Why Lawn

Lawn maintenance consumes an incredible amount of time and money.  But what is the purpose of a lawn, and could those resources be put to better use?

Let’s first start with the question:  Why have a lawn?  There are some practical reasons.  Recreation - lawns are often used as open and safe places for children, and some adults, to play.  Protection - having open sightlines around your dwelling, with few hiding spaces can make one feel safer.   Buffer space - keeping nature at a ‘safe’ distance.  This could be to control insects or wildlife, or, in fire prone areas, an open, healthy, lawn can protect a dwelling from fire. Status - a perfect lawn is often equated with ones class.  Going back a century or so, if you had the resources to expend on maintaining a perfect lawn then one must be pretty well off.  

A pretty common sight: large lawns on multiacre lots.  

In his 1841 treatise on landscape gardening, A. J. Downing advocated for the need of having a proper lawn to have a tasteful and civilized property.  He translated the Romantic style of late 18^th-century English landscape architects into a form more suited to the United States, particularly in the Hudson Valley and Mid-Atlantic.   Downing was extremely influential in setting the course for American landscape design into the 20^th century.  Another key event in making the lawn a standard feature was around 1870 when the reel lawnmower, which had been invented in England, came to the US.  This made keeping a mown lawn more practical. 

Achieving the ‘perfect’ weed-free lawn was made much easier with the development and marketing of the herbicide 2,4 D (1944) for residential use.  A lawn treated with this was made free of nearly all non-grass (dicot) plants.  This meant that most flowering plants which could support pollinators (e.g. clover, fleabanes and heal-all) could be eliminated from lawns.  The result was a nearly flawless (one could say featureless) green carpet of only grass-like (monocot) plants.     

Considering the history of landscape design from earliest times, there seems to be a need for humans to exert control over nature, despite the costs.  People, in general, feel much more comfortable in a landscape that is readable or understandable.  These are places where they can see the ins and outs and how to move through the space.  Think of the composition of a photograph or painting.  There are elements that draw the eye through the piece to a focal point.  Crisp or well defined edges are also important in creating readability.  I’ll admit that I do feel a sense of satisfaction when I look back on an evenly mown and edged green carpet. 

Let’s look at some data about lawns in the United States:

Acreage of lawns   Looking on the internet I found figures of between 40 and 50 million acres of residential turf grass in the US.  Compare that to the total amount of land used to grow corn which averaged at about 90 million acres between 2018-2022 (USDA data).  These figures are based on satellite imagery.  Most corn is grown without irrigation.  If you compare the irrigated acreage for corn of about 12 million acres to that for turf, then you come up with 3-4 times as much lawn as irrigated corn. 

Amount of gas used   Based on EPA figures from 2005, 800 million gallons of gasoline were used to power lawn care equipment each year.  Using this weeks’ national average of $3.72/gal you are talking about $3 billion dollars annually.  On top of that, lawn mowers and other small-engine powered lawn equipment, which have no pollution control devices, are significant contributors to air pollution.  Estimates are that combined landscape care equipment contributes about 5% of the total air pollution, CO, hydrocarbons and NOx .

Amount of water used on residential landscapes   EPA estimates of water use for landscape purposes is 9 billion gals/day (WaterSense 2013).  Most of that is treated potable water that could be used for domestic consumption rather than poured onto the ground.  With the increasing severity of droughts, particularly in areas of the Southwest where population is shifting towards, there are very real problems with providing all the water that is needed. 

So considering that lawns and lawn care have increasing costs and negative effects it is time to ask why and how much lawn can we afford and what are the alternatives.

