Archives for February 2012

Green Lawn Mowers

There are many different types of mowers available today, and depending upon your lawn, some will be better suited to your needs than others. 

For people with small lawns who like to mow often,  a reel mower might do the trick.  Reel mowers are the best for the environment, as they create no emissions.  They are also good for your lawn, as they don’t tare the grass as much as rotary mowers when cutting, making the lawn less susceptible to disease.  The drawbacks are that they can be hard to push if the grass is thick, and they will not cut grass or weeds that have grown too high. 

Electric mowers are another eco friendly option.  They are available in corded or battery operated models.  Many have removable batteries that you can take inside and charge after you are done mowing.  The electricity will cost you a lot less than gas, and electric mowers reduce emissions as the pollution generated at the power plant creating the electricity for the battery or mower is significantly less than what a gas mower would emit.  Most electric models are  not quite as powerful as gas versions, but keeping the blades sharp will improve results.  Other advantages are that they require no tune ups,  run quieter, and start with the push of a button. 

If you have a large lawn and need to get a riding or zero turn mower for your lawn, there are more and more eco friendly options becoming available.  There are electric, propane, and mowers that will run on biodiesel available. 

Of course, if you are too busy to mow yourself, you can still go green and hire Savannah Eco Mowing and get a reliable, professional, eco friendly lawn care service.      

 

Composting Tips

Compost is decomposed organic matter that is rich in nutrients that are good for your lawn and other plants in your yard. Making your own compost saves landfill space and makes great natural food for your lawn at the same time. Composting can be as simple as making a pile of a mix of leaves, twigs, bark, grass, and food waste and letting it sit for between 6 months to a year. A turning unit with multiple bins can speed things up, but requires more work.

Adding a top dressing of compost to your lawn in the spring or fall is a great way to improve soil quality. Another option is to make a compost tea and spray it on your lawn. Compost tea allows the grass to access the nutrients quicker than dry compost and has been shown to help make your lawn more disease and insect resistant.

Many types of yard and food wastes can be composted, such as leaves, grass, bark, and twigs. If you do decide to build a turning unit or have one made, the process can be complete between 6 to 10 weeks. You want to have at least a 2 to 1 ratio of carbon rich wastes, called “browns” such as leaves, twigs and bark, to nitrogen rich wastes, called “greens”, like grass, weeds and food waste. Keeping the compost slightly moist and aerated will help decomposition.  After you put the wastes into the first bin,  at first the temperature should start to rise, as the microorganisms reproduce and start breaking down the material.  Once the temperature starts to fall, you turn the compost into the next bin.  After repeating this a few times,  the temperature will level off and you will be left with a mature compost that is great for your lawn.