A manicured front lawn makes a good first impression on guests and can keep you in your neighbors’ good graces. And thanks to these savvy tips, keeping your grounds green doesn’t have to cost much green. Keep clicking to start saving now.
Keep a lidded container on a kitchen counter to collect food scraps (fruit cores, veggie trimmings, coffee grounds, rinsed eggshells; anything but meat). Toss them into an out-of-sight pile or a compost bin (recommended in areas with foraging wildlife) on your property along with leafy prunings, excluding weeds. Turn the pile every couple of weeks to encourage decomposition, and within a season or two, you'll have a continual supply of nutrient-rich fertilizer.
COST Free; $100 and up for an enclosed composter
SAVINGS $15 per bag of fertilizer
Lose the Grass (By Choice)
Give over part of your lawn to ground cover, such as vinca, carex or ferns. These low-growing spreaders require little water or fertilizer and don't need to be mowed, yet are just as green. Here’s how to do it outside your home:
Clear the area
Kill existing foliage in the area where the ground cover is going to be planted by covering the area with black plastic for approximately one month. If black plastic isn’t available, you can use a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard to suffocate the existing grass or weeds. You could also use a non-specific herbicides such a glyphosate, but you shouldn’t apply it on windy days or if it is likely to rain within the next 24 hours. Plant in the fall or spring, when the ground is warm and you can expect more rainfall.
Test the soil
As long as you’re starting form scratch, make sure your soil is in good shape. Contact your local extension office to find the best way to have it done in your area. Once it’s tested, you’ll get recommendations for what you need to do to get it healthier before you plant.
Choose your plant
Consider the following: Is the area you’re planting in sunny, shady, or both? Will the plant you chose be able to withstand low or high temperatures and/or changes in climate?
How quickly do you want it to grow? How much area do you want to cover? Research plants that are recommended for your zone, then read the plant tag and ask someone at your local nursery to figure out what will work best for you.
Maintain your ground cover
Add a layer of mulch during early growth to keep the soil moist and suppress weeds. You shouldn’t have to do much watering if the plant you choose fits your climate. Weed frequently and fertilize once or twice a year if recommended in your soil yest.
--Sarah Brucato
Source: Susan Barton, PhD, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Delaware
More Home Decoration Tips: If you want to know more about home decoration tips, please refer to Dream Bedding Sets Blog to get more ideas.
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