Trends away from lawns:

No mow May.  Started in England as a push to provide early season pollinators with flowers that are common in English lawns.  Blindly adhering to a no-mow-May program in a country with so many diverse climates and types of lawns as the US is often inappropriate.  To be useful, the lawn or property in question needs to have a population of plants with early blooming flowers that the pollinator population likes.   Depending on the climate the appropriate time for suspending mowing could be as early as February or into the later part of May.  If you have a monoculture of Kentucky blue grass there is little benefit to pollinators in skipping a month of mowing, there is just nothing of benefit there for them.  If you have a diverse ‘lawn’ containing native weeds like violets, self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), fleabanes (Erigeron sp.), spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) and the like, then allowing those to come into bloom would have a positive effect.  If you really need to mow, take the effort to mow around the blooming plants until they are done.  Lawns can also be interplanted with spring bulbs.  While not native, very early bulbs like Crocus, Chionodoxa and Scilla can add interest to an early spring lawn.  These bulbs have usually completed their growth and blooming cycle by the time the need for mowing kicks in.

I have been allowing this patch of Philadelphia fleabane
to develop without mowing.  It reaches peak bloom
in mid-May.  I usually mow it down in early June
after it sets some seed. When not in bloom plants survive
as low-growing rosettes.  

While there is the oft repeated advice to never cut more than one third of the length of the grass blade at a time, I rarely let that force me to cut the lawn before I’m ready.  I can’t say that I have ever noticed a problem by occasionally letting the lawn get too long between cuts.  In those cases when I do the biggest problem is the long clippings left on top.  A mulching mower can help deal with that.  All these problems are magnified on the ‘perfect’ lawn, where any imperfection becomes blaringly obvious.  In a diverse, multispecies lawn imperfections blend into the mosaic of plant colors and textures.

Lose the Lawn  This is a phase that is used by many people when voicing their concern about the amount of resources being pouring into and onto lawns.  You can get excellent advise on this subject for university extension services.  Doing an internet search on ‘lose the lawn’ and your state of region can give you information on lawn alternatives suitable for your area.  For example try this link to the UMD extension for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Climate appropriate landscaping   This is another phrase used when talking about more sustainable landscape practices.  Simply put, it is using plants that grow well with the resources that are naturally available.  Native species appropriate to the local climate require much less water and other inputs than turf or other non-adapted species.  When there are no plants suitable, look to using other materials to achieve the design goals.  It also means avoiding the use of plants and materials that require an extraordinary amount of inputs to maintain them.  

As droughts are becoming more frequent and severe, many municipalities are instituting water restrictions and/or offering enticements for installing water efficient landscaping.

What can one do?

>If you have a lawn, mow and water when lawn needs it, rather than on a preset schedule.  This can be difficult with lawn services since making a flexible schedule with multiple clients can be very difficult.  I did see on the web some services that offer options for having a less frequent mowing schedule.  That may be a move in the right direction.  In general lawns maintained at 3-4" have deeper roots making them less dependent on frequent watering.  Also the taller turf shades the soil which reduces weed seed germination and evaporation or soil moisture.

>Replace high maintenance lawn grasses with climate appropriate turf.  The US is divided into 3 zones for turf grass, cool season, warm season and the transitional zone between them.  A nice overview of turf grass types for the various regions of the United States can be found in this blog post from Landscape America.  While most turf grasses are not native to North America a few are.  Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) is a native species found in the plains from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico.  It has been developed as a drought tolerant turf grass.  A native of the Gulf States, St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) has been cultivated and planted along the east and west coastal areas of the US.  Fine fescues are well adapted to the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern states.  A few subspecies of red fescue (Festuca rubra) are native to North America; however, the blends suited for turf usage contain a variety of fine fescues most of which are not native.  There are at least three blends of these fine fescues that have been selected for use in cool season growing zones that are drought tolerant, need little fertilization.  Look for Eco-Lawn, Eco-grass or No Mow fine fescue blends. 

This patch of lawn is mostly fine fescues that is mown about every two weeks. 
It looks like regular 'grass'.  If I did not mow it it would would develop a
 fine silky, mounded texture that fine fescues are noted for.  

>Develop a tolerance for having mowable green, rather than a perfect cloned lawn.  My lawn, in the Mid-Atlantic region, is a mixture of tall and fine fescues, nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi, a local native species), probably some purple top (Tridens flavus, also native), violets, fleabanes, clover and some less desirable (but tolerable) weedy stuff.  A diverse lawn requires fewer inputs to maintain.

