Cutting Your Yard Costs to Save Big Bucks

Maintaining a green lawn can be both a chore and a financial drain. With the average lawn requiring more than 10,000 gallons of water each year, there is a lot of room to streamline your lawn care budget to reduce your expenses, as well as your impact on the environment. As fall rolls in, here are a few ways that you can cut your yard-care costs to save some big bucks.

Let your lawn go dormant.
If cutting costs is a higher priority than a perfect lawn, consider allowing your lawn to go dormant in order to save on watering and maintenance costs. Dormancy is simply when the plant reduces its water usage and focuses its resources on the root system, turning brown in the process but not dying. Green grass requires about an inch of water each week, which can really cost you. Most turfgrass can stay in dormancy for three to four weeks, or even longer if it is cold-weather induced.

Switch to a push-reel mower.
Ditch the gas canister, yank-cords, and engine problems for a mower that relies solely on manpower. Manual mowers are low-cost and environmentally friendly, making them a great alternative to noisy, accident-prone gas-powered mowers. You’ll cut your gasoline bill, but you’ll also significantly reduce your environmental impact, since the average lawn trimming with a gas mower creates as much pollution as driving a small car for 200 miles.

Reduce sprinkler use by adding soil amendments.
With the severe drought conditions taking place across the country, water restrictions have become an everyday part of life. But that just means you should make the most effective use of the water you have. I used Soil2O for my lawn. It's a soil conditioner that captures up to 400 times its weight in water to release over time, allowing your lawn to capture rainwater from autumn storms that would normally be lost to runoff. Hydrogel soil amendments can help promote a healthy root system, while allowing you to cut your weekly watering.

Article Author: Erin Everhart

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