Making Your Lawn Green for Less Money

Transcription

1 Louisville Water Company Louisville Metro Government Making Your Lawn Green for Less Money Source Reduction Grant, US EPA #X April, 2009

2 Source Reduction Grant US EPA #X Louisville 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. Common Buckeye butterfly on Aromatic Aster

3 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

4 Priority Area, WHPA The 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.

5 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.

6 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; and Best Management Practices-- to reduce the potential for pollution, conserve energy, and promote environmental health.

7 Guidebook for Homeowners The 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; and Identify beneficial insects and wildlife. Rose Verbena is a hardy native wildflower. It also makes a beautiful groundcover with just 3 plants...

8 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers 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.

9 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.

10 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Each listing contains: Common Name Scientific Name Picture of the plant Map showing range of the plant Height Soil, Sun, & Space Requirements Bloom Time Tolerances Color Wildlife Attraction Comments Aromatic Aster Aster oblongifolius

11 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Wildflowers are grouped according to sun requirements: FS = Full Sun PS = Partial Sun, (afternoon sun) PSh = Partial Shade, (morning sun) FSh = Full Shade Rue Anemone Anemone thalictroides FSh-PSh New England Aster Aster novae-angliae FS Monarch Butterflies Arrow-leaved Aster Aster sagittifolius PSh Wet, wooded areas

12 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Sky Blue Aster Aster azureus FS Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis FS-PS Showy Beardtongue Penstemon cobaea FS-PS Butterflies LOVE blue and purple flowers!

13 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Black Cohosh, Snakeroot Cimicifuga racemosa FSh-PSh Attracts birds & butterflies Wild Bergamot, (Monarda) Monarda fistulosa PS Eastern Blue Star Amsonia tabernaemontana FS-PS

14 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica FSh-PSh Many wildflowers that attract butterflies also attract long-tongued bees good pollinators! Cardinal Flower Lobelila cardinalis FS-PSh Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum FS-PS Butterflies & Moths

15 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis FS-FSh Dutchmen s Breeches Dicentra cucullaria FSH-PSh Sweet Coneflower Rudbeckia subrtomentosa FS-PSh Save these seeds for Birds!

16 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Rigid Goldenrod Solidago rigida FS Goldenrod is NOT an allergen! Wild Blue Indigo Baptisia australis FS-PSh Copper Iris Iris fulva FS-PSh

17 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Large Yellow Lady s Slipper Cypripedium pubescens PSh Do not harvest from the wild! Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum FS-PS Turk s Cap Lily Lilium superbum FS-PSh Moist Soil

18 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica FS-PSh Purple Milkweed Asclepias purpurea FS-PS Blue Mistflower Eupatorium coelestinum FS-PS

19 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Creeping Moss Phlox Phlox subulata FS Good groundcover! Rose Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos FS Meadow Phlox, Wild Sweet William Phlox maculata FS-PSh

20 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia FSh-PSh Sundrops Oenothera fruiticosa FS Tickseed Sunflower Bidens aristosa FS

21 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Erect Red Trillium, Wake Robin Trillium erectum FSh-PSh Repels wildlife! Toad Shade Trillium Trillium cuneatum FSh Good groundcovers under trees! Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla FSh-PSh

22 Listing of Kentucky s Wildflowers Rose Verbena Verbena hastata FS-PS Good groundcover! Giant Sunflower Helanthus angustifoliius FS-PS Wild Pink Silene caroliniana FS-PSh

23 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. Want to attract wildlife to your yard? Plant some native grasses! Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardi Many native grasses are an attractive addition to a lawn.

24 Make Your Lawn Greener for Less Money Listing of Kentucky s Native Grasses Bottlebrush Grass Elymys hystrix FSh-PSh Native grasses also attract birds to your yard! Giant Plumegrass Saccharum giganteum FS Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea FS-PS

25 Make Your Lawn Greener for Less Money 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 Dogwood Cornus florida

26 Native Plant Nurseries 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.

27 Exotic, Invasive Species 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.

28 Exotic, Invasive Species Kentucky 31 Fescue Festuca elatior Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria English Ivy Hedera helix

29 Make Your Lawn Greener for Less Money Common Weeds Blackseed Plantain Curly Dock Crabgrass Common Ragweed Purslane

30 Louisville Unwanted Plants Red Crabapple Bradford Pear Scarlet Firethorn

31 Toxic Plants Pokeberry English Yew Johnson Grass Poison Hemlock Dwarf Larkspur

32 Index 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.

33 Garden Design 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.

34 Garden Design for Wildlife 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.

35 What You Need to Know-- Pesticides The guidebook also discusses different kinds of pesticides: Store it safely; Use it accurately by calibrating your equipment; Use it safely; and Dispose of it safely. Wear protective clothing when applying pesticides.

36 Integrated Pest Management For weed and grass control, glyphosate is recommended for use by the US EPA, because it takes only 10 days for 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.

37 What You Need to Know-- Pesticides 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 p Where %P = Percentage of glyphosate used A = Amount, in ounces, of the pesticide used, per gallon g = one gallon of water, (128 ounces) p = Percentage of pesticide in the original solution used in the mix.

38 Integrated Pest Management 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.

39 Integrated Pest Management Big Brown Bat Many animals control pests in our yards the Guidebook also contains Bat and Snake Identification Guides. Ringneck Snake Beneficial Wildlife Gray Bat Kingsnake

40 Pest Identification 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.

41 Pest Identification Beneficial Bugs Ambush Bug Six-spotted Tiger Beetle Predatory Mite Cobweb Spider Ground Beetle Damsel Fly

42 Pest Identification Benign Bugs Large Milkweed Bug Horsehair Worm Tree Cricket Katydid Hanging Fly Carolina Mantid

43 Pest Identification - Pests American Dog Tick German Cockroach Japanese Beetle Chigger Banded Ash Borer Face Fly Mexican Bean Beetle

44 Butterfly Identification Beneficial Bugs White Checkered Carolina Fritillary Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Eastern Blue Orange Sulphur Red Spotted Purple

45 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.

46 Green Lawn Care 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.

47 Green Lawn Care 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.

48 Green Lawn Care 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.

49 Source Reduction Grant, Year-end Report July 30, 2008 Make Your Lawn Greener for Less Money Thank you for your participation! Marsha Meyer, Wellhead Protection Coordinator , ext Spread the word! Guidebooks are available!