Lawn Care Management System

Lawn Care

Environmentally Friendly Way

Many houses in the USA have lawns.  It is a fast and cheap way to cover a large area of exposed land. Lawns can be found in residential houses, business complexes, industrial complexes, roadsides and many other places. One of the main functions of lawns is to cover the exposed areas of the land, prevent erosion and protect the environment. Lawns also have many other functions: control dust, keep the area cool, create a safe play area, increase property value, and many other functions. Lawns should be managed in an environmental friendly way to control pollution like Non-Point Source (NPS), which I have mentioned in my previous blog - Sustainable Lean Six Sigma. 

Grass is in the family of plants known as the graminoids, which consists of over 6000 species.   Some examples of plants in this family include rice, corn, bamboo, sugar cane and oats.  

Grass seeds are the beginning of a new plants.   The seeds germinate when the soil temperature is between 50 – 55⁰ F minimum.  The root of the grass absorbs water and nutrients, stores carbohydrate and is used to anchor the plant.  The grass uses its leaves for photosynthesis and transpiration.  The grass stem include tillers, rhizomes, stolons and crown, used for density, recovery and lateral growth. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass  

Steps for start or maintain environmental friendly lawn:

v Test the soil to find the pH and quality.  The best soil far grasses should be little acidic around pH 6.0 – 6.5.

v Use right grasses for the particular condition, i.e., climate and site.  In the Northeast, the Kentucky Bluegrass is widely used.  Other grasses that are used are Perennial Ryegrass, Annual Ryegrass Tall Fescue and Fine Fescue.

v  Mow correctly: mow around 3” high and return the clipping. Mow when the grass is dry.  Make sure that mower blade is sharp.   Do not mow when during drought or very hot season – the grass is already stresses out.

v Seed or repair at the right time:  In the Northeast best time to seeding, aerating and fertilizing is from the end of August to the end of September.

v Try to water in the early morning and with conservation.   Too much water will replace air from the soil and grass could suffer due to lack of oxygen.

v Fertilization should be done very carefully, especially in an environmentally sensitive area. Moderate fertilization will create a good root system and over fertilization could create too much green.

v Lawn care management and pest control: Use an integrated approach.   Ask a professional for help when using pesticides; you must be extremely careful when using it in an environmentally sensitive area.

Environmentally friendly lawn care is a management system that protects our environment and provides us with healthy, stress tolerant grass, with an extensive root system of grasses.

For more information on lawn care visit:

http://extension.umass.edu/turf/publications-resources/best-management-practices