Making Your Lawn “Green” for Less Money...Making Your Lawn “Green” for Less Money Source...

Making Your Lawn “Green” for Less Money

Source Reduction Grant, US EPA #X9-96479407-0

April, 2009

Louisville Water Company – Louisville Metro Government

Source Reduction GrantUS EPA #X9-96479407-0Louisville Water Company and

the Metro Government has been awarded a grant from the Pollution Prevention Division of the US EPA to study methods of:

Reducing lawn chemical usage, air emissions, and energy costs by using native grasses, trees, and flowering plants.

Make Your Lawn “Greener” for Less Money

Common Buckeye butterfly on Aromatic Aster

Wellhead Protection Plan

The Source Reduction Grant is a part of the Wellhead Protection Plan.Wellhead Protection is a plan designed to protect the groundwater that is a part of the supply of drinking water, from potential contamination.


Riverbank Filtration Well, B. E. Payne Plant

Priority Area, WHPAThe priority area is based on the location of the current Wellhead Protection Area. While the educational materials will be made available throughout the US EPA’s Southeast Region, educational materials target the priority area. The WHPA includes approximately 900 homes and 250 businesses.


Groundwater & Surface Water Protection

Why is it important to protect both the groundwater and surface water?Groundwater and surface water contribute to the overall environmental health of a region. By reducing/preventing potential pollution, you protect the environment in which you live, and well-being of every person in the region.


Healthy wildlife is an indication of a healthy

ecosystem.

Guidebook for Homeowners

A guidebook has been developed for the homeowners in the WHPA. The guidebook encourages the use of:

Native species in the lawn and garden;Integrated Pest Management; andBest Management Practices--

to reduce the potential for pollution, conserve energy, and promote environmental health.


Guidebook for HomeownersThe guidebook will help

the homeowner:Select native plants and design a garden or plot;Identify and combat weeds and other unwanted plants;Identify and combat pests; andIdentify beneficial insects and wildlife.


Rose Verbena is a hardy native wildflower. It also makes a beautiful

groundcover with just 3 plants...

Native species are defined as those growing in Kentucky prior to the introduction of alien species by colonists. The guidebook includes a brief discussion of the various native wildflowers or grasses, and a picture to help with planning and identification.

The Purple Coneflower, (Echinacea purpurea), is a popular

native species, often found in many nurseries.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Listing of Kentucky’s Wildflowers


Species included within the guide were selected based on their availability for purchase by the average homeowner living in Louisville, KY.

Species shown are Little Bluestem, a native grass, and American Bell

Flower, a native wildflower.





Each listing contains:Common NameScientific NamePicture of the plantMap showing range of the plantHeightSoil, Sun, & Space RequirementsBloom TimeTolerancesColorWildlife AttractionComments

Aromatic AsterAster oblongifolius



Wildflowers are grouped according to sun requirements:•FS = Full Sun•PS = Partial Sun, (afternoon sun)•PSh = Partial Shade, (morning sun)•FSh = Full Shade

Rue AnemoneAnemone thalictroides

FSh-PSh

Arrow-leaved AsterAster sagittifolius

PShNew England AsterAster novae-angliae

FSMonarch Butterflies

Wet, wooded areas



Sky Blue AsterAster azureus

FS

Foxglove BeardtonguePenstemon digitalis

FS-PS

Showy BeardtonguePenstemon cobaea

FS-PS

Butterflies LOVE blue and purple flowers!



Wild Bergamot, (Monarda)

Monarda fistulosaPS

Black Cohosh, Snakeroot

Cimicifuga racemosaFSh-PSh

Eastern Blue StarAmsonia tabernaemontana

FS-PSAttracts birds &

butterflies



Virginia BluebellsMertensia virginica

FSh-PSh BonesetEupatorium perfoliatum

FS-PSCardinal FlowerLobelila cardinalis

FS-PSh

Many wildflowers that attract butterflies also attract long-tongued

bees– good pollinators!Butterflies & Moths



Wild ColumbineAquilegia canadensis

FS-FSh

Sweet ConeflowerRudbeckia subrtomentosa

FS-PShDutchmen’s Breeches

Dicentra cucullariaFSH-PSh Save these seeds for

Birds!



Rigid GoldenrodSolidago rigida

FS

Goldenrod is NOT an allergen!

