Eight Tips for a Lake Friendly Landscape

Proper landscape care and healthy landscapes help our environment. But how?

Fertile green spaces reduce pollutants and dust in the air, minimize heat buildup, convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and minimize water pollution.

Massey Services promotes sustainable lawn and landscape practices in our communities and offers the following water and lake friendly tips for homeowners:

• Homeowners are encouraged to follow guidelines from the University of Florida’s Florida Yards and Neighborhood program for strategies on proper design, installation and maintenance for healthy landscapes that use minimal water, fertilizer and pesticides.
• Massey Services has been using phosphorus-free fertilizers for nearly 20 years. Phosphorus-free lawn fertilizers have now become common in lawn and garden centers and are readily available for homeowner use. We recommend phosphorus-free fertilizers with a minimum of 50 percent slow-release nitrogen for a healthier more sustained feeding for your lawn.
• Homeowners should always read and follow label directions for proper fertilizer usage. Applying fertilizer at rates greater than what the plant can utilize serves no beneficial purpose.
• Hard surfaces such as concrete driveways, sidewalks and roadways act as funnels into the storm sewers that lead to waterways. Fertilizer and organic debris from these hard surfaces should be removed and deposited into turf areas where the turf can utilize the nutrients. If not removed, this debris can reach waterways, which feeds algae and can create algae blooms.
• Turfgrass areas have the ability to capture tons of organic debris such as leaf litter. Mow the debris into the turf with a mulching mower and the leaf litter virtually disappears. Leaf litter can provide valuable nutrients to the turf.
• Utilize a water smart irrigation program – smart technologies like advanced sensors which measure factors such as temperature, humidity, wind and rainfall accurately monitor the amount of moisture in the soil which help prevents wasted water.
• Homeowners, at a minimum, should maintain an irrigation system equipped with a rain shutoff device. Irrigating at a time when rainfall has been sufficient is a waste of precious natural resources.
• Use targeted and timely weed control applications. Many weed control materials used after weeds have emerged will kill weeds through contact. Be targeted in your use of weed control applications as no benefit is gained by applying these types of materials to areas that do not have weeds.

If you would like to learn more about our lake friendly landscape care, CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A FREE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS.