Never grow more than you need!
In this country we have been convinced that a lawn, of one species, is healthy. This is in fact FALSE. To maintain a lawn in this condition, one is encouraged to fertilize spring and fall, apply pesticides and herbacides to kill all weeds and insects and install a sprinkler system.
This type of lawn care causes the grass to become addicts of their programs. Without fertilizers, water and weed killers these lawns do not survive. When killing the insects that “harm your lawn”, you also kill the insects and microbes that can keep your lawn healthy. There are many lifeforms alive in the soil and, in fact, the soil has the greatest volume of living things per square inch. These lifeforms make nutrients available to plants, break down the grass clippings and other dead matter that can build up in your lawn. Earthworms create holes in the soil that help rainwater infiltrate.
A solution: At Earth Tones we can help you find the solution. There has been much development of Fescue grasses that can handle less water, more traffic and shade. Another thing that can be done is to reduce lawn size. If you don’t need a ball field why maintain one?
By reducing lawn size you cut down on time and money spent on maintance, reduce stress on water resources, reduce pollution, and reduce greenhouse gasses, unless you use the old fasion hand push reel mower, which gives the benefit of great excersize. Also if you reduce lawn area, there is a great opportunity to establish a wildflower field.
For more info on Fescue grasses go to www.sustainability.uconn.edu