Lawn care

Unfortunately, the plant that many of us cherish the most is one that doesn’t support much native life: grass. Reducing the expanse of your lawn and letting areas return to more natural states can help the wildlife and soil health of our area. Reducing lawn also often minimizes the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides which can harm waterways, animals - including our pets - and our own health.

Tips for healthier lawns and gardens:

Consider low-maintenance lawn alternatives, such as: 

  • Moss
  • Creeping Charlie
  • Sweet woodruff
  • Red creeping thyme
  • Red clover
  • Flower & shrub beds
  • Chamomile 
  • Snow-in-winter
  • Dutch clover

Stop Using Harmful Pesticides - The easiest change you can make in your backyard is to STOP using harmful pesticides. Many pesticides and herbicides used in lawn or garden care can contain harmful chemicals that are potentially detrimental to the health of your family, along with the environment in and around your yard. These pesticides and herbicides can come into your home on your family's clothing, shoes, or skin. Corn gluten meal, applied according to the correct timing, will inhibit weeds like crabgrass.

Use Organic Fertilizers - Synthetic fertilizers are manufactured using fossil fuels, are salt-based and generally water soluble. This kind of fertilizer directly feeds the plant but can be detrimental to a healthy biological soil system. In contrast, organic fertilizers that are generally water insoluble feed the life in the soil, and the soil in turn feeds the plant.  

Get Your Soil Tested - the appropriate way to fertilize grass is to take an initial soil test.  It will tell us what is going on in the soil and what we might need to do to correctly balance it for the best health of the grass and the life in the soils. The Penn State Agricultural Extension offers a reasonably-priced soil test for homeowners.

Mow to the Best Height - It is generally accepted for most grasses that the ideal stress-free mowing height is around 3 inches.  At this height grass can achieve maximum health, efficiently produce its own food through photosynthesis, begin to outcompete annual weed seed germination and pressures from broad-leaf weeds, develop deep roots and stand up to drought conditions.  Once you move to a 3-inch mowing height, you can appreciate the lush look that comes as a result. 

Leave your leaves - Leaves provide an important habitat for many of the species we love, including fireflies, which are becoming scarcer. Use a mulching blade on your mower in your last few mowings of the season, and let some of the fallen leaves decay. This is healthier for your lawn, too. Let some areas of your property build up 2-3 inches of fallen leaves for maximum biodiversity. 

Seed properly - Late winter (i.e., March) is a good time to overseed bare spots in lawns.

This will increase turf density before weeds have time to germinate. 

Choose electric equipment - Use electric trimmers and mowers for both lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower noise pollution (and better relationships with your neighbors!). 

Remember that West Bradford’s compost site accepts grass clippings and leaves; do not put this material in your toter.

Additionally, you should know that West Bradford’s bidding process for groundscare in its parks states that contractors will take every precaution to avoid spilling or leaking petroleum products, and if a spill does occur, the contractor must clean it up in accordance with recommended standards. Additionally, grass clippings will remain on the lawns to decompose, and mulching mowers and blades are recommended. West Bradford Youth Athletics uses no biocides on its fields.

Much of the material above comes from Stonyfield.com/playfree and from Elemental Green