Stewardship Begins At Home, in the Yard

Bill Foster
Watershed Educator

Besides the benefit of quiet, clean exercise, a modern push mower creates finer clippings that can quickly work their way back into your turf.

Sprucing up around the house is just one of the rites of spring. Get out in the yard and try these simple tips to protect your landscape and your watershed.

As I write these lines, V’s of Canada Geese are coalescing in the morning sky to the south, just above our tree line. The formations become more distinct, and soon I’ll hear the cantankerous honking that is the goose-version of melody to compliment the wing-beat of returning generations. Having spent fifteen years elsewhere, I’d forgotten how much these avian armadas overhead contribute to my idea of spring. Sure, spring in Philadelphia signals a swelling of the year-round ranks of geese, but the legions that transit the Cayuga flyway — well, that’s another story. Sprouts and blossoms have yet to appear; roadsides are caked in gray, and streams are swollen brown as they carry to the lake a season’s worth of the debris revealed by melting snow. But the geese add an upbeat note to what can otherwise be dreary early spring weather in the Finger Lakes. These are the best days to get out and clean up the yard- but this is also a season to be mindful of impacts beyond your yard, as well. By the time you read this article, it will be midspring, but the season for lawn care and gardening will just be getting into full swing. Here are a few tips that might help you to ensure that the health and beauty of your home doesn’t come at the cost of the health and beauty of your watershed.

Drainage: 20% of the U.S. is poorly drained; don’t be surprised if that includes a portion of your yard. Spring is a good time to assess poorly drained areas- look for standing water and early greening of plants. Try to identify the source and destiny of water as the season progresses. These damp areas merit special care: plant moisture-tolerant, native species that won’t require mowing or applications of fertilizers or pesticides to thrive.

Soil and Lawn Amendments: Your lawn grows fastest during the cool, damp days of spring. If you delay mowing until your lawn is at least four inches high, you’ll benefit from more extensive roots systems, and the shading will slow weed establishment. Similarly, delaying fertilizer and weed control applications until late May often works to your advantage.

Erosion Control: Scout for areas of exposed soil and reseed sparse turf. By mid-spring, plant cover should be starting to establish itself. Pay attention to soils along stream banks and swales, heavily shaded, or high-traffic areas. Seek information on the best species to plant in these areas before warmer drier weather sets in.

For additional lawn and garden care tips, consult the Network website.