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<br />.ii=F-l(II{;:J'.:.r.~r.lrow
<br />
<br />Prcxerv{J!ilJll of twrt/fill cupacity
<br />
<br />Yard wasles (clippings, fallen kaves, trimrning:->,
<br />and uprooted weeds) can makc up 20~25% or house-
<br />ho]J garhage (Kolb ]YlJj). A flne acre lawn gcncr~lcs
<br /><lImos! six Ions of grass clippings a ye.lr, or ncnrly a
<br />thousand b<lgs worth (Jenkins 1994), It is estimated
<br />!h<lt ynrd waste fills up ] 0-50% of the nation's landfills
<br />(Jenkins 1994). Although grass clippings uccompose
<br />r;J,pidly on the lawn. (hey often persist for a long lime
<br />in landfills. In 1981 the city of PI<lno, Texas, instituted
<br />a program that encouraged residents to leave clippings
<br />on home lawns to provide nutrients ::Jnd moisture.
<br />Knonp and Whitncy (1989) reported the results: Thc
<br />city saved $60,000 in disposal costs in the first YC3r,
<br />even though the number of households served in-
<br />creased 12% ovcr the same period. Residents partici~
<br />paling in the program saved $22,000 in plastic bag
<br />purchases. In 1989. it was estimated that Fort Worth.
<br />Texas could save about $200,000 in annual disposal
<br />costs if all homeowners slopped bagging grass clip-
<br />pings. By J 991, 34 states had enacted restrictions on
<br />yard waste dumping or were debating such laws (EPA
<br />1991). In Seattle, an education program encouraged
<br />urban citizens to compost yard and food wastes. About
<br />5,300 tons of yard waste were removed from disposal
<br />annually. for a net savings of $378,000 (EPA ]991).
<br />
<br />Reduced cost for management of public lands
<br />
<br />Integrated pest management (a pest control ap-
<br />proach that minimizes pesticide use) is an excellent
<br />investment on public lands. Raup and Smith (1986)
<br />reponed that integrated pest IllJnagement (IPM) re-
<br />duced community pest management costs by 22%,
<br />even though more pests were controlled undcrthe new
<br />program. The use of expensive chemicals to control
<br />weeds c,m also bcsubstantially reduced. Simply chung~
<br />ing mowing height can, by itself, reduce weed levels by
<br />over 50% (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay 1994).
<br />Finally I converting lawns to plnntjngs which require
<br />less intensive maintenance can also generate savings.
<br />In Maryland, a progrnm to landscape highway inter-
<br />changes al10wed the stale to reduce mowing by 10%
<br />for a $300,000 savings (Rodbell 1993).
<br />
<br />Steos Toward the low Inout lawn
<br />
<br />. "c,. ",'_ " . .
<br />Step 1.:i.aw~ConversI6ti.~::., ....;",'v
<br />'--:"';,-:\,;"":::"",?:. ,'::':,'\1"-';':"'0'<:"'- ,_,:>:,"--";'"
<br />.. :>-'Convert" 'Iawri':nrcas':into" grounde'over, trecsJ
<br />.;...l,;L.......__-.-:.,._,..'.' ..' ""_,..,,.__ '.'. ....".. ' . _ :,...._:" .
<br />~,shrubs7' _,or, rile:a~OtV _' pl,?~ ti?_gs.F()~.aJo,w~, Input np4
<br />'pj-oac9;"fepiac~ tl~e g,~'ass ul?d-ern'eaU1~rihture'trces with
<br />groundco"ver. For an~.ven lc.i\v~~ input approac]l, exnm4
<br />',"" .-'. .'... -- ." ....~. ....".." ". "" ','..; ,.... . .
<br />ine your lawn for pote'ntialconvcrsiori arcas: and plant
<br />g~ohnd'c_hVers t: ir~:ershi~bs~,:lor' pere'nri'r~'l{~!.~'. ull' areas
<br />where:::g;a~s 'is',h~d: tQ-~'gr'ow,... for:t~~,".i?~fst:'inpllt
<br />nppro'acll:Jlse t~rf only:w~er~:ifis' the:' b:~~t plant to
<br />fulfiit"ti ,'particular .fll~'ci.i~'n,'.-.s'\i"ch ~as'. pfo:vidiilg n
<br />children's' sports area.
<br />
<br />!/ow Milch I ,,{Hl'Il Should lJe COflvl'rted!