>Consider alternative ground covers.  Regionally native species are preferred because, in addition to requiring little to no mowing, they also support local wildlife.  Some lower growing North American natives that can replace, or be incorporated into a lawn include frog fruit (Phyla sp.); pussy toes (Antennaria sp., for sunny dry conditions), and golden ragwort (Packera aurea, partly sunny, moist conditions).  Moss is perfect for a shady spots. Again, doing a search on ‘lose the lawn’ coupled with your region yields results that offer a list of alternative ground covers.  I recommend focusing on web sites managed by university extension services as providing the most unbiased results.

This patch of golden ragwort bursts into bloom in April. 
It is semi-evergreen and grows to about 6" tall.  It is slowly expanding,
but can be kept under control with mowing.

>Reduce or eliminate fertilization.  In many situations it is a vicious cycle.  Fertilizer is needed to replace the nutrients removed when grass clippings are removed while mowing.  Then, the more fertilizer you add, the more the lawn grows, then the more there is to mow.  By leaving grass clippings in the first place and mowing in the leaves in the fall, you are recycling the nutrients in place and feeding the microbes living in the soil.  Using a mulching mower will reduce the amount of clippings visible on the lawn.

>Reduce area committed to lawn and replace with bedding, meadow-type plantings, successional plantings, or cropping (hay fields).  When reshaping the lawn, go for simple shapes that can be mown efficiently, avoid tight turns and acute angles.  I have one triangular area that requires a lot of backtracking to mow.  A rectangle or oval could be done with less backtracking. 
A successional planting builds on the natural process of succession.  Succession is the natural process where the mix of plants on a site changes over time, and it begins when one stops mowing.  East of the Mississippi River, the sequence is usually bare land becomes grasslands, which in turn becomes shrublands which eventually turns into forests.  This process usually takes many years.  The land owner could  speed up the process by planting desirable shrubs and trees to create an idealized version of the natural landscape.  Intervention by the landowner can also pause succession at various stages such as as a meadow or shrubland.

Here is a possibility of allowing some succession of  local native species
(redbuds, dogwoods, asters, etc.).  Clean edges and sightlines to and
from the dwelling confer intention to the landscape.  This more
diverse landscape offers much more to the local ecology. 

>When creating a new space, clean edges, whether straight or curved, convey a sense of intention in the landscape.  A wilder space surrounded by a clean edge is visually more comforting than a totally wild area.

>Where climate is not suitable for growing plants, use hardscape or inorganic mulches. Hardscape does not have to be impermeable concrete.  Dry laid stones and pavers allow for water infiltration which reduces runoff problems.

>Be creative with the space, put in artwork to fill the space and send a message.  On a recent trip to Sebastapol, CA we visited Florence Ave where many of the residents have sculptures in the front yards by local artist Patrick Amiot. 

This owl sculpture is complemented by a variety of
perennials in this lawn-free front yard.

The minimal landscaping around this catfishing dog works quite well. 
The colors of the spiky New Zealand flax play well with the colors in the statue.

Reducing the area committed to lawn does not have be be done all at once.  It can be done one area at a time, or by expanding planted beds or wilder areas a little bit each year.  I would love to hear about your experiences with reducing resources committed to maintain a lawn.

Stiltgrass management, part 2

After trying to remove as much Japanese stiltgrass as possible in late summer, the next step is to fill in the gaps with more desirable plants. My approach last year of seeding in native grasses like Canada and Virginia ryes did not work out too well.  There were some good reasons for my disappointing results.  I needed to plant  these relatively large seeds more deeply to get better germination.  Also these new grass seedlings need 2-3 years to establish before mowing back, or using as pasture.  It would be better to use these big perennial grasses in a meadow planting where mowing is done only once a season.

This year I am trying a more conventional route with the filler grasses.  I will be using commercial turf grasses that are selected for rapid growth and formation of a dense turf layer.  This is what I need to exclude the stiltgrass.  By planting these cool season grasses in the fall they have a chance to germinate and fill in before the stiltgrass starts growing in mid-spring.

