Residents can achieve perfection through GreenScaping

Spring is almost upon us–the weather is warming up, the crocuses are appearing in petite bunches everywhere, and your lawn is…well, let’s just say, somewhat less than perfect. 

Now, in the early spring, is the perfect time to contemplate your yard, and consider how you can save time and money, support the natural environment, and still have a beautiful, robust, low-maintenance, and healthy yard, without using any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, through GreenScaping.

GreenScaping is all about working with nature, rather than against it. Strive to understand and preserve existing elements in your local ecosystem–indigenous trees, plants, shrubs and habitats. Learn about natural processes–without any help from us, soil recycles dead plants into nutrients for new plant growth, so you may not need any fertilizer. Plants which are adapted to the water, sun and soil conditions in their particular locations grow best. If you can stick to methods that work naturally, by maintaining a variety of native plants, soil organisms, beneficial insects and animals, you can keep most pest and plant diseases under control, and get that elusive beautiful and healthy yard you desire.

Productive GreenScaping practices include planting low-maintenance native grasses and plants; converting excess lawn into natural habitat; and reducing or eliminating non-organic fertilizer and pesticides. The benefits? You reduce the time spent mowing, pruning and watering. You save money by purchasing fewer lawn care products. And you save our natural resources by reducing water use, reducing water pollution from fertilizers in water runoff, and reducing solid waste (grass, leaves, branches).

The Environmental Protection Agency lays out five steps for “putting nature to work in your yard”

1. Build and maintain healthy soil. Start by ascertaining what your soil actually needs before you think about adding any fertilizer. Rutgers Agricultural Cooperative Extension offers a soil testing service, which provides accurate, cost-effective and timely (five to seven business days) results. If you do need fertilizer, use a non-phosphorus, organic, slow-release variety and keep it off your driveway and walk to avoid runoff. Try using compost and mulch to fortify your soil.
2. Plant right for your site. If you have struggled with maintaining grass in certain areas of your yard, think about replacing grass with native plants that fit the amount of sun, type of soil, and available water in a particular spot. Be sure to mix compost into the soil before planting and mulch the area after planting.
3. Practice smart watering. Too much, too little…does anyone ever get it right? Experts suggest watering deeply but infrequently. Try  to capture rainwater and allow it to recharge your groundwater, and to use later for watering. The EPA also recommends watering early in the day to reduce evaporation and using soaker hoses and drip irrigation instead of sprinklers for more efficient watering. 
4. Adopt a holistic approach to pest management. Only about five to 15 percent of the bugs in your yard are pests. The rest are “good bugs” and help control pests. An ongoing pest problem may be a sign of an unhealthy yard so try prevention first: maintain healthy soil with compost and mulch; select pest-resistant plants and use a variety of plants so, if pests attack, your whole garden isn’t at risk; mow higher because taller grass can choke out many weeds; and pull weeds and dead plants regularly. Finally, if you do use pesticides, place them on the smallest possible area and carefully follow the instructions.
5. Reduce your lawn and practice natural lawn care. Do you really want to care for a big lawn–all that upkeep, mowing and watering? When lawn replaces natural growth, such as forest or plants with deeper roots that stabilize the soil, the risk of flooding and erosion increases. But if you do want lawn, think “good soil first.” Add organic matter or compost, try corn meal gluten for weeds and crabgrass, and use organic, slow-release fertilizer in the fall to feed roots.

When you mow your lawn, mow high (3 inches), keep your mower blade sharp, mow often so you are not removing more than one-third of the leaf, and don’t bag the clippings. “Grasscycling” (leaving the clippings on the lawn) makes lawns healthier. Soil organisms recycle the clippings into free fertilizer, and you save all the time and work of bagging. Summit encourages grasscycling with its “Cut It and Leave It”program. Organic lawn care products, such as organic, non-phosphorus fertilizers and organic weed controllers, are available at some hardware stores. They are also available at The Farm at Green Village. The Farm also has a good selection of rain barrels and composters, as well as other products for making your own mulch and compost.

Organic Land Care Professionals

If you’d rather not do it yourself, there are many lawn care providers who offer organic services. Just ask! You can also use the “landscaper search” option of the Northeast Organic Farming Association Organic Landcare website. NOFA offers a landscaper accreditation program which requires completion of a five-day course with an exam, a commitment to organic practices according to NOFA standards, and a pledge to maintain continuing education on a yearly basis.

The photos accompanying this article show organic yards with a mix of lawn and plantings maintained by NOFA-accredited Green Path LandCare, a Chatham-based company specializing in ecological landscape design and 100 percent organic lawn care services.

Summit Fertilizer Ordinance and New Jersey Fertilizer Law

If you need even more encouragement to use organic fertilizer, you should know that both the City of Summit and the State of New Jersey have enacted fertilizer laws. Passed in 2009, the Summit ordinance aspires to “reduce the overall amount of excess nutrients entering waterways, thereby helping to protect and improve surface water quality.” 

The Summit ordinance (09-2863) severely restricts the use of phosphorus fertilizer, and completely prohibits applying fertilizer during or right before a rainfall (or when the ground is saturated), applying to an impervious surface or within a 25-foot buffer of any waterbody, applying more than 15 days before March 1 or any time after November 15, and applying without a properly calibrated spreader.

The New Jersey Law (A2290) was passed for the same reasons as the Summit ordinance–protecting surface and groundwaters–and includes similar phosphorus restrictions, fertilizer blackout dates, rainfall restrictions, and waterbody buffer rules. It also requires professional fertilizer applicators to undergo training and become certified, restricts the amount of nitrogen used, and imposes labeling requirements for fertilizer bags. 

The prohibited fertilizer applications noted above are in effect now. The certification requirements and phosphorus and nitrogen limits go into effect on January 5, 2012, and the labeling requirements go into effect January 5, 2013.

Arboretum Program--The New American Lawn: An Organic Guide for Today’s Lawns, March 24, 2011

Have questions or looking for more information? You’re in luck! , in collaboration with the Summit Environmental Commission, is hosting a workshop on organic lawn care and the Summit fertilizer ordinance on March 24 from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Arboretum, 165 Hobart Avenue, Summit. The program is free for Arboretum members and Summit residents, and costs $15 for others. Please call 908-273-8787 ext. 1414 or email j.zemsky@reeves-reedarboretum.org to register or for more information.

–By Beth Lovejoy, on behalf of the Summit Environmental Commission