2 The Hampton Roads Messenger
Volume 7 Number 8
Transform Your Yard into an Eco-Avenger
Try These Green Tips for a Healthy Lawn and Landscape
and flower beds. The co-owner of Green Alternatives, a local mowing and landscape service, says this is a critical first step.
“Before throwing a general
fertilizer on your lawn, get a soil test first to see what nutrients your lawn and garden may be lacking,” said Baker. “Without it, you are blindly guessing at what nutrients your lawn needs, and the fertilizer may be a waste of time, energy and money.”
Over-fertilizing is also harmful Hampton Roads, Va.– Longer
days and warmer temps mean that spring is en route to Hampton Roads. Before digging in to your normal lawn and garden routines,
askHRgreen.org challenges you to transform your landscape into an eco-avenger by putting every flower, tree, shrub and blade of grass to work.
“Your yard is not only an
expression of you and your family, it’s also one of the greatest ways to protect the health of our environment by filtering out stormwater
pollution before it enters our local waterways,” said Julia B. Hillegass public information and community affairs administrator for the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, which oversees
askHRgreen.org. “Implementing just one green-friendly change in your yard can have big implications for our environment.”
Put Your Soil to the Test One change that Brandon Baker
would like to see is for gardening enthusiasts to conduct a soil test before adding fertilizer to their lawn
Emancipation Oak, Hampton University
to the environment. The excess fertilizer does not get absorbed into the lawn, said Baker, resulting in runoff into local waterways via the storm drain. When it reaches the Chesapeake Bay, the polluted runoff (which contains nitrogen and phosphorus) fuels the growth of algae blooms, which are harmful to fish, crabs, oysters and other species.
Soil tests, available at local
Virginia Cooperative Extension offices and garden centers, are easy to use. Using a shovel or spade, unearth soil samples from 10 random areas, avoiding border areas such as those near roads, compost or bush piles or under eaves. Place the samples in a clean pail or container and mix them thoroughly, then submit the combined soil for testing. Test results will provide a
April 2013
recommendation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and it will also reveal the acidity (pH) of the soil.
Know Your Grass Equally important for a healthy
lawn is to choose grass that is well-suited for your landscape. For areas that get full sun, use warm season grass, such as zoysia, centipede or bermuda, and seed and fertilize (if needed) in early spring. For areas that get light shade, use cool season grass, such as tall fescue, fine fescue or rye, and seed in the late summer and fertilize (if needed) in the fall.
In addition to making sure
you are using the right amount of fertilizer and growing grass that’s optimal for your landscape, there are plenty of green gardening alternatives that are easy and cost-effective to implement.
“It’s no longer difficult to be environmentally friendly when it comes to lawn and garden care. There are many options out there from green equipment to chemical alternatives,” said Baker. “Just give it a try. Once change can make a big difference.”
Easy, Green Lawn and Garden Tips Mow at the proper height. The
rule of thumb is that only one-third of a blade should be removed in one ECO-AVENGER PAGE 3
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Hampton Roads Convention Center
PEOPLE HAVE Pioneered HERE FOR OVER 400 YEARS. COME GAIN INSPIRATION. For a copy of our Family Tree Heritage Sites Guide go to
VisitHampton.com/DiscoverHeritage
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