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Conserve Outside |
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| Managing Your Lawn |
| Introduction |
| Practice natural lawn care for a healthier, easier-to care-for lawn. These simple steps developed by turf professionals will save you work, help you conserve water and reduce waste, and reduce the need for hazardous chemicals like weed & feed. |
| >> Download the Natural Lawn Care (pdf) guide to learn more. |
| How To's |
In the Natural Lawn Care guide you'll learn about these simple steps to a healthy, easy-care lawn:
- Mowing higher (1-2 inches), and leaving the clippings (mulch-mowing or "grasscycling)
- Fertilizing moderately in May and September with "natural organic" or "slow-release" fertilizers
- Watering deeply, to moisten the whole root zone, but less frequently, for lawn health
- Improving lawns in poor condition with aeration, dethatching, and over-seeding
- Using less toxic weed and pest controls, instead of "weed & feed" and other pesticides
- Considering alternatives to lawns for steep slopes, shady areas, or near streams and lakes.
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| Key tips for water conservation in lawns |
- Mulch mow (leave the clippings) at 1.5-2 inches high, to help your lawn retain moisture.
- Wait until fall to fertilize (to reduce summer stress).
- If water runs off, aerate lawn to improve water penetration.
- Water wisely: deeply but infrequently. Water in early morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
- Or let your lawn go brown and dormant. Water deeply once each rainless month, and lawns will spring back in the fall. Don't let high-traffic lawn areas (where kids and pets play) go dormant - dormant grass can be damaged by heavy wear.
- In the fall, rake and over-seed any thin areas and use a fall fertilizer to thicken turf again before the next summer.
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| Tools |
| Mowers, weeding tools, fertilizers, etc. |
| Look in your local garden or hardware store for modern mulching lawn mowers, easy long-handled weeding tools (no stooping!), and "natural organic" lawn fertilizers. |
| For more information about these products and where to find them, call or e-mail the Natural Lawn and Garden Hotline (listed under Resources below). |
| Sprinkler System Rebates |
| See if you qualify for rebates for new and existing irrigation systems to keep your lawn healthier and save on water bills. |
| Irrigation and Sprinkler System Tips will help you make your existing automatic irrigation system more efficient. |
| Watering Index |
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Easily adjust watering schedules with an Watering Index. An index is a percent of the "peak" watering period or the time of year when days are the longest and the weather is the hottest. Learn more about the current Watering Index or visit The Irrigation Water Management Society and adjust monthly runtimes by a percent of "peak". |
| Resources |
| The Garden Hotline |
| For free copies of these guides, or answers to your questions, call (206) 633-0224 or e-mail help@gardenhotline.org.
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| Natural Lawn & Garden Guides |
- Natural Yard Care (pdf): Read this introduction to the whole series first, then get more detail in the seven guides below. A Spanish translation of the Natural Yard Care guide is also avaiable. View El Cuidado Natural del Jardin (pdf) or see translated summaries in 14 languages on the Seattle Public Utilities website.
- Growing Healthy Soil (pdf): Learn about using compost and mulch in your lawn, garden, and perennial beds.
- Composting at Home (pdf): Compost yard waste or kitchen scraps to make your own soil-building amendment.
- Choosing the Right Plants (pdf): Choose plants that will thrive in your yard, and need less water and chemicals.
- The Plant List (pdf): 240 plants to meet your garden's needs.
- Smart Watering (pdf): Grow healthier lawns and gardens by giving plants just enough water, but not too much.
- Natural Pest, Weed & Disease Control (pdf): Save money and reduce chemical risk, with these "natural" tips.
- Natural Lawn Care (pdf): Learn about mowing, fertilizing, watering, and more... for a healthy, easy-care lawn.
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| Other brochures, resources, and links |
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Water Right, Waste Less (pdf): You can develop a beautiful landscape that will thrive with fewer resources - including much less water - by following some basic steps.
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| Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest (pdf): A complete lawn care manual for professionals, or residents who want to learn more. |
| See the Less Toxic Weed & Pest Control section of this website for more information on managing lawn pests and diseases. |
Choosing a Nursery or Landscape Professional |
| Find the tools, products, and professional services you need for a healthy yard. Learn more > |
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