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Beat the Peak: A Conservationist's Guide to Lawn Care
By Paul Lauenstein
Cutting down on lawn watering will reduce your water bills and conserve drinking
water. Lawn watering consumes large volumes of water and may increase your water
rate from $3.40 up to $7.00 per thousand gallons. Lawn watering creates severe
demands on our town’s water supply in summer, when our aquifers are most
depleted.
Here are some tips to minimize your lawn watering without harming your lawn:
- Minimize
irrigation. Healthy lawns need only one inch of water per week, including
rainfall. So even if it is your day to water, consider whether
it has recently
rained or if rain is forecast before you turn on your sprinkler. A soaking
rain can eliminate the need for watering for up to two weeks.
You can monitor rainfall
with a free rain gauge from the Sharon Water Department (781-784-1525).
- Mow high. Keep your lawn 2.5 to 3 inches high to encourage a stronger, deeper root
system, reduce evaporation from the soil, and crowd out weeds.
- Leave clippings on the
lawn. Grass clippings recycle nutrients (from that expensive
fertilzer!) back to the soil, and accumulate into rich organic
humus that retains
moisture. You will be surprised at how quickly the clippings disintegrate,
and appreciate not having to collect and dispose of them.
- Minimize
fertilizer. Fertilizers increase water consumption. Apply the
minimum amount needed. Better yet, use compost. Not only will it
add nutrients
to your soil; it will enhance its texture and ability to retain
moisture.
- Check
your soil pH. Acid soil stresses grass, making it vulnerable
to disease and less able to tolerate drought. Acidic soil caused
by
acid rain in New
England can be counteracted by applying lime.
- Collect rainwater
from your roof. Install a rain barrel under your downspout
to collect rainwater for watering your garden. Find out more about
rainwater
recovery systems at www.rainwaterrecovery.com.
- Replace some or all of
your lawn with attractive, low-maintenance drought-tolerant
plants. Do you really need all that grass? Think about all that
mowing!
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