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Actions In Your Yard and Garden
How can you take action in your yard and garden to protet water resources?
Millions of households in this country display beautiful lawns and gardens. Enjoyment of such cultivated beauty runs deep. Many of these same families look forward to enjoying clean water, plentiful fishing, and other benefits of your state's rivers, streams, and lakes. Though those very home landscaping activities can pose threats to rivers, streams, and lakes, easy steps can help avoid such problems. Here are some tips.
Wise Landscape and Land Use Design
Plan or adapt your yard to avoid runoff of water into streets, streams, and ponds. This will not only reduce your water use, but keep any garden chemicals out of the water that flow back to local rivers, streams, and lakes..
- Use xeriscaping techniques when landscaping. This helps reduce up
to 70% of the water you would normally use for landscaping. Visit Xeriscape
for helpful ideas on this landscaping technique. - When planting on a hillside, install runoff barriers and terraces. Choose plants whose roots particularly hold soil in place. (Ask your local nursery for suggestions.)
- Use low-water plants. For instance, most ground covers require less water than lawns do.
- Install drip irrigation systems.
- Mulch around trees and plants. This reduces runoff and helps plants stay moist longer.
- Turn off automatic sprinkler systems when it's rainy.
- Water your lawn once a week in the early moring or late evening. Watering under a hot sun increases evaporation and the amount of water you use.
Use Fertilizers Carefully
Fertilizers basically contain nitrogen and phosphorus. These two chemicals help lawns and plants grow, but they also encourage excessive growth of aquatic plants. If this happens, oxygen levels drop, leading to death of fish and other water animals. So, minimize your use of fertilizers wherever possible:
- Test your soil to find out what nutrients it needs.
- Use a slow-release fertilizer.
- Follow the manufacturer's directions.
- Apply fertilizer to moist soil; then water moderately.
- Do not apply fertilizer if you expect a heavy storm soon (which would wash the fertilizer off your plants and into the storm drains).
- Sweep up any spilled fertilizer. Do not wash it into the street.
- Dispose of leftover fertilizers as directed by the local sanitation or water company, such as taking them to a special collection station. Do not pour them down the drain or storm drains.
Use Pesticides and Herbicides Carefully
Pesticides are designed to kill insects. Herbicides are designed to kill certain types of plants. So, if they reach a natural area, they may kill native insects and plants. To help avoid this problem, minimize your use of pesticides and herbicides where possible.
- Consider using natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends such options as: non-detergent insecticidal soaps, garlic, hot pepper spray, 1 teaspoon of liquid soap per gallon of water, used dishwater, or a forceful stream of water (which dislodges insects).
- Insects are sometimes most problematic for new plants. When possible, pick insects off new plants, or cover new plants at night, if insects seem to be doing their greatest damage at night.
- Some plants include natural chemicals that insects avoid. You can include such plants among the rest of your garden to discourage unwelcome insects. You can consult a link that includes a table of what types of plants repel which specific insects.
- Pull weeds when they are young.
- Mulch plants to reduce growth of unwanted plants.
- Use drip irrigation systems to keep water from reaching unwanted plants.
- Dispose of leftover pesticides and herbicides as directed by the local sanitation or water company, such as taking them to a special collection station. Do not pour them down the drain or storm drains.
Keep Yard Waste Out of Rivers, Streams, and Lakes
As yard wastes, such as lawn clippings and brush cuttings, decompose, that process requires oxygen. If these materials are in a river or lake, that decomposition depletes the water of oxygen. This may lead to the death of fish and other water animals.
- Keep yard waste out of waterways. Instead, compost such material yourself, participate in your community's yard compost program, or at least place it in your regular trash receptacle for proper disposal.
Use Water Wisely
Even if you live somewhere that gets plenty of precipitation, every gallon saved is a gallon that can remain available as cleaner water for people, animals, and plants to enjoy in its more natural state. Cutting down on water waste in your yard and garden will also cut down on your water bill. (Every gallon saved also saves in electric pumping and treatment costs for the utility providing your water, which keeps everyone's water bill lower).
- Use rain barrels to collect water for plant watering
- Fix drippy or leaky hose bibs and other outdoor plumbing promptly.
- As mentioned under landscaping, use low-water plants, and install drip irrigation systems.
- Turn off automatic watering devices during rainy periods. Reduce them or turn them off during cooler periods.
- One deep watering is much better than several shorter waterings. Find out more from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about wise lawn watering.
For More Information:
- Composting (USDA)
- Lawn and Garden Care (USDA)