Lawn Maintenance

For many homeowners, lawn maintenance is the single most labor-intensive management chore in the home landscape. Mowing, fertilizing, watering and controlling weeds can take many hours of effort each week, and the ‘hidden’ costs – such as equipment, fuel, lubricants, blade sharpening and storage – can be significant.

Lawn Size and Location

A low-maintenance approach to lawn care includes determining how much lawn is needed. Under-utilized lawn areas can be converted to mulched tree and shrub beds or gardens. Many lawns are much larger than necessary for recreational use. Expansive lawns may be replaced with equally attractive landscape alternatives that require less maintenance and may be more energy-efficient.

Choosing the Best Grass

There are many excellent cool and warm season grasses that are adapted for the high plains area. Many have been cultivated to withstand drought and disease. When choosing a grass, consider available sunlight, water requirements, drainage and soil type. In most cases, a mixture of grasses will provide a better result, ensuring that both sunny and shady areas have appropriate species.

Conservation Landscaping Tips

• Follow a low-input approach to fertilizing and plant care. Fertilizer and pesticide use should be reduced wherever possible, and plants should be watered only when soil moisture is low.
• An important strategy is to carefully select the appropriate plant for a specific site in the landscape.
• Low-input landscaping means using drought-tolerant plants, improving soils by adding organic matter and substituting adapted plants and waterwise grasses in previous high-maintenance lawn areas.
• Conservation landscaping attempts to reduce urban runoff pollution by increasing water infiltration into the soil. Effective landscaping also seeks to reduce excess water that could transport pollutants, and it reduces the availability of contaminants.

For more information on water conserving landscape methods contact:

University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, Box 3354, Laramie, WY 82071, 307-766-5124.

Laramie Rivers Conservation District 1050 N. 3rd St., Laramie, WY 82070 307-721-0072.