According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, there are over 685,000 acres of residential lawns in Maryland. Of that, 675,000 acres surround single family homes, and the remaining 10,000 acres surround townhomes.

Gardening may seem like an environmentally benign activity, but many of us lack the know-how or time to keep dandelions off the front lawn or moles out of the yard without a helping hand from chemicals or other pollutants. Pesticides and herbicides not only kill your garden marauders, but also sabotage the ecosystem and contaminate the coastal bays. The best way to vindicate your lawn is to get rid of it. Wherever possible, replace lawn space with native plants. Native trees, flowers and shrubs do a much better job of filtering nutrients and chemicals and slowing runoff rates than does turf. Indigenous plants also require less fertilizer, watering, and pesticides than lawns. Call the Coastal Bays Program Office to get a list of native plants, their color, height, soil conditions, type of wildlife each attracts, and places to purchase them.

One of the principal reasons subdivisions are biodiversity sinks is because most plants and animals, particularly now endangered ones, need forest and natural lands to survive. Lawns may be great for grackles and robins, but they are worthless to thousands of other plants, mammals, reptiles, birds and insects.

Still, homeowners can give back some space, save money, and protect the bays and their drinking water by trading grass for other plant life. Below are some tips for making your yard an environmentally friendly one.

• Limit your use of fertilizers. If you must fertilize, choose a fertilizer that has at least 1/4 its nitrogen in a slow release, water insoluble form. Have your soil tested to determine the appropriate amount to apply. Do not apply fertilizer within 50 feet of a water body. Over-fertilization can make lawns more attractive to disease and pests. Apply fertilizer in the early fall to help reduce runoff and leaching when rainfall patterns, temperature and plant growth rates tend to maximize nitrogen uptake.
• Encourage natural pest predators such as ladybugs, toads, and garter snakes. Why spray chemicals all over the place if you can have nature do its thing without them? Chemicals do not discriminate and will kill predators as well as prey. Also try a non-chemical approach by putting up traps and barriers, removing ivy, standing water, animal wastes, and other pest attractors. Remove pest eggs, cocoons, and larvae by hand.
• Use pesticides, herbicides and other garden chemicals sparingly, if you must use them at all. Follow directions and prevent spills. Avoid applying near water, drains, or bare ground or if rain or win is in the forecast. Remove intruding tree roots mechanically or by hiring a professional to apply non-metallic foaming herbicide. Avoid copper-sulfate root-killing products. Never apply pesticides or herbicides when rain is in the forecast. Lay filter fabric over your garden to discourage weeds naturally. Read labels and look for less-toxic products such as biological pesticides (like B.t.), insecticidal soaps, and soap solutions (1tsp Ivory liquid, 1 gal. water), boric acid, and insect growth regulators like Precor. Avoid products containing diazinon. Make sure whatever you buy is specific to your pest or problem. See page X for substitutes.
• Compost garden trimmings into natural fertilizer for your garden. If you must use conventional fertilizers, look for slow-release products to minimize excess nitrogen runoff. Never deposit leaves or grass clippings in ditches or streets where they serve as a direct nutrient source to the coastal bays.
• Compost for free mulch and fertilizer. Mix 2 parts grass clippings, to one part leaves to achieve ideal fertilizer-producing ratio. Keep pile moist and turn frequently. Of all the disposed waste in landfills, yard waste is the second largest component, with paper and paper products being the largest.
• Water your lawn only once per week. Daily watering of lawns keeps roots at the surface which causes damage to your grass. Try drip or soaker hoses instead of spray or sprinklers which lose 90 percent of water to evaporation. Homeowners should douse their lawns early in the morning one day per week. This will keep your lawn at an optimum health and conserve water.
• Mow your grass only as short as three inches. Grass stays healthier and grows faster when it's cut longer. Close-cut grass loses thickness, requires more water, and is prone to disease. Homeowners should mow high and in the evening to prevent sun damage. Letting clippings on your lawns will fertilize it without the need for additional organics.
• Be realistic about your lawn. Is your lawn ever going to be as green as your trying to make it? The Jones' may have better soil conditions and less slope than your home will ever have. Weigh the costs of flawless greenhood to the impacts your putting on your local environment. You may find a few irises look better than the Jones' lawn anyway.
• Plant native plants and trees. Native plant and tree species help prevent excessive nutrient and pollutant runoff into the bays. Even when far from a water body, tree roots reach well into the soil to tap and recycle groundwater. Trees also convert greenhouse gasses and clean pollutants and nutrients from the air. Atmospheric deposition accounts for one-third of the nitrogen inputs into the coastal bays. Native plants require no fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides because they are adapted for the coastal bays environment. This is also why native species are so important for indigenous birds, frogs, butterflies and other animals. Call the Coastal Bays Program office for a complete list of native plants.
• Try these all-natural products on your lawn:
  • Sluggo: (to get rid of slugs) www.montereylawngarden.com
  • Pyola: (insecticide for lawns) www.gardens-alive.com
  • WOW Plus: (kills crabgrass) www.gardens-alive.com
  • Concern Fast Acting Weed Killer: (herbicide)
  • Mole-Med: (chases away moles)
  • Schultz Clay Soil Conditioner: (aerates soil)
  • VoleBloc: (deters voles) 1-877-737-6284
  • Mycor Tree Saver Transplant Inoculant: (helps plants grow) www.planthealthcare.com
  • Compost: (fertilizes) www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/compost.htm
• Leaving a hose run for one hour uses 375 gallons of water.
• Household gardeners use pesticides at 10-20 times the rate farmers do.
• 90 percent of the insects on your lawn are good for it.
• US has 25 million acres of lawns
• Homeowners used 32 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns in 1994.
• Gasoline powered lawn equipment accounts for accounts for 5 percent of country's total air pollution in summer.
• A typical gas-powered mower used for an hour creates as much air pollution as driving a car 50 miles
• Allowing grass clippings to decompose on your lawn equals one to two fertilizer applications per year.
• Grass clippings compose 20 percent of the average MD landfill
• According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, there are over 685,000 acres of residential lawns in Maryland. Of that, 675,000 acres surround single family homes, and the remaining 10,000 acres surround townhomes.
• Grass clippings and leaves compose 20% of the waste entering landfills. During the growing season this can increase to as much as 50%.