Lakeside Living
Healthy lawns healthy lakes
Are
geese using your yard as a landing field? When these waterfowl see lawn
extending down to the water's edge they view it as an open invitation
to land and have lunch. Geese love to feed on the tasty grasses of well-kept lawns. To show their appreciation, they not only mess up your lawn
and dock with their ample droppings, but geese can pollute the lakes with
these nutrients. Though this may create less of a problem in larger
lakes than smaller ones, the intestines of geese may contain a parasite
that can cause "swimmers itch".
You can discourage geese by planting a buffer between the lake edge and the lawn. Other methods that can deter geese are constructing fencing that is at least two feet high, helium balloons, scare crows, streamers or reflectors. Do not feed waterfowl, and discourage your friends and neighbors from doing so as well. For more information on waterfowl and lakeside landscaping visit:
What does your lawn care have to do with the fish – or your kids?
The pesticides and fertilizers you use on your lawn may end up in our lakes. Scientists have found commonly used bug and weed killers in our local streams at levels that are high enough to harm the organisms that fish eat.
Pesticides also directly affect fish. Fish use their olfactory sense to find their way home. Garden chemicals that get into our lakes and streams may mask the smell fish use for homing. Scientists have found that pesticides also interfere with the ability of salmon to reproduce and avoid predators.
Children and pets can also be at high risk from pesticide exposure. In a science journal review of 98 health studies concerning the use of weed and bug killers, half the studies found an increased cancer risk. Why take the risk? Play it safe.
Lawns and lakes can co-exist
Lakeshore property owners can still enjoy a lawn. Ideally lawns should be buffered at the water's edge by native shoreline plantings. You can shrink the size of the lawn, especially in hard-to-grow areas and thereby reduce your maintenance and the potential impact on the health of the lake.
For the part of the lawn you do maintain, just employ the following
steps to ensure a yard that is safe for people, pets, salmon, and the
planet. The tips below are exerpted from the Natural Lawn Care for
Western Washington brochure – available through the Natural Yard
Care program at King County. For more information, or to receive a copy
of the brochure, please contact Doug
Rice at 206-296-8360.
Steps to natural lawn care
- Practice grasscycling;
- Reduce pesticide use;
- Using organic fertilizer
- Water deeply, but infrequently;
- Practice preventative maintenance and restoration techniques; and
- Consider alternative ground covers for steep slopes, shady, or poorly drained areas and along the lake edge.
Also, visit the following Web sites:
- Natural Lawn Care – Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
- Building healthy soil – King County Solid Waste Division
- Soils for salmon – Washington Organic Recycling Council
Grasscyling: Mow high, let it lie
This is probably the most effective and easiest practice to follow. Leave pulverized clippings on the lawn with the use of a mulch mower or by replacing the blade of your existing mower with a mulching attachment. Don't worry; the clippings won't get tracked into the house. Grass is comprised mostly of water and nitrogen. So when you "grasscycle" you are watering and feeding your lawn each time you mow. And doesn't it seem crazy to be paying to haul these resources offsite?
Reduce pesticide use, especially products like Weed and Feed
These may damage the soil and, consequently, the health of your lawn. As many of these products are highly water soluble, they can run off into the lake and pollute the water. Besides, trying to combine two diametrically opposed goals such as weeding and feeding, might not be all that advisable. Do you want to apply poison over 100 percent of your lawn if you only have up to 20 percent weeds? The most effective means of reducing weeds is to build healthy soils through proper fertilization, irrigation and mowing techniques.
For existing weeds, try spot spraying either with some of the less toxic clove oil sprays, vinegar or boiling water. There are long-handled weeding tools that save the back and get most of the root. It's another way to "keep you on the greens". Weeding is also a great way to keep your body limber and is a task where you can involve the kids. If you pay them "per weed", it could be a good way to start the college fund.
Fertilize only once or twice a year – use an organic slow release fertilizer
These natural fertilizers release nutrients slowly to feed your lawn. Less is wasted through leaching or runoff. Organic fertilizers also work with the microbes in the soil to make available minerals that are already in the soil but just not in a form that is available for plants to use. May and September are the best months of the year to apply organic, slow-release fertilizer. If you are grasscycling, you only need to apply organic fertilizer in September.
Remember: weeds prey on soil deficiencies. For example, dandelions like soils that are low in calcium and magnesium, which is typical of many soils west of the Cascades. Clover takes over soils that are low in nitrogen. So think of feeding the soil when you think of feeding the lawn.
Water deeply but infrequently
The key is to get water down into the root zone. Avoid frequent shallow watering which leads to shallow rooting and disease. Frequent watering also leaches nutrients from the soil and wastes water.
The rule of thumb is to water about one inch per week. You can test your irrigation system by spreading one-inch-deep tuna or cat food cans around the yard. See how long it takes to fill up the cans, then adjust your watering times accordingly. Remember not to water when it's raining or during the middle of the day. It's best to water in the early morning or evening.
Restoration techniques: Aeration is like a trip to the spa for your lawn
Lawns often do poorly due to compacted soils, especially near the lake where soils are often waterlogged and clay based. These are not the conditions grass like to grow in. Aeration improves root development and drainage.
Use a rented power aerator for best results, or hire a professional. Since access down to lakeside lawns can be difficult, consider coordinating with your neighbors. It might be best to rent a barge with a professional aerator that can go yard-to-yard on the same day from the water.
Overseed with a Pacific Northwest grass mix after aerating or weeding. Try to give the grass a competitive edge at the start. Dethatch with a power dethatcher or hire a professional to dethatch for thatch in excess of 1/2 inch. Grasscycling does not cause thatch. It is caused by roots that have not broken down. This may occur if the microbial soil life has been removed due to chemical treatment. Organic fertilizers and compost encourage soil life.
Consider alternatives to lawn
There are many attractive ground covers that might prove more suitable and eco-friendly near the lakeshore. Lawns likes sun and well drained soils. If you do not have these conditions, consider some alternatives. Call 1-888-860 LAWN for more tips or see the Lakeside Landscaping section of this site.
Near the lake edge, consider native plants that will not only reduce your maintenance, but provide fish with a source of food and cover from predators.
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