4 Eco-friendly Lawn Care Tips for Richmond, VA Homeowners
With the increasing awareness of our environment and how our habits can impact this wonderful planet, there’s an increasing need for eco-friendly products and advice. Often times there are small simple changes that you can make that leave a big impact.
When it comes to lawn care how often do you think about being eco-friendly? There’s something about the outdoors that doesn’t really scream for attention as much as something like reducing power consumption. Well, it’s just as important and here are some tips to get you thinking about what you can do in your yard.
1. Consider Using a Reel Mower
Photo: Flickr / Linh Nguyen
When you mow your lawn do you use a good old gas powered lawn mower? You probably do, and you’re not alone it’s what the majority of people use. The thing about them is that they aren’t so great for the environment. Not only do you have to use gas but you have fumes polluting the air.
A great way to help the environment is by considering switching to a reel mower. This may seem like you’re stepping back in time but once you get used to it you won’t even miss the gas powered machine!
A reel mower, as described by Virginia Cooperative Extension, is a self-propelled cutting unit that has a stationary bed-knife and a spinning cylinder of blades. That’s right, this unit relies on you to do all the heavy lifting, which not only helps the environment but is a great form of exercise!
They’re fairly inexpensive to buy and you can pick one up for around $100. You will also save on fuel and not to mention never worry about going to mow the lawn and not having any gas left!
2. Test the Soil
Before you add unnecessary chemicals to your lawn you can perform a soil test. This will help you determine what’s actually needed so you don’t apply a bunch of chemicals as a guess. Not only are excessive chemicals bad for the natural surroundings of the lawn they’re also not good for people and animals. If you have a dog that’s running around on your lawn you want to try and limit the chemicals as much as you can, right?
3. Conserve As Much Water As Possible
Photo: Flickr / Anne
When you think of the most important thing to do that will give you a beautiful green lawn you probably think about water. It’s not surprising because without it grass will die and no one really wants a brown lawn. The thing you need to consider is are you watering efficiently?
If it’s the middle of summer on a hot day and you have sprinklers going, that’s not very eco-friendly. Water isn’t going to soak into the soil, it’s just going to evaporate and then you basically watered for nothing. It’s best to water early in the morning or late at night to minimize water consumption and maximize absorption.
4. Control the Pests
Photo: Flickr / Quinn Comendant
No one wants to have their lawn invaded by pests but when it comes to prevention it may be time to take note of what you’re doing. If there are no harmful pests present do you really need to spray those chemicals on your grass? The added chemicals go into the air and onto the feet of animals as well as cost you more money and time.
When there’s a pest and it’s causing a problem then absolutely use an eco-friendly product to resolve the issue. Just keep in mind that nature will take care of a lot of the potential pests so you can sit back and only take action when you really need to.
Hopefully you found some helpful information and are inspired to make changes in your own yard to help this beautiful planet we live on. Still have questions about lawn care? Visit our Richmond, VA lawn care page or share your thoughts in the comments section below.
