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<br />The mO.rt important inplll to the !tlWtl is knmvledxc'.
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<br />Toward a low Input lawn
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<br />By: CarnIc Ann Hurth, Center for Watershed Protection
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<br />W hill.: many homeowners .H~ I.;onccrned with
<br />stream 4uality, many <1lso have a funda-
<br />mental self-interest in retaining an altrac-
<br />live, dense and green lawn-regardless oflhe inputs of
<br />time, money. fertilizer, pesticides <lnu water needed to
<br />sustain it. After all. a well-manicured lawn has unJeni-
<br />;-thlc aesthetic appeal to m,my residents. Therefore, ont:
<br />of the key challenges of any public outreach progmm
<br />is to convince roughly half of our homeowners that it
<br />is possble to grow asharp looking luwn with low inputs
<br />(and not greatly increase the amount
<br />of labor expended to maintain it).
<br />This article sets forth some braod
<br />principles to guide homeowners to-
<br />ward a low input lawn. Togehter with
<br />the accompanying Lawn Care Field
<br />Guide found at the end of this issue, it
<br />provides a starting point fordesigning a more effective
<br />outreach program t6 achieve this goal.
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<br />Traditional lawn care sharply
<br />increases demands on water
<br />supply and landfill capacity_
<br />JIT':,.-.:':;;,1..li.1:.:.Z...:..'S::.,~~.i1~~'.l\.l!tl
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<br />The most important input to the low input lawn is
<br />knowledge. Efficient management is based on a rudi-
<br />mentnry understunding of soil properties, local cli-
<br />mate, and the growing requirements of selected grass
<br />species. With Ihis understanding of regional condi-
<br />tions, it is relatively simple to select appropriate grass
<br />species and to give the lawn wh.nt it needs at the proper
<br />time. \Vithout this underst:lnding, large ::tmounts of
<br />grass seed, fertilizer. pesticides, WaleI', and time may
<br />he waSted. This ~\rticle presents the management tech-
<br />niques needed for il low input lawn in eighl key steps:
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<br />Step I. L1\vn conversion
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<br />Step 2. Soil building
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<br />Step 3. Gr~lss selection
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<br />Step 4. Mowing and thatch management
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<br />Step 5. Minimal f(:rtiliz~ltion
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<br />Step 6. \V('('d control and tolcrance
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<br />Step 7. IntL'grated pest management
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<br />Step~. Sc-llsihle irrigation
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<br />TIlt.:~c: steps. Stlllllll;lI"ized in 'l':lhk. I, <\'1"(' inlendt:"d to
<br />provid.....:l rr~\l\ll:work rut' 11l1.' hlHlll.O\....ncr inten.:-:-;tcd 111
<br />rcdut.:illg lawll inplll.'i. ^ c()[llillllUI1l elf m,1I1ilgt:"II1l'llI
<br />llPlions is prcSl.:lltcd within c;lch StL'(l, :llIowillg till.::
<br />11l1111l.:tlWller [Ulna).;,..... tht: lrallsitillll hl;\ low i1111L111;twn
<br />hy gradual :-;t:l'::l.:s. Thi."; artick (~\Ild lilt: :H..'L'llllljXl]\yil1g
<br />l.awll C:1J"C l:il'ld (;uitk) CHI :llsn he ll.scd as:\ st:lrlillt:
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<br />point rllr designing a ht.::lll:r community Ilutro.::u.:h-pnl-
<br />gr~m (() promote the low input bwn.
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<br />Community benefits of the Inw-input lawn
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<br />Apart frolll thcir prcsumc-d henefit in r('dul.-'lll);
<br />mmicnt and pesticide runoff, low input l;.;,wns prm ill..:
<br />other economic benefits 10 l.l cornmunilY-JnI.'ludtng
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<br />. RcdUCL'd .sumll\er wLlter demand
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<br />. Prcserv~Hion of landfill capacilY
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<br />. Reduced cost for management of public ],mds,
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<br />Some of these benefits have been quanrified, others
<br />are a matter of common sense.
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<br />Reduced summer water demand
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<br />Low input lawns that use WJ(e:r conservation Ic-ch~
<br />nigues, can sharply reduce demands on warer re-
<br />sources during pc-riods of droughl. During ~l r<::'I.'C'IH
<br />CJlifornia water shortage, it \..,;as estimated (ha( 30-
<br />50% of all residential water liSt: went W bllljs.:aping
<br />(Foster 1994). Lawn wate-ring WJS esrimu!('J, [0 ~h.:-
<br />count for 60% of summt;:r wJler use in Dalbs. T c.'c1s
<br />(Jenkins 1994), As a result. many Western muni(ipali-
<br />ties now offer rate rebates lO homeowners impl~mcnt,
<br />ing water ellicien! landscaping (x.('ris....-~lping).
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<br />Ch:lnging watering tcchniqucs ~lnJ rcptll.-'ing W:1-
<br />[er~l.kll1<\nding plants with w.l\c-r-elTiucnt amI ItJci.llly
<br />ad~lpted OIlCS can n::duL'C: water use: by ~tl--l-Y.~;' \hl;;[C'[
<br />1994). Even in hUlnid Albnta. G('()rgi~,- cakuhtlllll:->
<br />showed that m~lintenance anJ \V~Il.::r s:l\'ings WLltdJ pa!
<br />for the: cost of such relr\llitling in only thr.......... YC;lr"
<br />(Foster 1994), Full conversion 10 x.....nsc~\ping li.e..
<br />growing turf solely with the- a\':libhk r~\inL1l1 sLlpply 1
<br />cnn L'asily cut water use hy 50-00% (F~)stL'r [994 and
<br />Elbfon /902).
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<br />Onc of the jir~a prinL'ipl..::-; of x....'"risc.lpil1g: is I()
<br />reouce turf l.'overage on thL' lawn. As ;1 gL'no:r:1! ruk,
<br />grass consllmeS eighl units of waler. trcc_~ LI)I\SUIlI.....
<br />live lInits Dr w<llcr. :1I1d shrubs ;1I1l1 '::nlulld \.:\lVLrs
<br />COllSLlllle rUllt' units Il['w:llcr thl:->ILT j q'Lll. .\ 111lL :1(1....
<br />Iawll COl1SUIllL'S lip In:\ h;d!' 1Ilillilll] g;tll\lllS (If \\"~I\Lr.1
<br />Slllllllll'f In:wllle rC~il111S urthL' l.(\tllltr~ l,klltills ]lJl).1 i.
<br />^ wctl.:-,:klded bWll, hO\\'L'Wr. llSC.. lip Ill\l~'h It.:,,_'-,
<br />sllrL\\'L' walL'1' till a IHIl, ,"11[\11'\ ,l.t.\" Ik\ll ;111 \I1\..:lud,',1
<br />lawl! (I:oSI\'l" 1")"),1).
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