Lawn Care Tips to Save Green, Be Green and Keep Green

By brwood (view all posts by brwood)
at 12:03PM Tuesday August 3, 2010
under Money Saving Tips

Sometimes I think I'm the only man left in Los Angeles who mows his own lawn. My neighbor, who I'm pretty sure mows lawns for a living, has one of his guys come over and mow his. Why do I do this? Mostly because I'm cheap, but partially because I see so many resources wasted in my neighborhood (and I'm sure in the rest of the country) on lawn care.

According to the statistics 30-60% of water used annually in the USA (depending on your local rainfall) is used for water lawns, and people typically use 10 times more fertilizer and pesticides per acre of lawn than on an acre of farmland. Add to that all the pollution coming out of the mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers, and our green yard is one of the least "green" features of our homes.

Let's assume, for the sake of this blog post at least, that you aren't going to rip out your green suburban dream lawn and replace it with drought-tolerant landscaping featuring rocks, cacti and a variety or native succulents. That may be environmentally responsible, but what would the neighbors think? And more importantly, would the dogs like it? Could the kids play on it? So therefore, you are going to keep the grass, you just want it to be as maintenance free and water wise as possible.

Mowing the lawn myself doesn't save me too much money, because after all Einstein proved in the theory of relativity that Time = Money right? Even mowing my postage stamp lawn costs me a few hours of time, but I would just be wasting that time watching NASCAR on TV anyway. At least this way I am up getting some exercise--and when I have a beer afterward, it's because I deserve it not because of all the advertising I absorbed.

What I do get by mowing it myself is control of my carbon footprint. I use an electric mower, which is less polluting than the old Briggs and Stratton gas job, even when there is a coal-fired power plant at the other end of the electrical grid. I hardly ever leave it running while I'm not mowing, to move the sprinkler or dog toys. I also have an electric weed whacker/edger and I use it maybe once a month, not every mow. Instead of a leaf blower I own a rake. The only emissions the rake produces is an occasional belch after the beer.

Now, I could hire a gardener and make sure he used earth-friendly methods, but I'm much more comfortable doing the job myself than I am micromanaging how someone else does it.

I also let my lawn get kind of shaggy compared to the neighbors. It's not because I can't be bothered to cut it every week, it's because it doesn't need cutting every week. Most experts will tell you to keep the lawn at least 2-3 inches tall because taller grass shades the roots, requiring less water. I see the gardeners "cutting" the lawns around here every week and wonder how they can tell the just mowed part from the part they haven't done yet.

Most people tend to water wrong too. Lawns need about one inch of water a week. You can test this with a empty tuna can placed somewhere on the lawn before the sprinklers run. If the water fills the can, that area is getting enough water. It is best to water in the early morning or in the evening. If you water during the day, the sun is going to dry up the water before it can sink into the roots. It is best to water longer, but with less frequency and let the water soak into the soil then to water a little every day.

Finally it is important to aerate your lawn every so often. This breaks up the soil and allows air and nutrients to get down deeper into the roots. If you have a small lawn, I suggest the scary spiked shoe method. Strap these (or better yet duct tape them permanently) to an old pair of sneakers and stop around your yard. They aren't nearly as good as the fancy professional plug aeration machines the big boys use, but I have noticed an improvement after using them.

Check out American-lawns.com for a list of lawn varieties to find the best type for your neck of the woods. You can also find a few grass varieties that are like genetically engineered super-lawns. They tend to be more expensive, but this low maintenance grass seed claims to be highly drought resistant and only need mowing one a month!

Finally, if you are concerned with global warming and your carbon footprint, try planting some high oxygen producing plants such as Spider plants, Philodendron, English Ivy or Gerbera Daisy in your yard.

What methods do you use to maintain your lawn? Share your lawn care tips or questions with me in the comments.