The perfect turfgrass lawn interpret the desired , and in some cases required , external coming into court for many of our   personal and commercial dimension . In fact , it appear that lawns are the tumid water crop in the country , embrace an area of over 63,000 straight miles . But around the country , and perhaps particularly for us in the transition geographical zone , where neither cool nor affectionate conditions turf grasses thrive without all-inclusive , expensive and potentially polluting aid , it makes good sense to rethink our feeler to lawn management .

For those who , for whatever understanding , are committed to turfgrass lawn , this clause reviews best grass option and practices for train lawns in the Virginia Piedmont . The second part present environmentally friendlier alternatives to turfgrass monocultures that can save meter and money , thin chemic use and C step while maintain an attractive landscape painting with many offsetting benefits .

Best options for a turfgrass lawn

Turfgrass lawn are   appreciated for their color , appearance , land stabilization and resilience . Their downsides are many , however , specially in our area where all varieties scramble at some point in the year with our environmental conditions . Cool weather varieties call for service to stay green and salubrious during our spicy dry summers . tender weather grasses have 3 - 5 month dormant periods during our relatively cold winters . Nevertheless , if we narrow pasturage alternative to a few ‘ serious performers ” we can optimize chance of success while understate the negatives .

Cool Weather Turfgrass Options

coolheaded weather grass prefer temperature in the 60 - 75 ° range . They are active early spring through other summer and late summer through early wintertime . increase slows in the summer heating plant . They can be plant in spring , but fall planting provide a longer period to become established before summer heat get . Recommended choicesare :

A Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass blend is attractive for the great Piedmont country , provide the benefit of diversity and completing characteristic , even though the look is less uniform than a exclusive smorgasbord would be .

Warm atmospheric condition denounce for the VA Piedmont

Warm weather grasses thrive in temperature in the 80 - 95 ° mountain chain . They go sleeping for 3 - 5 month during the wintertime , depending on emplacement and temperature . They typically have fewer pest trouble , broken water requirements and are less sensitive to summertime extremes than the cool weather case . Best time to set up them is from mid - May through June .

Best Practices

To minimize the negatives of lawn direction , stick to these principle :

fertilisation Tips

Leaching of fertilizers and lawn chemical substance is a significant environmental problem linked to turfgrass lawns . To get the benefit of the economic consumption of these products while minimizing negative impacts :

Weed Management

skunk are a aeonian issue for turfgrass lawns . No matter how well controlled , they will continue to reappear   yr after class . Nevertheless , there are good direction pattern for weed direction :

The Mixed Lawn Alternative

Best turfgrass management practices aside ,   the impacts of climate change , pollution , monocultures and pollinator fall are changing the manner we count at lawn management . The legitimate goal of reduce chemical substance function , providing a more receptive pollinator environs , and impart diversity to our home ecosystems are breed a social movement away from the perfect turfgrass lawn .

The persuasiveness of turfgrass is that it handles traffic better than substitute lawn . Its hereafter looks secure for sport fields and high-pitched traffic area . Beyond these havens however , there is a definite trend to augment turfgrass with a wide-ranging plant admixture . Many aboriginal weeds are more profoundly rooted which help them stay greener during hot , wry time period . In plus , their low height habits significantly reduce mowing demand over the course of the growing time of year . grass likewhite cloverwere include in seed mixes prior to the 1950s . They furbish up nitrogen in soils , feed turf grasses , melt off fertilization requirements , and their peak provide pollen and nectar for pollinator . What mixed lawns give up in uniformity , they make up for in diversity and environmental friendliness .

Reducing Lawn Area

A growing trend to make prop more mood favorable is to reduce lawn area , put back it with veg bed , shrubs , native perennial gardens , rain garden , wildflower meadowsandhabitat gardens . It makes sense to maintain turfgrass in high traffic areas while partly replacing it to create climate - friendly feature film . Even in neighborhoods where uniform lawn are valued property elements , there are ways to keep down the monoculture and its associate negatives .   For more about hayfield garden , condition out this 2017Garden Shedarticle : “ Meadow Gardening,”https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / article / hayfield - gardening/.   await for idea on lawn alternatives ?   Take a smell at “ Alternative Lawns , https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / clause / alternate - lawns/.

Grass removalis believably the hardest part of any rebirth to a smaller lawn . plebeian technique include :

Our Mower Brakes for pollinator

A few year ago , after moving to a house where the anterior possessor had valiantly but vainly tried to maintain a turfgrass lawn , we decided to promote interracial lawn plantings while reducing lawn field a piddling bit each year . We ’re happy with the appearance and actually enjoy seeing the pollinator patronise everything from winter weeds to the trefoil we ’ve added to the lawn . We ’ve come down lawn area , replacing it with low-pitched maintenance plantings of various eccentric and contribute non - lawn planting features every year . We use no lawn chemical substance , water only the veggie bed and containers ( with most water come from rain barrelful ) , and mow only when it ’s want . next plans are to bear on reducing lawn , focusing more on native works . The photo shows the lawn in August during a spicy dry summer , still looking moderately presentable .

Honestly , this article started out to describe chemical - costless turfgrass lawn care . But it quickly became apparent that for turfgrass lawns , chemical substance - loose is n’t go to lick . Thus , I ’ve   explain how to minimise the negative for those committed to that . With all due respect to turfgrassers , the earthly concern is moving on . Like so many thing , the perfect lawn is becoming more a relic of the past than a staple fiber of the future .

As individuals , it sometimes seems like our impact on climate variety is inconsequential , but there is strength in numbers . As more of us move in a climate - responsible for steering , we will affect everything from neighborhood value to the lawn care product available , and at long last , public policy . Why not be part of a climate - responsible for future . After all , beauty is in the eye of the beholder .

Sources :

“ More Lawns than Irrigated Corn , ” NASA Earth Observatory , ( 2005)https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov / features / Lawn / lawn2.php

“ The Lawn Is the magnanimous Irrigated Crop in the USA,”https://geog.ucsb.edu / the - lawn - is - the - largest - irrigate - harvest - in - the - usa/ , University of California at Santa Barbara Dept . of Geography

“ Fall Lawn Care , ” Va. Cooperative Extensionhttps://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-520/430-520-pdf.pdf

“ Spring and Summer Lawn Management for Cool Season Turgrasses , ” Va. Cooperative Extension ,

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-532/430-532_pdf.pdf

“ Reducing Pesticide Use in the Home Lawn and Garden , ” Va. Cooperative Extension , https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu / content / dam / pubs_ext_vt_edu/450/450 - 725/450 - 725.pdf

Weedalert.com ( weed identification),https://www.weedalert.com / search - by - area - results.php?region=4

“ Lawn Alternatives , ” Home and Garden Information Center , U of MD Extension , https://extension.umd.edu / hgic / topics / lawn - option

“ Turfgrass Frustration in Central Virginia , ” by Cathy Caldwell , The Garden Shed , September 2018,https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / article / turfgrass - frustration - in - central - virginia/