Wild Blue IndigoBaptisia australis

FS-PShCopper Iris

Iris fulvaFS-PSh



Joe Pye WeedEupatorium purpureum

FS-PS

Large Yellow Lady’s Slipper

Cypripedium pubescensPSh

Turk’s Cap LilyLilium superbum

FS-PSh

Do not harvest from the wild!

Moist Soil



Great Blue LobeliaLobelia siphilitica

FS-PSh

Purple MilkweedAsclepias purpurea

FS-PS

Blue MistflowerEupatorium coelestinum

FS-PS



Creeping Moss PhloxPhlox subulata

FS

Good groundcover!Meadow Phlox, Wild

Sweet WilliamPhlox maculata

FS-PSh

Rose MallowHibiscus moscheutos

FS



Shooting StarDodecatheon meadia

FSh-PSh

SundropsOenothera fruiticosa

FS Tickseed SunflowerBidens aristosa

FS



Erect Red Trillium, Wake Robin

Trillium erectumFSh-PSh

Repels wildlife!

Toad Shade TrilliumTrillium cuneatum

FShTwinleaf

Jeffersonia diphyllaFSh-PSh

Good groundcovers under trees!



Rose VerbenaVerbena hastata

FS-PS Giant SunflowerHelanthus angustifoliius

FS-PSGood groundcover!

Wild PinkSilene caroliniana

FS-PSh


Guidebook for Homeowners—Listing of Kentucky’s Native Grasses

1. Native grasses are being crowded out by exotic, invasive grasses, and eaten by wildlife to endangerment because they are more nutritious.

2. They may be used as a dramatic planting, to add variety to a flower garden, or in meadows. Big Bluestem – Andropogon gerardi

Many native grasses are an attractive addition to a lawn.Want to attract wildlife to your yard?

Plant some native grasses!

Make Your Lawn “Greener” for Less MoneyMake Your Lawn “Greener” for Less Money

Guidebook for Homeowners—Listing of Kentucky’s Native Grasses

Bottlebrush GrassElymys hystrix

FSh-PSh

Giant PlumegrassSaccharum giganteum

FS

Fox SedgeCarex vulpinoidea

FS-PS

Native grasses also attract birds to your yard!

Make Your Lawn “Greener” for Less MoneyMake Your Lawn “Greener” for Less Money

Guidebook for Homeowners—Native Plants for Landscape Use

A listing of all the native plants, (from the USDA and US Division of Forestry), is also available in the guidebook. Use this list when shopping for native plants from general nurseries– but be careful! Make sure to purchase native plants by the scientific name, not the common name!

Flowering DogwoodCornus florida

Homeowners can purchase native plants from local nurseries, or grow their own from seed. Most native plants listed are perennials, which return every year.The Guidebook has a listing of many of the Native Plant Nurseries in KY. There are several local nurseries that specialize in native plants!

The Salato Wildlife and Native Plant Center, in Frankfort,

Kentucky, provides native species available for purchase by

homeowners during their annual spring, summer, and fall plant

sales.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Native Plant Nurseries


Guides to many unwanted plants were also prepared to alert the homeowner to exotic, invasive species, as per the Kentucky Plant Council. Queen Anne’s Lace, (Daucus carota), is a

common invasive, exotic species brought by the colonists to the Americas for medicinal

use. The Kentucky Plant Council has prepared a list of severe, moderate, and lesser threats to Kentucky’s ecosystems,

which is included within the guide.


Guidebook for Homeowners—Exotic, Invasive Species


Guidebook for Homeowners—Exotic, Invasive Species

Kentucky 31 FescueFestuca elatior Purple Loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria

English IvyHedera helix


Guidebook for Homeowners—Common Weeds


Blackseed Plantain

Common RagweedCrabgrass

Curly Dock

Purslane

Guidebook for Homeowners—Louisville Unwanted Plants


Bradford Pear

Red Crabapple

Scarlet Firethorn

Guidebook for Homeowners—Toxic Plants


Johnson Grass

Pokeberry

Poison Hemlock

English Yew

Dwarf Larkspur

A complete index of native wildflowers, grasses, exotic invasive species, common weeds, and toxic plants is also included.


Common Buckeye Butterfly on Joe Pye Weed, LWC Butterfly

Garden.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Index

A questionnaire, illustrations, and guidelines have been developed to help the homeowner design and plant a wildflower garden.Tables have been included that describe the different species listed in the guidebook and their characteristics.


Great Blue Lobelia, LWC Butterfly Garden.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Garden Design

The garden design section also describes how the homeowner can design a backyard habitat for wildlife– or select plants that repel specific wildlife, such as deer.