I divided up the stiltgrass infected areas into full sun, part sun and mostly shade and selected a seed mixture appropriate for each condition.  For full sun I selected a blend of tall fescues with just a little Kentucky bluegrass.  For the part-sun areas I have a blend or both tall and fine fescues with a little perennial rye and Kentucky blue grass.  For the shade areas I am using a blend of fine fescues selected for low maintenance.  This year I am using Eco-Grass from Prairie Moon, but there are other blends such as No-Mow from Prairie Nursery and Eco-lawn from Wildflower Farm that should work as well.

Most commercially available cool-season turf grasses are not native to North America with the exception of some of the fine fescues, in particular red fescue (Festuca rubra).  You can find detailed information about which turf grasses are appropriate for your region from your state's cooperative extension.  For example the Maryland Extension Service has a listing of recommended grass cultivars that were tested locally.

Before buying seed this year I shopped around to see what specific seed cultivars were used in each of the blends.  There is usually a tag with the detailed seed composition somewhere on the bag. When I went out to buy the one I liked, I found that that specific blend was no longer available even though the product name on the bag was the same.  Frustrating!!!  I imagine that the retailers are still trying the produce an equivalent performing product, but it still, that was a frustrating experience.

The first step in the reseeding process is to remove the stiltgrass thatch in the lawn.  This opens up spaces for the new seed and may help remove some undispersed sitltgrass seed.  Since late in the season much of the remaining stiltgrass has had a chance to set seed, this thatch needs to be segregated from regular compost and the regular brush piles.  I have a couple of piles dedicated to stiltgrass so that it does not get mixed up with the regular yard waste and I can monitor it for spreading.  Another option would be to landfill it in thick plastic bags.  You do not want to let the stiltgrass get out and spread its seed.

Late September is when the stiltgrass begins to die back.  The brownish areas are easy to spot.

Once the area was clear of thatch I applied the new seed.  I used the back side of a bow rake to press the seed into the soil.  The nice thing about the conventional turf seeds is that they do not need to be planted deeply.  After sowing, it is necessary to keep the new seed bed moist until the new seedlings are established. I usually try to time my seed sowing with coming rains.  That way I don't need to water it in (I'm really lazy in that way).  Besides the cooler temperatures, autumn is a good time for lawn seeding because it is usually a rainier then too.   I usually see good levels of germination in 10-14 days for the Eco-grass.  This year is working out well (so far).  The soaking rains in early October saturated the soil and I have only needed to add a little additional water to keep the soil moist.

The area between the piles has been (mostly) cleared of stilt grass and is ready for seeding.
I used a leaf rake for this, but a stiff garden rake would have been
more effective for tearing out the stiltgrass plants.

While the standard instructions on the seed bag recommends fertilization at the time of seeding, it is best to do a soil test to determine if added fertilizer is needed.  If you use a mulching mower to return your grass clippings and leaves to the soil your fertilizer needs will be much lower (or non-existent). The risk of over-using fertilizer is that it will stimulate weed growth and that run off of excess nutrients will damage the environment.  Since we are in the Chesapeake watershed I try to use the minimum of fertilizer possible.  That usually means none.  In fact, for the fine fescues fertilization is not recommended.  If fertilization is needed, fall is the best time for cool season grasses.  Spring fertilization will stimulate growth of warm season weeds (and stiltgrass) as well as the cool season grasses.  In the fall only the cool season plants are actively taking up nutrients.

In this full sun area tearing out the stiltgrass exposed a lot of bare ground.
This spot was seeded with the full sun blend.  Just to the back left
 is a full shade area where I planted the Eco-grass mix.

One new thing I learned about tall fescue, Lolium arundinaceum, is that some cultivars are infected with an endophytic fungus that produces loline alkaloids that are toxic to many insects and mammals that feed on the grass.  This endophytic fungus also reduces biodiversity around the infected fescue.  while this is great for the fescue it is bad for the wider plant and animal communities.  The widely used and inexpensive cultivar K-31 has a high rate of infection.  So far I have not been able to find out which cultivar have low infection rates, however this may be more common in southern states.  One way to lower the effects of infected fescue on the environment is to keep it mowed so that it stays in a vegetative state, i.e., not going to seed.  Hopefully its ability to form a good turf and exclude the stiltgrass will outweigh it negative environmental effects.
..

