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A lush, green lawn can be a great feature of any home, but some lawn care practices are harmful to the environment. The good news: There are many ways to make your lawn more eco-friendly. For example, many retailers sell organic products, and you can mow your grass tall so that your soil retains more moisture. Here are more details on these possibilities as well as other tips to help you create a healthier and more sustainable lawn.

Use Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are made from natural ingredients. They nourish your lawn and do not introduce harmful chemicals to your ecosystem. They are also family- and pet-friendly. You can get them from retailers such as Golf Course Lawn Store.

Mow High

To encourage deeper root growth and shade the soil, set your lawn mower blades to the highest setting. Shading the soil helps prevent weed growth, and taller grass keeps more moisture in the soil. In turn, that cuts down on the need for watering.

Use Electric or Manual Tools

Gas-powered lawn tools can hurt the environment and produce harmful emissions. It is more eco-friendly to use electric or manual tools. For example, an electric lawn mower or a push mower can reduce your carbon footprint and cut down on noise and pollution.

Similarly, a rake or push mower instead of a leaf blower or traditional lawn mower is more eco-friendly. These manual tools reduce emissions and noise pollution while giving you a great workout.

Practice Composting

Composting is an excellent way to recycle organic waste and create nutrient-rich soil. You can use grass clippings, leaves, and other yard waste to create a compost pile. You can then use the finished product to fertilize your lawn.

Water Wisely

Water your lawn deeply and infrequently to encourage deeper root growth. Coordinate with the amount of rainfall your area receives, too. For example, you could use a rain gauge to measure the amount of rainfall your lawn receives and water your grass only if it hasn't rained in a week or more.

Also, water early in the morning to reduce water loss from evaporation. The best time frame to water is 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. If you water later than that, say, at midday, the water loss from evaporation can be quite high.

Watering in the evening has an important downside, too: It can cause disease in your gardens because your plants and foliage may remain wet throughout the night. That is, if you use a garden hose or sprinkler. If you use a soaker hose or drip irrigation system, it should be fine to water your lawn in the evenings.

Install a Rain Barrel

Speaking of water, who doesn’t like a lower water bill? To reduce your water bill and to conserve water, collect rainwater in a rain barrel. Use that collected water to water your lawn, garden, or plants.

Plant Trees

A yard with a lot of trees can be a happy one. Trees around your lawn cut down on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They also offer shade and reduce soil erosion.

Choose Native Plants

Native plants are well-adapted to your climate and soil conditions. They can thrive in your environment even with less water and maintenance than non-native plants.

Native plants have also developed relationships with other parts of your ecosystem over the years. For example, they provide food and habitat for local wildlife, which increases biodiversity and boosts the health of your ecosystem. Other advantages of native plants include these:

• They use less water since they have adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. Reduced water usage means a lower water bill and less overall water usage.
• They do not need as much maintenance. They’re less vulnerable to pests and diseases and do not require as much fertilizer.
• Their root systems are deeper, which helps improve soil health and water infiltration. Deeper root systems also cut down on soil erosion.

Leave Grass Clippings on Your Lawn

Leaving grass clippings on your lawn after mowing is one way to return nutrients to the soil. You can use a mulching mower to chop up the clippings into even smaller pieces. That helps them decompose more quickly.

Plant Perennials

Perennial plants are the backbone of many lawns, and these plants come back year after year. Not having to replant them each season reduces the amount of waste that your lawn care activities produce. Choose perennials that are native to your area for the most eco-friendliness and to get the best growth and blooms yearly.

Just a few small moves such as watering wisely, using water from a rain barrel, mowing high, and focusing more on perennial plants instead of annuals can do wonders. They help you create a beautiful and eco-friendly lawn that benefits both your family and the environment.