Many homeowners enjoy watching wildlife in their back yard.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Garden Design for Wildlife

The guidebook also discusses different kinds of pesticides:Store it safely;Use it accurately by calibrating your equipment;Use it safely; andDispose of it safely.

Wear protective clothing when applying pesticides.

Guidebook for Homeowners—What You Need to Know-- Pesticides

For weed and grass control, glyphosate is recommended for use by the US EPA, because it takes only 10 daysfor the chemical to become an inert substance in the soils. (Low carry-over). The US EPA recommends that a 2% glyphosate mix be used to kill most weeds and undesirable grasses.

Glyphosate is sold under the brand name of “Roundup”, as

well as other names.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Integrated Pest Management


Want to check the percentage of Glyphosate you are using? The pesticide bottle will list the percentage of Glyphosate in the liquid pesticide to be mixed. Use this formula to calculate the actual percentage of any pesticide you are using:

%P = A/g X pWhere %P = Percentage of glyphosate used

A = Amount, in ounces, of the pesticideused, per gallon

g = one gallon of water, (128 ounces)p = Percentage of pesticide in the original

solution used in the mix.

Guidebook for Homeowners—What You Need to Know-- Pesticides


Non-chemical controls are offered as an alternative to pesticide use.Cultural controls are often a way to prevent damage from wildlife.Non-chemical and cultural controls are listed in Chapter 10.


Sometimes, the use of an owl statue can repel birds

from unwanted areas, such as patios and vegetable

gardens.




Many animals control pests in our yards–the Guidebook also contains Bat and Snake Identification Guides.

Big Brown Bat

Gray Bat Kingsnake

Ringneck Snake

Beneficial Wildlife

The guidebook also includes sections on the identification of:

Beneficial bugs, (butterflies, bees, and other creatures that can be of benefit in the garden);Benign bugs, (those that do no harm, or are neutral to the garden environment); and Pest bugs – those that can harm humans, pets, wildlife, or plants, or can be a nuisance.


The Assassin Bug eats pest bugs in the yard.

Guidebook for Homeowners—Pest Identification

Guidebook for Homeowners—Pest Identification – Beneficial Bugs


Ambush Bug

Cobweb Spider

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

Ground Beetle

Predatory Mite

Damsel Fly

Guidebook for Homeowners—Pest Identification – Benign Bugs


Large Milkweed Bug Horsehair Worm Tree Cricket

KatydidCarolina MantidHanging Fly

Guidebook for Homeowners—Pest Identification - Pests


Japanese Beetle

Banded Ash Borer

American Dog Tick

Chigger Face Fly

German Cockroach

Mexican Bean Beetle


Guidebook for Homeowners—Butterfly Identification – Beneficial Bugs

White Checkered Carolina Fritillary

Eastern Blue Orange Sulphur

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Red Spotted Purple


Guidebook for Homeowners—“Green” Lawn Care

“Green” Lawn Care includes the use of Best Management Practices in the lawn to reduce the potential for pollution, and to save money!

For example: Putting grass clippings back on your lawn can reduce the need for fertilizers. The over-use of fertilizers can

damage or kill your lawn.



Compost is a great ‘top dresser’ for lawns. Not only does it help build up the soil, but it acts as a natural fertilizer for the lawn. Have your soil tested to see what it needs BEFORE applying chemicals.

Finished compost has an ‘earthy’ smell and is a dark color.



1. Use the Guidebook’s tips on seeding, fertilizing, mowing, and watering to save money and have a healthy lawn– one that helps the environment!

2. Aerate and de-thatch to keep your lawn healthy.

3. Spot-treat weeds, rather than apply a complete yard treatment. Core aeration keeps the soil healthy.



Select a lawn grass based on your needs– high traffic, shade, or low maintenance. Or use a groundcover instead of grass for a beautiful, less maintenance lawn.

Remember that “Low Maintenance” does not mean “No Maintenance”– but it does save time and money!

Tall Fescue is recommended as a low maintenance grass for

lawns with full sun.


Thank you for your participation!

Marsha Meyer, Wellhead Protection Coordinator502-569-3600, ext. 1809

[email protected]

Source Reduction Grant, Year-end Report – July 30, 2008

Spread the word! Guidebooks are available!

mailto:[email protected]

Making Your Lawn “Green” for Less Money...Making Your Lawn “Green” for Less Money Source...

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