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This is the second in a series of posts about creating a more eco-friendly yards. Read the first post by Dr. John Whyte about fertilizers here.
A massive carpet of lush green grass covering the back forty is as American as apple pie. But what's the price of a conventionally treated (read: chemically assisted) lawn? And is it possible to sprout a piece of eco-conscious turf that will have the neighbors calling over the fence for your secrets? To find out, we sat down with landscape architect Richard Pete, founder of the design-build firm R.H. Pete Associates Landscape Architects in Vermont. As the previous owner of an organic lawn-care company and a board member of the Composting Association of Vermont, Pete knows all about the goods that get lawns truly green. He also happens to be the man from whom we bought the domain name "PlanetGreen.com." So it's no surprise that he knows a thing or two about creating a backyard that dreams are made of (and neighbors jealous of). Below, he dishes on native plants, pesticides, and the story of how Americans came to love their lawns.
Why should we rethink the traditional concept of a backyard as a lush carpet of perfectly mowed grass?
Let's start by looking at the following facts from the EPA, which shed light on how devastating to the environment lawns can be:
- The amount of pollution emitted by a lawnmower operating for one hour is equivalent to the amount of pollution emitted by a car driven for approximately 20 miles. And nearly 70,000 severe accidents result from lawnmowers. Meanwhile, we use 580,000,000 gallons of gasoline to power them.
- Up to 60 percent of urban fresh water can be used for watering lawns.
- Americans spend more than $5 billion on fossil fuel-derived fertilizers for their lawns, and $700 billion on pesticides, totaling 67 billion pounds of synthetic pesticides. Lawn care is a $25 billion industry.
Now consider that 20 million acres of U.S. land are planted with residential lawns. With these figures in mind, it is clear that if we reduced the size of a standard lawn and standard lawn inputs by half, we could also cut back dramatically on the energy and chemicals used to maintain them.
So what's with the American obsession with having a perfect lawn, anyway?
The "great American lawn" is not a concept confined exclusively to Americans--it is a world wide epidemic. Landscape architect Andre LeNotre is credited with starting the trend in the late 18th century, with small lawn areas used for a rather prominent landmark: the Palace of Versailles in France. The technique was soon all the rage for wealthy Englanders. In the U.S. the lawn started as a way to tame the wild new country, and then really took off in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it became shameful not to have a manicured lawn! (You can read more about this history in the U.S. EPA's "Wild Ones Handbook.")
But there are more subtle reasons, too: Perhaps as hunter-gatherers, men both grab for the remote control and the lawnmower as realms of their sphere of influence. Keeping up the lawn is a simple exercise that requires some exertion and has the immediate visual reward of the clean, neat, well-manicured homestead, and offers the satisfaction of a job well done.
Are certain varieties of grasses better for different regions?
Absolutely, most homeowners would do well by contacting their local United States Department of Agriculture extension service. They are very knowledgeable, science based, and have a wealth of information for the homeowner and issues they are confronted with. Plus, they are paid with our tax dollars.
What are some options for better backyards that are still pleasant and useful?
Urban contexts support paved areas, herb beds, and planting beds of urban-tolerant plants. Suburban movements include the suburban meadow. The Audubon Society, for example, loves to promote diversified habitats to support wildlife. There is also the whole edible landscape movement, which has carved out a small foothold in the suburbs and might really take off more as food prices skyrocket and local markets grow in both interest and importance.
In the country, where lawns and landscapes can be larger, just look at the surrounding countryside for ideas of what grows naturally. What is growing in that old field?
If you cut your own lawn, instead of using a lawn service, maybe you want to make it a bit smaller. Can you cut your lawn in half and make one part the rough, like at a golf course? Then only cut the rough every other time you cut the "precious" lawn up near the house, or even less often?
Really, our lawns are controlled by our perceptions. So when we plant something besides grass or even allow grass to "go to seed," it is usually the perception that "it needs to be cut" that prevails. But if we look at "old fields" as "wildflower meadows" instead of overgrown lots, we may be bale to perceive our own yards as "future wildflower meadows."
Of course, not planting grass at all would be a huge step. We use grass mostly out of habit and because it easy to maintain, but there are other options.
So what are some these alternatives that make for more eco-friendly settings?
Alternatives to grass and the best choices will depend most on the climate zone, use of the area, and context (city, suburbs, or country). Is your lawn designed for play? Looks? Active sports? The types of plantings you choose should depend on the answers to these questions. Currently, I am attempting to plant a 35-acre senior housing site with clover, for example. The clover will give green cover, yet allow for wild seedlings, and gradually grow into our concept design of an "old" field.
Why are native plants considered greener option?
Native plants themselves aren't necessarily eco-friendly—good landscaping in that regard has more to do with overall design, water usage, and environmental input. But native plants will usually thrive in the local conditions of your area, requiring less inputs of energy, if any at all, to keep them healthy. They also fit in aesthetically with the local palette.
Why is it important to use organic fertilizers? Are they that much safer?
