Jackie & John MacDonald Real Estate Update

You can have a green lawn in more ways than one. Follow these simple eco-friendly lawn care tips for a yard that not only looks great, but also is easier on the environment and your health.

• MOW AT THREE INCHES FOR HEALTHIER GRASS, AND A HEALTHIER WATER BILL! Shorter grass has shallower roots, making it weaker and susceptible to disease and drought. Taller grass encourages deeper root growth and provides more shade for roots and soil, reducing moisture evaporation so your grass needs less watering.
• AFTER MOWING, LEAVE THE GRASS CLIPPINGS ON YOUR LAWN. Clippings consist mostly of water, as well as nitrogen, so they'll help you conserve water by helping your lawn retain moisture. And they'll return nutrients to your lawn, fertilizing it as they break down over a day or two.
• WATER WISELY. Do it early in the morning, and infrequently but thoroughly — an inch a week should do it. Don't waste water on areas that don't need it, like the driveway or street. Use a rain gauge or tin to time how long it takes your sprinklers to disperse one inch of water.
• COMPOST. Buy it wherever green gardening supplies are sold. Or, better yet, make your own — it's a great way to put yard waste like leaves and hedge trimmings to use, while cutting down on the kitchen waste you'd otherwise have to deposit at the curb each week. Easy and cheap, organic compost makes a nutrient-packed fertilizer that will actually improve your soil.
• KILL WEEDS NATURALLY. Synthetic herbicides are loaded with toxic chemicals. Check the Internet for alternate weed-killing recipes, made from common household products: salt, vinegar, bleach — even boiling water!