Grown Natural . . . Mow and go

Mow and Go

BE PUSHY: For your next lawnmower, consider a push mower as the best environmental option. Push mowers are excellent for grasscycling (mulching) and they are portable, quiet, conserve power, reduce air pollution, and provide great exercise. As a second option, consider an electric mulching mower, which is designed to cut grass into finer clippings that spread easily, break down into nutrients faster, and are not tracked into the house as easily.

Let your lawn reach about five to six centimetres in height before mowing. Longer grass provides shade to protect your lawn from heat. It also helps the grass in developing deeper roots to crowd out weeds, and gives your grass the ability to store more moisture.

Cut only about one-third of the grass length at a time. Cutting grass too short weakens it, making it more susceptible to disease and weeds.

Leave the grass clippings on the lawn. This process, known as grasscycling, can supply almost 25 per cent of the fertilizer your lawn needs. For the best results, mow when your lawn is dry, break up any clumps of clippings that might form, and spread them across the lawn. Grass clippings are 75 to 80 per cent water and decompose rapidly, without causing thatch.

Consider turning some of your lawn into a food garden. Check out Every Lawn A Garden's. Its objective is to help individuals increase their capacity for gardening, so that everyone can reach the stage of growing some of their own food supply.

Turf the Turf

Whether you are looking to reduce your lawn size, or replacing it all together, there are a wide variety of attractive groundcover options. Groundcovers are plants which spread across the ground but do not grow tall (so no mowing is required!). They are usually perennial and evergreen, and some even tolerate moderate to heavy foot traffic, making them a great lawn substitute. Clovers, chamomile, beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), and fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) are just a few options for sunnier spots. If in a shady location, moss is a natural choice for a lush, dense mat. When choosing what plants will work best for you, it is important to consider how much foot traffic it will receive, light conditions and soil moisture condition. Learn more about what plants are right for you at a plant nursery nearest you.