Hold the weed and feed

You'll be seeing this in Kent Magazine soon. But if you're reading this, and are thinking of fertilizing your lawn. Don't.

By Barbara Clements
Contributing Writer/Kent Magazine

Matt
Knox would like all Kent lawns to be green. Not just in the visual sense, but
the environmental sense as well.

Toward that goal, Knox, who is an
environmental ecologist for the city, is leading a movement to tell Kent
homeowners about the benefits of using environmentally friendly methods to groom
their turf, as well as ways to keep pests off the flowers and out of their
yards.

Last fall, the City of Kent initiated a series of Natural
Care Yard Workshops, targeting different neighborhoods around the city, and
encouraging residents to come to a series of three meetings, held on consecutive
weeks, to learn more about natural yard care. The first set of meetings was
around the Lake Meridian neighborhood last September, followed up by a similar
series in the Scenic Hill area this spring.

“Our goal was to go
around the city, and target an area that comprises about 1,000 people at a time,
with the hope that about 50 will show up at the workshops,” Knox said. “These
people, in turn, will be a catalyst for change in their neighborhoods. Neighbor
talking to neighbor. That’s a lot more effective than the city preaching to
them.”

The hope is that this back yard environmental movement might
l eventually be reflected in the water quality of the streams, lakes and rivers
in Kent, he added.

For example, in Lake Meridian, a large
amount of phosphorus, commonly used in fertilizers, washes into the lake, and
stimulates algae bloom. That in turn will promote algae bloom. But eventually
the algae uses up all the O2 and the fish die, he said.

“All the
sudden at about 3 or 4 am, the fish can’t breath, because all the oxygen has
been sucked out of the lake, since it’s been used up during the day by an algae
bloom and the plants are photosynthesizing anymore,” he said.

Much
of the unhealthy runoff into the lakes and streams occurs because lawn owners
don’t use the right fertilizer at the right time, Knox said.

“Most
people get synthetic, fast acting fertilizers, and plants can’t use all the
nutrients, so the chemicals end up down the storm drain.

This fall,
the city is considering taking its road show to the West Hill or Lake Fenwick
neighborhoods, and maybe do a repeat appearance in the Scenic Hill or Lake
Meridian neighborhoods as well.

Fall would be a perfect time for
these programs, since that’s when you should be fertilizing your lawn, he said.

“We tell people not to fertilize now (in the summer ) or in the
spring, since the plant will just use that will just go up the shoot of the
grass leaf stem, and it won’t promote good root growth at all,” he
said.

Other green lawn care and garden tips:

Do:
Fertilize your lawn, but only once a year, and preferably during the fall, to
promote good root grown. Fertilizing in the summer and spring only makes the
shoot grow more, which you’ll be cutting off when you mow the lawn anyway. In
other words, it’s a waste of time and money.

Don’t: Use a synthetic
or fast-acting fertilizer. Most of it will end up off the storm drain or off the
lawn anyway. It won’t do the lawn much good, and will promote algae growth into
whatever nearby water source it gets flushed into. And soon, the fish will die.
Instead use organic fertilizers that are slow acting. Look for the words
“natural organic” or “slow release” on the bag. Walt’s Organic Fertilizers was
mentioned at the Scenic Hill workshops, as was corn gluten.

Don’t:
Over water the lawn. You’ve heard this before. Get ready to hear it again. Take
a tuna can and put it out in your yard. When there is one inch of water in the
can, stop watering the yard. If you over water, it will promote crane flies and
moss, two problems you can do without. In fact, during the summer, go green
environmentally by letting your lawn “go golden.” Don’t worry, it will turn
green again in the fall, winter and spring. Water in the evening or in the early
am. If you do it during mid-day, half your water will simply
evaporate.

Do: Use a mulching mower that will leave the grass
clipping on the lawn which will in turn create a natural mulch. Use mulch in the
garden to keep the weeds at bay.

Do: Weed the dandelions by hand.
Don’t nuke them with weed killer. Once the offending weed is out, reseed with
grass and mulch. Don’t just leave a hole for another generation of dandelions to
grow in.

Do: Consider planting native plants in the garden. It’s
better for wildlife and these plants generally don’t’ use as much water. Also
consider reducing the size of your lawn. Put in more natural
plants!

Do: Consider natural pest control. Instead of getting out
the pesticides, consider alternatives such as soaps, horticultural oils, or
plant-based insecticides. Or buy the good bugs, such as ladybugs or praying
mantises. And about moles. If those tell tale mounds of dirt appear, consider it
a compliment. Moles only appear where there are worms to feed on. But if you
really want them gone, again, stay away from the poisons. The naturalists at the
Scenic Hill meeting suggested hair clippings down the hole (they don’t like the
feel or smell) or the urine of any male predator sprinkled about. To the
chuckles of the group, the naturalists explained this can be the dog, or the man
of the house, take your pick.

Questions: Call the Natural Lawn
& Garden Hotline at 206-633-0224 or e-mail info@lawnandgardenhotline.org.
Matt Knox can be reached at 253-856-5551 or mknox@ci.kent.wa.us

Source:
City of Kent, Matt Knox, King County’s Solid Waste Division, Saving Water
Partnership, City of Seattle, Natural Yard Care
pamphlet.