Lawn Alternatives
For less mowing and watering, consider a lawn alternative that still provides the lush, green recreational area for you and your family but with less inputs of time, money, and resources.
Lawns: The Good & The Bad
For me, mowing the lawn is a dreaded chore for which I have no patience. Even so, I accept that there are some good things about lawns. They are places where we can play and lounge; they tickle our toes as we walk across them barefoot; they can be beautiful; they provide a feeling of space, and more. However, they have their down sides too. According to Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford, it appears that Americans spend on average, somewhere around 384 hours of their life mowing. Of course, this is an average and will vary based on lawn size and geographical location. Lawns also use vast amounts of water, fertilizer, and pesticide with the first being a precious commodity and the last two wreaking havoc on the soil’s natural biota. Lawn grass also tends to be a monoculture (monocultures are less able to deal with environmental stressors); provides less erosion control than many other, deeper-rooted plants, including native grasses; don’t promote pollinator assistance, etc. Furthermore, mowers not only guzzle gas and oil but spew pollutants into the air. According to the EPA (as stated in the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2020 fact sheet), one hour of mowing produces the equivalent amount of VOC’s and nitrogen oxides as a new car that is driven 45 miles. They also go on to state that mowers emit CO2, CO, and hydrocarbons.
For me, mowing the lawn is a dreaded chore for which I have no patience. Even so, I accept that there are some good things about lawns. They are places where we can play and lounge; they tickle our toes as we walk across them barefoot; they can be beautiful; they provide a feeling of space, and more. However, they have their down sides too. According to Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford, it appears that Americans spend on average, somewhere around 384 hours of their life mowing. Of course, this is an average and will vary based on lawn size and geographical location. Lawns also use vast amounts of water, fertilizer, and pesticide with the first being a precious commodity and the last two wreaking havoc on the soil’s natural biota. Lawn grass also tends to be a monoculture (monocultures are less able to deal with environmental stressors); provides less erosion control than many other, deeper-rooted plants, including native grasses; don’t promote pollinator assistance, etc. Furthermore, mowers not only guzzle gas and oil but spew pollutants into the air. According to the EPA (as stated in the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2020 fact sheet), one hour of mowing produces the equivalent amount of VOC’s and nitrogen oxides as a new car that is driven 45 miles. They also go on to state that mowers emit CO2, CO, and hydrocarbons.
Lawns: The Alternatives
So, what can a person do to cut back on lawn maintenance, increase ecosystem services, and reduce pollution? One thing that can be done is to turn to lawn alternatives. Continue reading to learn more. Moss is a ground cover that also can withstand some light traffic. However, mosses generally prefer shadier, moist (not wet) areas of the yard. Over time, moss will spread and, like thyme, looks beautiful between stepping-stones or en masse. That said, there are moss varieties that do well in the sun but again, require consistently damp soil. For some people, switching to lawn alternatives means decreasing the size of their lawns by increasing the size of their flower beds. Often these flower beds consist of local native plants (tall or short – your preference); this provides the added bonus of being lower maintenance after the first year while also attracting a wide variety of birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. The flower beds could also include more traditional flowers and shrubs and be interspersed with visually appealing, edible plants such as herbs, peppers, colorful Swiss chard, and more. If your lawn only gets light traffic then you might consider replacing it, or part of it, with low growing ground covers such as types of creeping thyme including creeping, wooly, and Mediterranean thyme. These smell good and, with full sun and well-drained soil, will spread (though the first year it might not seem to do much) and eventually block out weeds. They look beautiful along paths and between stepping-stones. Throw in some wild strawberries around the outer edges and yum! A clover lawn will take more foot traffic than thyme and moss though not as much as grass and is much lower maintenance than grass. Some people combine a variety of clover with certain grasses. Clover also fixes nitrogen and attracts pollinators. Some articles also mention that you should re-seed your clover lawn every few years if it is not part of a grass mixture. Clover lawn seeds can be found through online nursery catalogues
So, what can a person do to cut back on lawn maintenance, increase ecosystem services, and reduce pollution? One thing that can be done is to turn to lawn alternatives. Continue reading to learn more. Moss is a ground cover that also can withstand some light traffic. However, mosses generally prefer shadier, moist (not wet) areas of the yard. Over time, moss will spread and, like thyme, looks beautiful between stepping-stones or en masse. That said, there are moss varieties that do well in the sun but again, require consistently damp soil. For some people, switching to lawn alternatives means decreasing the size of their lawns by increasing the size of their flower beds. Often these flower beds consist of local native plants (tall or short – your preference); this provides the added bonus of being lower maintenance after the first year while also attracting a wide variety of birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. The flower beds could also include more traditional flowers and shrubs and be interspersed with visually appealing, edible plants such as herbs, peppers, colorful Swiss chard, and more. If your lawn only gets light traffic then you might consider replacing it, or part of it, with low growing ground covers such as types of creeping thyme including creeping, wooly, and Mediterranean thyme. These smell good and, with full sun and well-drained soil, will spread (though the first year it might not seem to do much) and eventually block out weeds. They look beautiful along paths and between stepping-stones. Throw in some wild strawberries around the outer edges and yum! A clover lawn will take more foot traffic than thyme and moss though not as much as grass and is much lower maintenance than grass. Some people combine a variety of clover with certain grasses. Clover also fixes nitrogen and attracts pollinators. Some articles also mention that you should re-seed your clover lawn every few years if it is not part of a grass mixture. Clover lawn seeds can be found through online nursery catalogues
Lawns: The Alternatives
If you have a somewhat shady area, Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) works well. It looks like a grass and will topple over somewhat once it gets to be on average of eight inches tall. It gives a park-like appearance to the area and can handle some foot traffic. It is easier to start with plugs rather than seeds as Pennsylvania sedge seeds are reportedly a challenge to germinate. The options discussed here are some of the more commonly discussed methods of reducing lawn size. If you have tried any of these techniques or any others, please share your experience (positive or negative). By doing so, you will help others make educated decisions about their own lawns. You can also look at online catalogues for lawn alternative seed blends. Some even have low growing flowers in the seed mix. The descriptions will tell you how much foot traffic it can withstand, how to care for it, growth requirements, height, and which pollinators it attracts. I’ve noticed that many sites that sell native plants and seeds provide lawn alternative options. And, as always, Lucas SWCD will be trialing some of these methods in the seasons to come and will let you know the results.
If you have a somewhat shady area, Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) works well. It looks like a grass and will topple over somewhat once it gets to be on average of eight inches tall. It gives a park-like appearance to the area and can handle some foot traffic. It is easier to start with plugs rather than seeds as Pennsylvania sedge seeds are reportedly a challenge to germinate. The options discussed here are some of the more commonly discussed methods of reducing lawn size. If you have tried any of these techniques or any others, please share your experience (positive or negative). By doing so, you will help others make educated decisions about their own lawns. You can also look at online catalogues for lawn alternative seed blends. Some even have low growing flowers in the seed mix. The descriptions will tell you how much foot traffic it can withstand, how to care for it, growth requirements, height, and which pollinators it attracts. I’ve noticed that many sites that sell native plants and seeds provide lawn alternative options. And, as always, Lucas SWCD will be trialing some of these methods in the seasons to come and will let you know the results.
