So as warmer weather and longer days start to arrive, many of us think about getting our lawns back to a nice green state. Your thick, green, dandelion-free lawn will come at a price though, as inflation has impacted fertilizer prices particularly hard. There is good news. however, as you do not need nearly as much fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides as you think. Reducing herbicide/pesticide usage will also save you money and help the environment.

For fertilizers, apply only if needed, after a soil test tells you what is necessary. Soil test information can be found at soiltest.uconn.edu/sampling.php. In most cases, you can apply ½ to 1/3 less than what is recommended on the fertilizer bag. Slow release organic fertilizers are the best for the environment. A natural way to add nitrogen back is by adding white clover to your lawn. Also, leave grass clippings on your lawn after mowing.

Another way to save money is to water smartly by not overwatering your lawn. 1-1.5 inch of water per week applied in early morning hours works best (on average, it takes about 30 minutes).

In addition to the cost of maintaining a perfectly green lawn, using fertilizers and pesticides comes with consequences to our rivers, lakes, estuaries, and Long Island Sound. Fertilizers and pesticides will eventually make their way into these water bodies and can negatively impact both water quality and resident plants and animals.

Sources: New England Regional Nitrogen & Phosphorous Fertilizer and Associated Management practice recommendations for lawns based on water quality considerations, University of Connecticut 2017.

SeaGrant – seagrant.uconn.edu

Long Island Sound Study – longislandsoundstudy.net

For more information, visit healthylawnshealthyriver.net.

Peter Harris of Niantic is on the Board of the Niantic River Watershed Committee.