Lazy about Lawns

There was a great article in last Sunday's Boston Globe business section (5/13/12) titled 'Lawn Care for the Lazy' that really summed up my position on lawn care.  The original source is the May 2012 edition of Consumer Reports.  Since I can't give you a free link to the article, let me summarize.

1. Let your yard go brown during long, summer dry spells.  This is a natural event of your lawn coping with the weather conditions.  It will green up again when the weather turns cooler and wetter.  Forcing it to stay green will use a whole lot of water.  Also when watering, a weekly slow soaking is better than daily spritzes.  When the soil is moist several inches down, the roots will follow.  Deep roots can tap into a much larger reservoir of moisture.  Eventually lawn watering will be the exception rather than the rule.  I do not water the established parts of my lawn anymore and digging recently the roots of the grass were about 6-8" deep.

2. Fertilize less frequently.  I used to fertilize several times a year, then I realized that meant I had to cut it much more often.  Fertilizers with high amount of water soluble nitrogen will green up a lawn quickly, but not do so much for the rest of the plant.  Also that fast growing green lawn will want more water.  An overfed lawn will also encourage more lawn eating pests.  They are just going after the feast that has been provided for them.  Also consider that runoff from an overfed lawn contains a lot of excess nutrients that are a major source of water pollution.  So if you follow the x-step approach you may be overfeeding the lawn, which requires more labor and watering.  Also to combat the insects feeding on the excess, you apply pesticides.  Many of these lawn chemicals then run off and contribute to water pollution.

The Consumer Reports article recommends only 1 or 2 fertilizer application using slow-release (water insoluble) nitrogen for long slow feeding of the lawn.  In past posts I have talked about using mown-in leaves as the fall fertilizer and have personally gone to zero applications of lawn fertilizer each year.

3.  Mulch your grass clippings.  By using a mulching mower and putting the cut grass back where it came from you can cut down on fertilization as well.  The green grass clippings are a good source of nitrogen for the lawn. As they break down they feed the lawn.  Also, using a mulching mower saves on the time spent collecting the grass and transporting to somewhere else for disposal or composting.  I would again add, mulch in your leaves in the fall!

4.  Let the grass grow longer.  Taller grass shades the soil better, cutting down on evaporation and making it harder for weeds to get established.  The CR article says that you can cut grass by 50% or more without damaging the plant.  The common rule is that you should cut no more than a third of the blade at a time.

5.  Live with certain weeds and pests.  Some common weeds are innocuous or even beneficial to your lawn.  Clover was once a standard component of lawns.  It has the added benefit of fixing nitrogen into the soil.  But clover is not compatible with the broad-leaf herbicides used in many fertilizer formulations.  So now it is considered a weed.  Dandelions can improve soil aeration.  Crabgrass is a problem, however, and is best combated by a preemergent herbicide, or better, by overseeding bare spots to create a thicker turf.  Note that a preemergent herbicide works by inhibiting the development of seedlings.  So if you use one of these products, do not count on any grass seed to grow.

A patch of  Ecolawn(TM) fine fescues
to repair a hole in the lawn

6.  Give low-maintenance grasses a try. There are several low maintenance grasses available.  Most of these are blends of fine fescues.  These grasses have lower fertility and moisture needs than Blue and Rye grasses.  Also these fescues tend to be slower growing, so there is a longer period between mowings.  They do not take traffic as well as standard turf grasses, however tall fescue is a coarse-textured, low maintenance grass for high use areas.  

I tried out a sample of EcoLawn™ on a portion of my lawn where I had a plumbing line replaced last fall.  I planted it into a mixture of the churned up sub-soil with about an inch of compost mixed into the top.  It did take over a week to germinate and it grew to about 2-3 inches by the end of fall.  Now is is a dense deep green mass of fine textured blades.  As seen here it does stand out from the original mixed turf grasses.

