Reimagining Lawn

Conventional lawn is maintenance-intensive and contributes to polluting runoff, carbon emissions, and excessive water consumption. In addition to providing few benefits, it can even be harmful to pollinators. Reducing lawn in favor of a diverse plant palette of native trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers can transform our yards into an oasis for pollinators and other wildlife. Lawn is best used for high traffic and play areas, pathways, and to help define and showcase garden areas. Tolerance for “weeds” and adoption of lower maintenance practices will further reduce the environmental impact of lawns.

Here are some strategies to make our yards and lawns more climate-friendly and help reverse loss of insects, birds, and other wildlife essential for healthy ecosystems.

• Add native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants in layers to reduce lawn coverage, starting with areas poorly suited for grass such as shade, slopes, and wet areas, and consider making room for growing fruits and vegetables. You can start small and expand over time.
• Consider native sedges (Carex species) and fine fescues, which can provide a grass-like look, tolerate moderate traffic, and be either mowed occasionally to 3 inches or not at all.
• Reduce or eliminate use of herbicides and accept weeds in your lawn. Clover as a nitrogen fixer will actually feed your grass while a mix of flowering weeds such as dandelions, violets, and plantains will support pollinators and need less fertilizer to thrive.
• Grasscycling—mulching grass clippings back into the soil—will add nutrients back into the soil.
• In the fall, aerate to reduce compaction and overseed to cover bare spots and prevent soil erosion. You can also mulch leaves with a mulching mower or add a top dressing of compost to add more nutrients into the soil.
• Allow cool-season grasses to go dormant during the hot, dry months of summer rather than watering.
• Do a soil test before fertilizing and add only what is needed at the right time of year—fall is best for cool season grasses. NEVER apply more than 3.5 pounds of nitrogen000 square feet over a twelve-month period, ideally with two to three applications and 30% to 50% water-insoluble nitrogen (to limit leeching).

For more information see:

• Climate Friendly Gardening: Rethinking Your Lawn, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, https://mgnv.org/climate-change/rethinking-your-lawn/
• Turf Alternatives, Master Gardener Virtual Classroom, https://mgnv.org/mg-virtual-classroom/bmp-class-video/turf-grass-alternatives-2020/
• Lawn Alternatives, University of Maryland Extension, https://extension.umd.edu/resources/yard-garden/lawns/lawn-alternatives