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<br />NEED MORE FREE TIME? <br />-RICE Can.. W -'TEIISHlE" DIST8JCT <br /> <br />Work less in your yard. <br />Planting native vegetation <br />and practicing low-input <br />lawn-care saves yon time <br />and money and reduces <br />environmental impacts. <br />What kind of summer do <br />you want to have? Don't <br />let your yard decide how <br />you spend your time! <br /> <br />As Maintenance-Free as <br />a Plant Can Be <br />Native plants are best <br />adapted to the local <br />climate and once <br />established, seldom need <br />watering, fertilizing, <br />mulching, protection from <br />frost or pests or continuous <br />mowing. Therefore, native <br />landscaping generally <br />costs less over time. <br /> <br />Native Critters Need <br />Native Plants <br />Native plants <br />attract <br />beautiful and <br />diverse <br />native <br />butterflies, <br />pollinators and birds to <br />your yard since Minnesota <br />plants and animals evolved <br />together over time and <br />have complex <br />relationships. For example, <br />a native plant may produce <br />a chemical to protect it <br />from certain insects. A <br />caterpillar that eats this <br />plant is then protected <br />from predators because of <br />a bitter taste. Plants and <br />animals depend on each <br />other for food, habitat and <br />seed dispersal. <br /> <br /> <br />Hold On! <br />Let's Let this Soak in... <br />Native grasses have deep <br />roots (often 8 feet or more) <br />that hold down the soil <br />provide excellent erosion <br />control. These expansive <br />roots also absorb a lot of <br />water runoff compared to <br />monoculture ground <br />covers such as bluegrass or <br />purple crown vetch with <br />shallow roots. <br /> <br />Naltole Herbaceous Plants <br /> <br /> <br />Native legumes (peas and <br />beans) fertilize naturally <br />by enriching the soil with <br />nitrogen. <br /> <br />The Grass is Always <br />Greener ... <br />You can have a beautiful <br />yard with little <br />maintenance. For details, <br />go to <br />www.extension.llmn.edu <br />search "Low Input Lawn <br />Care" (LILac). <br /> <br />If you are starting a new <br />lawn, choose low <br />maintenance grasses such <br />as: Kentucky bluegrasses <br />(Kenblue, Park, South <br />Dakota Certified, and <br />Newport) and fine-leaved <br />fescues (creeping red <br />fescue, chewings fescue, <br />and hard fescue). Other <br />bluegrass varieties that do <br />acceptably well once <br />adapted to lower input <br />levels include Rugby, <br /> <br />Parade, Touchdown, Ram <br />I, Nugget, Sydsport, and <br />Monoply. <br /> <br />Eliminate one fertilizer <br />application by leaving <br />clippings on the lawn. The <br />best time to <br />fertilize is in <br />the fall for <br />low-input <br />lawns. <br />Remember, <br />fertilizers <br />containing <br />phosphorus CANNOT be <br />used on lawns in the 7 <br />county metro area. <br />(Exceptions to this law <br />apply when establishing a <br />new lawn or when a soil <br />test shows phosphorus is <br />needed. ) <br /> <br /> <br />Keep your mowing height <br />at 2- 3 inches to help <br />screen shade out weeds. A <br />slightly higher cutting <br />height also encourages <br />deeper rooting and allows <br />moisture and nutrients <br />from a larger soil volume <br />to gather. <br /> <br />Don't over-water. Use a <br />rain gauge <br />when <br />watering <br />and apply <br />1/2 inch of <br />water two or <br />three times / <br />week. Over- <br />watering simply wastes <br />water and predisposes <br />lawns to fungal diseases. <br /> <br />