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One of summer's traditions is getting out the lawn mower, cutting the grass and trashing those mounds and mounds of clippings. Did you ever stop to think what happens to all those bags of clippings generated from your, and your neighbor's, weekly mowing ritual? Grass clippings make up a surprisingly large portion of our garbage - as much as several million tons each year. Yard waste, on average, makes up 15 percent of all garbage sent to our disposal facility, the Short Mountain Landfill.

Starting September 1st Eugene residents will have the option of putting their grass clippings and other yard debris into a separate can that goes to a composting facility, not the landfill. Leaving the clippings on the lawn is another excellent way to benefit your lawn, save time and reduce the amount of waste you dispose of.

The following simple steps are a way to achieve a healthy looking lawn, naturally.

Mow High, Mow Often and Leave the Clippings
Set your mowing height to about 2 inches for most lawns. This will allow the development of deeper roots and crowd out weeds. Remove only one third of the grass length at each mowing. Cutting too much at once stresses the grass. Grass roots tend to grow as deep as the blades grow high. By keeping your mower blade sharp you can avoid injuring your lawn by tearing blades of grass or pulling out tender new growth with a dull blade. Leave the clippings on the lawn; this is commonly called grasscycling.

Use a "Natural Organic" or "Slow Release" Fertilizer
These types fertilizers release nutrients to the lawn slowly. Meaning less is wasted through runoff into our streams. Healthy lawns are a medium green color not a dark green. The best time to fertilize is in mid to late May and early September. If you want to fertilize once a year, the fall is the best time. It helps the grass grow new roots and stores nutrients for next year's growth. Remember leaving the clippings on the lawn provides almost half of a lawn's nutrient needs.

Water Deeply But Infrequently
Shallow watering promotes shallow rooting and weak growth. Avoid frequent shallow watering, this will cause shallow rooting. Over watering can promote disease, wastes water and leaches nutrients from the soil. Water mornings or nights to avoid water loss due to evaporation. EWEB provides weekly information on the amount of watering needed.
This information can be found at their web page: http://www.eweb.org/Home/water/tips.htm or by calling them at 984-4747. Information is also available via Guardline at 485-2000 x3932.

Consider letting the lawn go dormant and brown in the heat of the summer. Watering deeply once a month will support dormant lawns so they recover in the fall. Watering only high traffic or use areas is another option to consider in this low water year.

Do You Really Need Pesticides or "Weed and Feed"
These products can damage soil and lawn health, pollute our rivers and even harm the health of our loved ones. A thick tall lawn will crowd out weeds and block the light needed for them to germinate. Accept a few weeds. Is it really the end of the world if you have one or two dandelions? Remove problem weeds by hand in the spring and fall. Pincer-type long handle weed pullers work great and are readily available. If you are going to use a herbicide make sure you follow the instructions and safety precautions. Over application does not increase the effectiveness and only leads to increased run off and pollution. Try spot applications instead of a broad application. Keep kids and pets off of the lawn for at least as long as the label specifies.

Americans spend $956 million on synthetic lawn fertilizers each year, and an unbelievable $1.5 billion on pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals often run off into our lakes, rivers and groundwater, even when used correctly. Even more these chemicals can kill or harm beneficial soil life, insects, pets, wildlife and humans. By following the steps above you will be able to enjoy a healthy natural lawn while lessening our chemical dependence