Excessive lawn care is when people rely
heavily on chemical pesticides and herbicides and use thousands of
gallons of water each year to the detriment on the environment. It is
hoped that people can learn how to maintain a lawn but
do so in a manner that saves money and protects the environment.
The objective of this section is to encourage people to think carefully about how they take care of their lawns, but not to neglect them. It is no surprise that people want pretty lawns. However, HOW we keep our lawns beautiful does need to change. Just as we have removed lead from paints inside our homes, it's time to remove or at least reduce the hazards we maintain outside of our houses.
Removing or Reducing Lawn Chemicals
Lawn chemicals seem like a great idea; they are convenient and effective. So why are they a problem? As it turns out, lawn chemicals are able to persist in water and are easily transported into aquifers as well as rivers and streams via storm sewers. Researchers are finding that pesticides and herbicides are getting into wildlife, pets, our food supply, and us.
Greatly reducing chemical pesticides and herbicides is now strongly encouraged by many groups including those in medical, veterinarian, and scientific communities.
What about farms, don't they create much more run-off? American farms do use prodigious amounts of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and their are many groups helping farmers learn how to protect their crops by using chemicals more judiciously. Peaceweeds.com's hope is to extend to homeowners this concept of a reduced dependence on chemicals.
There are ways to thwart weed growth without chemicals. For example, mowing your lawn to 3" (rather than shorter), planting grasses that are appropriate for your climate, and removing weeds manually, taken together can make chemicals unnecessary. Besides a few peaceweeds in your lawn will serve as wonderful habitats for wildlife including birds, butterflies, and other favorable insects.
The data
are difficult to find, but it is apparent that the average household is
spending hundreds of dollars each year on lawn chemicals (including
those in grass seed). Reduction in chemical expenditure is a primary manner in which people can save significant money.
Saving Water
It takes approximately 3,100 gallons to cover a 100x50 yard with 1" of water. If a person waters once a week for the duration of the summer, over 36,000 gallons of water are used on the lawn. Multiplied by the thousands of homes who water at this level, and it's easy to see that millions of gallons of water are wasted each year.
Estimates for combined water and sewer lawn watering fees range from about $30 to $160 per month. By using species of grass that require less water, by creating areas of shade (architecturally or botanically), and watering only when needed, a home could cut its water usage by thousands of gallons each year, and save money.
Education
There are many sites on the web dedicated to lawn care without the use of chemicals. Some of those are listed below, but again the reader is encouraged to pursue any sources that are helpful.
