut off. That will save some water.
• Put in plants that are native to your area. They have evolved to live in your area and will not use too much water.
• Change your fertilizer and other products to their organic counterparts.

Environmentally friendly lawncare is possible and makes a real difference to the ecosystem. It is also easy to make the switch from traditional to green lawncare. The work is worth it.

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