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Going "green" doesn't have to be limited to your home's interior or your office. Green principles and practices can be applied to the surrounding outdoors as well.

Below you will find a growing list of ways to help "green" your yard as well as turf tips that can be used at the ballpark.

GREENSCAPING AT HOME (Source: EPA)

Our yards are our outdoor homes: fun, beautiful, great spaces for relaxing. By taking care of our lawns and gardens properly, we can save money, time, and help the environment. GreenScaping encompasses a set of landscaping practices that can improve the health and appearance of your lawn and garden while protecting and preserving natural resources.

By simply changing your landscape to a GreenScape, over time you can save time and money and protect the environment.

  • Save Money by eliminating unnecessary water and chemical use
  • Save Time by landscaping with plants that require less care
  • Protect the Environment by:
    • Conserving water supplies
    • Using chemicals properly and only when necessary to keep waterways and drinking water clean
    • Reducing yard waste by recycling yard trimmings into free fertilizer and mulch
Put nature to work in your yard

In nature, soil recycles dead plants into nutrients for new plant growth. Plants are adapted to the water, sun and soil available in their site. Maintaining a wide variety of healthy plants, soil organisms, beneficial insects and animals can keep most pests and diseases in check.

By working with nature, you can have a great-looking yard that's easier to care for, cheaper to maintain and healthier for families, pets, wildlife and the environment.

How? Start with these five steps:
  1. Build and maintain healthy soil
  2. Plant right for your site
  3. Practice smart watering
  4. Adopt a holistic approach to pest management
  5. Practice natural lawn care

Visit the EPA GreenScape for more information.

TURF TIPS FOR THE BALLPARK

Organic Fertilizers
(Source: The Brickman Group) Sewage Sludge (i.e. Milorganite®)
  • These organics have been around the longest. The material is dried, heated, and palletized for easy dispersal during fertilizing. There is a slight odor problem with these products, but the drying process greatly reduces this nuisance. There is no concern for disease organisms because of the heating process, so these types of organics are "disease free". Heavy metals in the sewage can cause serious turf or soil health problems which is why many producers monitor their levels to be within standards. Sewage sludge has a very low burn potential and is an excellent slow release nitrogen source. However, the low nitrogen content means that the shipping costs per pound are much higher.
Animal By-Products (i.e. bone meal, blood meal, poultry manure)
  • Agriculture has been using animal manure for centuries, but its incorporation into the turf industry is new. The processing and manufacturing of these materials has produced easy to disperse and odor free fertilizers. Like the sewage sludge, they have a low burn potential, slow release of nitrogen and uniform growth. Blood meal is the most concentrated form of organics at 14% nitrogen. Poultry manure ranges up to 12%. These products provide excellent uniform turf response and are normally mixed together to make them easier to use. As with Sewage Sludge, the shipping costs will be higher when compared with synthetic fertilizers.
Plant By-Products (i.e. corn gluten meal, soybean protein)
  • These fertilizers originate as by-products from the grain milling industry and are primarily plant proteins. The plant protein products have similar turf response as the animal by-products and sewage. Most contain up to 10% nitrogen on a dry weight base. Corn gluten meal has been known to be a natural herbicide and is marketed for weed control as well as a nitrogen source in turf. The cost is higher, but it has been in the industry since the 1990s.
Calcium (i.e. calcitic lime, dolomitic lime, gypsum)
  • Calcium is not normally considered an organic fertilizer, but is just as important for soil fertility. In the turf plant calcium strengthens cell walls increasing wear resistance and disease resistance. In the soil it can help relieve compaction, make other nutrients more available to the plant and is commonly used to buffer pH. In fact, calcium plays such a significant role in the soil that it is highly recommended to consult a soil testing lab to determine the correct amount and type of calcium to use.
Where to purchase? Planet Natural
Natural Pest Control
(Source: Planet Natural)

In a diverse ecosystem pest populations are regulated naturally. Development of this balance relies on least-toxic products that minimize harm to beneficial insects. Traps & Lures are used to identify the presence of pests, and to help control them. If pests are present the least-toxic method should be used first &mdash Barriers & Repellents, Beneficial Insects, Biological Pesticides, Soaps and Oils — with the more toxic (but short lived) Botanical or Natural Insecticides used only if necessary.

Barriers & Repellents NEED CONTENT Beneficial Insects
  • Used in this country since the late 1880s beneficial insects are the best known form of biological pest control. They provide long-term control, helping to tip the scales in your favor when "bad bugs" arrive. Beneficials attack and destroy only insects; they are harmless to people, plants and pets.
Biological Pest Control
  • Biological Pest Control is based on highly specific, naturally occurring insect diseases caused by bacteria, protozoa, viruses and fungi. Biological pesticides also break down quickly in the environment and are less likely to produce pest resistance than chemical pesticides.
Fungicides & Plant Disease
  • Plant diseases are characterized by wilting, moldy coatings, rusts, blotches, scabs and rotted tissue. They are often encouraged by wet weather, poor drainage or inadequate airflow. Some fungal problems can be controlled by reducing high moisture conditions and by cutting away diseased plant parts. In most cases however, a fungicide will be required.
Home Pest Control
  • Pests in the home can be incredible nuisances and difficult to get rid of when children, pets or sensitivities are involved. Check Planet Natural to identify household pests.
Insect Traps & Lures
  • Insect traps use pheromones, visual lures or food to attract pests and capture them. Pheromones are the substances female insects use to sexually attract males to them. Visual lures use colors and shapes to attract pests. No insecticides are used and beneficial insects rarely become trapped. Experienced organic gardeners and orchardists use insect traps to:
    • Monitor Pest Populations – Insect traps determine when pests emerge, how many there are and where they are coming from. The sooner this information is understood, the easier it is to control pests with other measures.
    • Control Pest Populations – In many cases traps alone have been shown to control pest populations below levels of economic damage. Many insects, including whiteflies, are drawn to yellow sticky strips. Red sphere traps work particularly well against apple maggots. Pheromone traps tend to confuse and exhaust male pests, inhibiting pest reproduction. Traps are also valuable in controlling pest populations when used in conjunction with some other form of natural pest control. For example, The Big Stinky Fly Trap captures adult flies while fly parasites seek and destroy fly pupae.
Natural Pesticides
  • Derived from plants which have insecticidal properties, natural pesticides have fewer harmful side effects and break down more quickly in the environment than synthetic chemicals do. However, they are still poisons and should only be used after other less-toxic options have been explored.
Note: Some pyrethrin products contain piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a sassafras extract which is added to improve their effectiveness. PBO is no longer approved for certified organic use.
Soaps, Oils & More
  • These natural pest controls are much more broad-based in their actions against insects than biological pest controls or beneficial insects. They are composed of natural compounds, which have undergone minimal levels of processing, and are not generally toxic to the user. However, because of their lethal mechanisms, if ingested in large amounts they may not be safe. Insecticidal soap is composed of fatty acid compounds which penetrate the insect's outer body, break down the cells ability to retain liquid and eventually cause death through dehydration. The most common abrasive, diatomaceous earth, also causes dehydration after scratching through the insect's outer layer. Horticultural oil is lethal primarily because it smothers the insect and/or insect eggs.

Not sure what is eating your garden? Check Planet Natural's Pest Problem Solver.