Gardening Tips | Landscaping Tips | Gardening Ideas

Cleaner Times

Green Mountain Energy has come up with several ideas to keep your yard healthy and friendly to the environment at the same time. They suggested:

1. Keep your grass at a higher length.
   Higher grass mowed by sharp blades will prevent weeds from taking root and make a healthy lawn with little pest control necessary.
2. Make use of manual tools.
   Lightweight hand tools with no emissions, such as reel push mowers, will come in handy during minor yard work and create less air pollution.
3. Know when to water.
   Short periods of sprinkles early in the morning allow the soil to retain water throughout the day. If your footprint stays after walking on your lawn, it is time to water.
4. Utilize grass clippings.
   Leave the grass clippings after mowing your lawn. Aside from supplying nutrients to the soil, dried clippings also serve as mulch for compost piles.
5. Work with nature.
   Don’t be afraid of letting a few insects into your garden. Birds or other insects that feed on pests may reduce your use of pesticides.

I agree with most of them besides the reel mower. In some parts of the world that may work, but unfortunately in Houston with the St. Augustine it would take days to mow. With that said the other ideas are great especially number 3, “Know When to Water”. So many people over water. At the end of the day, your lawn only needs about an inch a week, sometimes less depending on the temperature. One long watering a week will keep your roots deep and your grass healthy. You can measure this by putting a rain gauge in your yard, and then timing how long it takes to get an inch.