Talk about a loaded question! This one really gets folks going. When I was at agriculture school in the 1970s, I was taught by my soils teacher that there is absolutely no difference between organic and non-organic fertilizers. I now feel that nothing could be further from the truth. If the soil is seen as dirt and a place to only hold roots then go ahead, dump on some more salt. But the key is to see the soil as a living sponge, with a diverse population of both flora and fauna, and understand that there are a billion bacteria and millions of fungi in a tablespoon of healthy soil. Dirt is soil, and soil is a living entity that needs a meal, not just a vitamin pill. The problem with most fertilizers you'll find at the local hardware store is that they are weed-and-feed or feed-and-pest management, not just fertilizer.
A healthy soil complex should be 50 percent pore space, or 50 percent air. This is created by life in the soil, not by fertilizers. Soil organisms do need food, and nitrogen is a great food for them. However, the complexity of soil life is better served by building up the food sources.
So why does everybody use fertilizer on their lawns?
Unfortunately, most of our suburban lawns were planted on poor soils, and grass on poor soils responds beautifully to fertilizer, it turns green and grows like crazy, which also means you need to cut it more often. On top of that, the rate of pesticides used on lawns is on average ten times more per acre than is used on agricultural land. However, if you want a healthy lawn, which is probably why you think you need fertilizer, a healthy soil complex is a much better long-term approach. Think top dressing with compost. In my experience, nothing will do more, in less time and have a longer term result than the addition of high quality organic matter.
Americans use billions of gallons of water each year in their backyards. What techniques best save water?
The best way to save water is to not use it in the backyard at all. Native plants, for example, are adapted to the region in which they grow, and they have survived without being watered. As water restrictions become more common events in some areas, native plants will prove to be the better choice.
Other tips for reducing water usage include mulching or adding other water-retaining organic matter to the soil, installing windbreaks and fences to reduce evaporation, watering in the early morning, and installing rain gutters and collecting runoff water that you can then use in the yard.
Some of us have kids running around in bare feet and we can't always control what they put in their mouths. What can we do to insure our lawn is safe?
Here's my open letter on the topic:
Dear Parents,
This is a warning. Pesticides--both those sold in retail stores and those provided by lawn care companies--have not been proven safe for your children. Pesticides are tested for their effectiveness at killing a targeted organism. Unfortunately, they are not tested for their adverse effects on children, and, in fact, many of the most popular pesticides have been linked with such severe health effects that the Environmental Protection Agency has asked for them to be reviewed due to concern about chronic health effects.
According to the non-profit organization Beyond Pesticides, children take in more pesticides relative to body weight than adults and have developing organ systems that make them more vulnerable and less able to detoxify toxins and an estimated 50% of lifetime pesticide exposure occurs during the first 5 years of life. One study found that pesticide use in the house and garden can increase the risk of childhood leukemia by almost seven times; it can also increase a child's likelihood of developing asthma. Others show low levels of exposure to lawn pesticide products are linked to increased rates of miscarriage and suppression of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.
You can also check out Environment Canada's 12 easy tips to "Get Your Lawn Off Drugs."
We just have to ask, what does your backyard look like?
I love lawn and have lots of it. But I only plant 100 percent grass seed on my "precious" lawn (or the tapis vert—that's the pretentious landscape term and French for "green carpet). I weed out the dandelions once a year. This area gets the most attention.
If you don't plant any grass, however, loads of other native seeds find their way in and grow just fine. This is my technique for our backyard golf area. There are seeds in the air and soil already from natural dispersal and I use this to my advantage. I like to use clover as a good starting seed and let all the other plants come in on there own. I do not use any pesticides; I use almost nothing but composts and manures to fertilize.
A lawn of less importance surrounds the house and gets cut less often but enough to let the kids run around and play. Then I have a meadow-like lawn in the background that was cut about a month ago and will probably only be cut again next spring. Finally, I have the areas that I do not really maintain at all or are brush hogged every one to three years or so.
If readers could splurge on one thing for their yards, what should it be?
Well given my profession, I could say hire a landscape architect, and get going with a new plan! Or, maybe invest in a hammock or table and chairs, something that will tempt you to get out on your lawn and enjoy it. If we are going to have lawns, after all, let's use them. Perhaps appreciating the outdoors will help us make the right choices for the environment.
More sources of info on healthy yard care from expert Richard Pete
The Environmental Protection Agency of the Federal Government is a great site for landscapes and native plants.
Wild Ones is a wonderful Midwest-based organization to promote biodiversity and native plants.
Refuse To Use ChemLawn (pdf) is a really great expose' site on the world leaders in lawn care products and what they are doing to our environment.
More on organic gardening
Grow a Tree
How to Green Your Gardening
First Organic Gardening Book to Take on Climate Change
More on composting
Composting: Compiled articles and posts from Planet Green experts all on one page!
Composting Tips from Planet Green experts
Composting Basics: Make Compost Fast
Turning Spoil Into Soil with Worms
Bokashi Composting System
Thinking about Crap: Should Houses Have Composting Toilets?
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