<br />
<br />Mosl lawns h;lVl: ilrC~S that arc nu! suited 10 gr:1SS
<br />gruwlh. These int.:]LJd~ frost pockcts, cxpo.'i.cd an:;\s.
<br />dl.:"n..,e shaUl:, ."Ieer slopes, and wet, boggy arc;]s. \Vhilc
<br />il j,,, p()ssihlc III grow grass in .lOy oflhcsc arca:->. hight:r
<br />inputs ()r fertilizer andhir water are necued to cDlllpcn-
<br />satc ror inhospit<lhlc conditions. In aJdilion, these
<br />arcJ.:-> may he di ITicult to safely.mow. Even in moueratc
<br />terrain, lawn::; add up to large mJintcn;J,ncc invest-
<br />ments. The ,IVl.::fi.1gC !lnlllLowner spend,:; 40 hUllrs a year
<br />simply mowing, so a large lawn mOlY !;J,kc <lhOUl ;lS
<br />much time as the trauitionaJ family summer vacation
<br />(Schultz ]9X9). Less lawn results in less work. The
<br />shape of an arc a should also be considered. since smal],
<br />edge arcas such as narrow strips or tight corners can be
<br />difficult to mow, waler, and fertilize evenly. For lawns
<br />with the same surface aren. water use rises as the
<br />perimeter increnses (Ellefson 1992), Converting lawn
<br />edges to less intensive planlings is a particularly effec-
<br />tive strategy for reducing inputs.
<br />
<br />Once a lawn area has been targeted for conversion,
<br />alternative plantings must be selected. Existing
<br />tlowerbeds or groupings of trees and shrubs can simply
<br />be expanded, or groundcovers can be used to replace
<br />grass. Another option is to establish planrings that
<br />mimic native plant communities such as forests, meJd4
<br />ows, and wetlands. In addition, some areas of the ]a\\:n
<br />can be converted into mulched beds.
<br />
<br />"',<- .... .---,;
<br />~Step 2:'5011 Building
<br />
<br />"'..' ....
<br />,~t~\;;~:;;:_~ri~'~e'a -s!io~g 'follndatio~ ,i~r. the I~wri~ For a
<br />@f inp~tla\Vn, get asoil testto dekrniine the soil's pH
<br />~a~dfer1Tlity';Y9urnay not;need(o add any lime Or
<br />~_'Uitiliier.^tO"yo-Ui.lawil/For a lOl~'e!jnput lawn. test fOL:
<br />~oil compaction, Can you sink a screwdriv'er into the
<br />'groundwithoutilOonding oris the soil compacted? If
<br />'th~,:;soj[,is.;~orripacted,,'a~rate ,YJl~ a hand -corer or
<br />:,,'mcchani~'alaer4or. Forthe}owesi-input lawn, exam-
<br />"inethes6il's'teiture~lleii'He;:extremely sandy soils
<br />,.-,....,.-.. .....-...-..,,'.'.'. ,"".' .',,:..' '..--';,,';... '
<br />,norex!'rernely heavy clay' ~6ils make for good lawns.
<br />~ext' c:~u"nt::earthwoITns~','-;if~'n?ne' can be found in a
<br />squ'aref06tof soil. there' sa prohlem. A healthy soil
<br />. comm~nity has o~er1 Opersquare foot. With. this basic
<br />understanding of soi( acidity; fertility, compaction,
<br />tex'ture. and earthworms, one can build soil thJt sup-
<br />ports dense, healthy, turf.
<br />
<br />The fir.'>l Slc:rin hui]ding: good soil i:-; to uke a soil
<br />ks! [0 determine pH and f~nility. Soil shnuld be [t.'s!~d
<br />evny IhrL'L' years, with l...itha ;1I1 incxpellsi\'(: tL'st kit
<br />j1un:hased :11 a garden n.'lller or;L snil.-;alllpk [cstL'd by I
<br />the l(}l.:"a] Cooper.Hive EXlellsioll ScrviL'c {found In IlK '
<br />nlue Pages). ^ soil lL'~[ is e:-isenti:1l [0 ~h...laIllill\.-
<br />whether any krtili,t:(,:r nr lillle i:-i iH.:[ually needed_ The
<br />next step III soil huiluin~ is [0 lest (or ~(\nlll;!e(itln.
<br />
<br />Clllllp:\Clioll kl:t:]lS air. w;ill'f and 11l1ll"lL'lllS '-rOIIl
<br />cllk'ring IhL' snil. ('OlllP;IL'rcd suds h;l\'~' kss 11 II..: n lhuJ
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