Great Lawns
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May/June 1999
Features
Bike Friendly Cities
by Lucinda Means
Undermining the Dunes
Auto Industry Greed is Destroying Our Most Scenic Treasures
Motor City Challenge
Ecology Center Demands Cleaner Cars from Auto Industry
by Jeff Gearhart and Charles Griffith
Columns
Great Lawns
A Great Lawn with No Toxic Chemicals, by Nancy Franklin
Great Lawns without Grass, by Bret Rappaport
Welfare for Waste
National Coalition Calls for End to Anti-Recycling Subsidies
Healthy Home and Garden
Growing Herbs in Your Backyard, by Mimi Mather
The Cranky Consumer
Toxic Waste "Recycling?" by Mary Beth Doyle
Capitol Watch
New from Lansing: PR for Toothless DEQ
At the Ecology Center
Reuben Chapman, Hospitals Pledge Mercury-Free, Help Wanted, Wish List
Five Steps to a Great Lawn With No Toxic Chemicals
by Nancy Franklin
1. Test Your Soil
Soil type affects how your yard should be cared for, since
heavy soils need less frequent and slower water applications
and more help getting air to the grass roots. Very heavy
clay soils and very light sandy soils benefit the most
from improvements in soil structure (by the addition of
organic materials). Have your soil tested by the county
extension service, your lawn service, or with home test
kits.
2. Mow High
Mow at approximately 3 inches to shade out weeds. Cutting
off more than a third of the grass blades when they are
busy producing food to make roots and leaves stresses
the lawn. Therefore mow frequently to keep grass growing
vigorously enough to shade out weeds and resist insects.
Leaving clippings on the lawn provides a good natural
fertilizer as well as organic material for the lawn.
3. Water Deep
Water deeply (6-8 inches) and slowly to encourage strong
deep root growth and to minimize runoff of excess water.
Heavy soils need much less frequent watering then sandy
soils because they retain water longer. Keeping the ground
too wet weakens root systems and encourages disease, and
can keep the grass from getting needed aeration for the
roots. Let the lawn dry out in between watering. A good
rule of thumb is to water every two to three weeks, but
tailor it to your own lawn by observation.
4. Feed Naturally
Feed the soil rather than just the grass. Natural fertilizers
contribute to good soil structure, contain micronutrients,
release nitrogen slowly so that your lawn can use it all,
and are healthy for insects and microorganisms that contribute
to healthy soil. It is best to feed the lawn only once
(fall) or twice (spring and fall) a year for maximum lawn
health. Two to four pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square
feet from such sources as bloodmeal, poultry manure or
one of several premixed natural fertilizers available
at some local garden stores is adequate. Fall is the best
time to fertilize.
5. Topdress and Overseed
If your lawn has thin spots where it is easy for weeds
to gain a foothold, or simply has soil that has too much
sand or clay for grass to thrive, topdressing with organic
amendments such as manure, peat or specially manufactured
soil conditioners can improve soil structure, and can
also serve as a mulch for seed scattered on thin or bare
spots. If done in conjunction with aeration this allows
some mixing of the topdressing into the top soil layer.
Consult local garden stores.
Nancy Franklin is a biologist working on land resource issues in Ann Arbor.
Resources
Building a Healthy Lawn, Stuart Franklin, 1991, Garden Way Publishing, Storey Communications, Pownal, Vermont.
Common Sense Pest Control, William Olkowski, Sheila Daar and Helga Olkowski, 1991, Taunton Press, Newtown, Connecticut.
The Chemical-Free Lawn, Warren Schultz, 1989, Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
Additional Information
MSU Coop Extension (check directory for county office)
Ecology Center 734-761-3186
National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides www.ncamp.org 202-543-5450
Great Lawns Without Grass
Naturally Landscape Without Alienating Your Neighbors
by Bret Rappaport
Editor's Note: It's becoming more and more popular for homeowners to dig up their lawns and replace them with gardens, prairies, and native landscapes. The following article offers sound advice on making your neighbors more friendly to the idea, and is reprinted here with permission from The Wild Ones Handbook.
There are five things the pioneering natural landscaper should do to minimize potential conflicts with his neighbors. They fall broadly into the categories of reasonableness and sensitivity to the feelings and concerns of others.
Stake Out a Border
Humans prefer a sense of order and purpose. A wild yard can conflict with that preference and, therefore, can cause discord amongst neighbors. A simple border can alleviate this problem, making both the natural landscaper and his neighbor happy.
The border can be a lawn, or a hedge or a fence. It can be a series of low native plants, or a stone or woodchip path. It really doesn't matter. The point is that by placing a border between your yard and where it meets the sidewalk or a neighbor's property, you have accomplished two things: first, it is clear that the yard is the product of intent and effort, not neglect; second, you solve the practical problems large native plants flopping over into others' yards or obstructing drivers' and pedestrians' sight lines.
Recognize the Rights of Others to be Different
Remember that although you have a right to your coneflowers or prairie grasses, your neighbor has the right to clipped laws, plastic geraniums, and cement lawn deer. Nothing repulses more than arrogance.
Don't be a self-righteous natural landscaper. Natural landscapers who consider themselves better than their neighbors serve only to undermine their own cause.
Advertise for Nature
You have good reasons to naturally landscape your yard - let others know that before you start. If you tell your neighbors why you're tearing up the lawn, or planting native plants, or constructing a water garden, chances are that they will accept it. There are two aspects of advertising: before and during.
Educating your neighbors and local officials before you begin your natural landscape project is essential. Telling them what you're doing and why you're doing it, increases understanding and reduces apprehension. If you have the conviction to do the right thing, then you should have the conviction to tell others why you're doing it.
Once planted, I suggest a sign. Signs tell neighbors, village officials, and passersby that your yard is intended to be the way it is, that your yard is a special place, deserving of recognition and admiration, not contempt.
Start Small
The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. So, too, does a successful natural landscape.
You will reduce expense, increase the effect of your learning curve, enjoy your efforts more, and engender less hostility from neighbors if you start in small steps. No one wants an entirely naturally landscaped yard, edge-to-edge, to spring up over night. That's not how Nature works, that's not how your yard should work.
Humanize
Urban and suburban natural landscapers cannot recreate wilderness even if they wanted. Moreover, most of us landscape with a view toward wildlife and Nature because we recognize that we are a part of Nature not apart from Nature. We enjoy the birds and butterflies that will call our land home. Your landscape should be humanized.
This can be accomplished by running a woodchip or stone path through the yard, placing a bench to create a sitting area. Other human elements, like birdfeeders or birdbaths, are a good idea. I have even seen gazing globes used to create an interesting effect in the natural landscape. Sundials are a nice touch. I have a small windmill and old wagon wheel among my prairie plants.
Bret Rappaport is an attorney and the president of The Wild Ones, national organization dedicated to promoting landscaping using native species in developing plant communities. The Wild Ones Handbook can be obtained by writing P.O. Box 23576, Milwaukee, WI 53223.