It makes a more subtle contribution in places where it has been over seeded into bare spots.  Here between the street and sidewalk I've overseeded to see if I can suppress the annual attack of crabgrass.

Fine fescue was overseeded into the sparse turf of the 'Hell Strip.'

Following these six tips is an easy way to save time and money on lawn care and to reduce water usage and environmental pollution.

Native Ground Covers - Part 2

In the last post I listed some of the herbaceous and small woody native plants that I have been using as ground covers. Sometimes you want that grassy look. There are a number of options for low maintenance grasses as alternatives to the Non-Native Kentucky Blue Grass and Perennial Ryes commonly used in residential lawn grasses.

One option to the conventional lawn is the use of fine fescue grasses.  These have a silkier appearance and tend to be a lighter shade of green than KBG.  Two commercially available seed mixes based on blends of fine fescue grasses are ‘No-Mow’ Mix from Prairie Nursery and Eco-Lawn from Wildflower Farm. These mixes contain a blend of creeping and clumping fescues, some of which are native to North America, which will tolerate a range moisture and light of conditions. Lawns of these grasses are reported to require very little mowing (1-4 times/year), little additional water and no fertilization.

Another option is to do a sedge lawn. Sedges, members of the genus Carex, number about 2000 species world-wide, with about 480 representatives native to North America. With so many species, there are some that are adapted to nearly any growing condition. In general, they look like average grasses. This genus can be distinguished in that sedges have triangular, not round, stems. When viewed down the stem the leaf blades radiate off at 120-degree angles. Sedge lawns are a better choice for wet conditions than fescues, however they do not tolerate foot traffic as well. Brooklyn Botanical Garden has a useful article on sedge lawns.

The first sedge that I became intrigued with was Rosy Sedge, Carex rosea. I saw this ‘in bloom’ in a friend's yard with its tiny (~1/8th inch) rose or star-like, tan colored inflorescences. These come in late spring. Otherwise, it just looks like grass. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo or these little flowers at this time, but here’s what it looks like without them. While it is naturally distributed over the eastern 2/3rds of the U.S., I do not know of a commercial source for this sedge.


Since first seeing Rosy Sedge, in 2006, I have become more interested in these plants. Two sedges that are available and well adapted for use in the Northeast are Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) and Appalachian Sedge (C. appalachica).

Appalachian Sedge forms clumps with mid-green blades 8-24” long. These clumps do not produce rhizomes. The bloom time is in late spring, with seeds forming in late spring to early summer. Its native habitat is in dry to mesic deciduous forests and its native range includes the eastern states from Georgia to Canada. In my yard I have it growing successfully under a Sycamore Maple (another invasive tree). The foliage turns tan over the winter, but it greens up rapidly in the spring.

Pennsylvania Sedge is becoming much more available in the nursery trade. It is a little smaller than Appalachian sedge, with leaves at 4-18 inches. It is reported to tolerate occasional mowing (I haven’t mowed mine yet on purpose, anyway). Also it does spread slowly by rhizomes, a good trait for a lawn grass. The inflorescences appear in early spring as dark brown spikes, just above the foliage. These come before and are easily distinguished from the flowers of Appalachian Sedge. This sedge is found in well drained acidic, but rich soils in and along hardwood forest edges and openings. The native range includes the eastern states from Georgia to Canada to just west of the Mississippi River. My Pennsylvania Sedge is also doing well under the same maple tree. Mine is a bit larger than the Appalachian Sedge, but it has been in the ground a year or two longer. For me the beauty of both of these grasses is that they do well in DRY SHADE!!!

For more general information on growing alterative lawns check out the following links:
>Planting a ‘No-Mow’ lawn. This link also has a clear and concise statement on growing/encouraging moss.
>Native Grass Lawns: Lots of information on a variety of altenatives
>Planting a Native Grass Lawn. This is another useful link for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden site.
The book, Easy Lawns, edited by Stevie Daniels, gives information on growing low-maintenance native grass lawns appropriate to each region of the U.S.