5 Easy Ways to Have a Stunning Lawn for Less
By
Woman's Day Staff
Curb Appeal
A manicured front lawn makes a good first impression on guests and can keep you in your neighbors' good graces. And thanks to these savvy tips, keeping your grounds green doesn't have to cost much green. Keep reading to discover how to start saving now. Photo by GettyImages.
Make Compost
Keep a lidded container on a kitchen counter to collect food scraps (fruit cores, veggie trimmings, coffee grounds, rinsed eggshells; anything but meat). Toss them into an out-of-sight pile or a compost bin (recommended in areas with foraging wildlife) on your property along with leafy prunings, excluding weeds. Turn the pile every couple of weeks to encourage decomposition, and within a season or two, you'll have a continual supply of nutrient-rich fertilizer.
COST Free; $100 and up for an enclosed composter
SAVINGS $15 per bag of fertilizer
Lose the Grass (By Choice)
Give over part of your lawn to ground cover, such as vinca, carex or ferns. These low-growing spreaders require little water or fertilizer and don't need to be mowed, yet are just as green. Here's how to do it outside your home:
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Clear the area
Kill existing foliage in the area where the ground cover is going to be planted by covering the area with black plastic for approximately one month. If black plastic isn't available, you can use a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard to suffocate the existing grass or weeds. You could also use a non-specific herbicides such a glyphosate, but you shouldn't apply it on windy days or if it is likely to rain within the next 24 hours. Plant in the fall or spring, when the ground is warm and you can expect more rainfall.
Test the soil
As long as you're starting form scratch, make sure your soil is in good shape. Contact your local extension office to find the best way to have it done in your area. Once it's tested, you'll get recommendations for what you need to do to get it healthier before you plant.
Choose your plant
Consider the following: Is the area you're planting in sunny, shady, or both? Will the plant you chose be able to withstand low or high temperatures and/or changes in climate?
How quickly do you want it to grow? How much area do you want to cover? Research plants that are recommended for your zone, then read the plant tag and ask someone at your local nursery to figure out what will work best for you.
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Maintain your ground cover
Add a layer of mulch during early growth to keep the soil moist and suppress weeds. You shouldn't have to do much watering if the plant you choose fits your climate. Weed frequently and fertilize once or twice a year if recommended in your soil yest.
--Sarah Brucato
Source: Susan Barton, PhD, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Delaware
Share Equipment Rental
A gasoline-powered aerator improves your lawn by poking holes in the soil to let air, moisture and nutrients circulate. But renting one from a hardware store can cost almost as much as hiring a pro. One way to save: Coordinate a date with a neighbor and split the cost of a one-day rental-you should be able to aerate an average-size yard in no more than 3 hours.
COST About $45 per person for a shared 24-hour rental
SAVINGS $10 or more off the 4-hour (half-day) rental price
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Plant Perennials
They're pricier up front, but flowering perennials like asters, peonies, lavender and phlox make more sense in the long term than bloom-and-die annuals. Not only do they come back every year, they love to propagate-so dig them up, divide them and replant them throughout your yard to multiply your investment over time. They also require less work during the growing season: Their roots go deeper than annuals', so they don't need as much water.
COST $10 to $20 per 1-gallon perennial
SAVINGS $7 to $25 per flat of annuals a year after three years
Collect Rainwater
There's no need to pay money for something that falls free from the sky. Trim your water bill and keep your plants hydrated by using a rain barrel to catch runoff from your roof. Deluxe versions have a mesh top to keep out debris and a spigot to fill watering cans, but an old trash can is a good alternative (cut a hole in the lid to fit your downspout). A typical 60-gallon barrel will take care of several large flower beds for two to three weeks, and it takes less than an inch of rainfall from a standard-size roof to fill it up.
COST Free; $70 and up for a rain barrel
SAVINGS About $10 a year
Three Resources to Save More!
1. Garden Clubs
Gather with like-minded growers to get the inside scoop on what flourishes in your area, tour neighborhood gardens for inspiration, or swap perennials and half-used seed packets.
2. Cooperative Extension Office
Your local offshoot of the USDA has info about environmental initiatives (such as free mulch or soil pH testing), educational opportunities and other garden-related news.
3. Yard Sales
Your local offshoot of the USDA has info about environmental initiatives (such as free mulch or soil pH testing), educational opportunities and other garden-related news.
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