News You Can Use

Yard work doesn’t have to be a chore

University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Dustin Barnes
Jan. 28, 2004

STARKVILLE, Miss.—To avoid the prospect of long hours of yard work, homeowners can save time and money on their lawns by planning their activities in advance.

Pete Melby, Mississippi State University professor of landscape architecture, says one way to reduce the amount of energy and resources that go into yard work is to use native plants for landscaping. Because they already are adapted to the local climate and require less fertilizer and watering, the indigenous greenery is easier to maintain.

Melby says another way to lessen the lawn maintenance burden is to cut back on the amount of grass in your yards. He observes that grasses typically found in Mississippi yards come from more tropical areas and require mowing 30 to 35 times each year.

“Most people need to reduce the area of their lawn to just what they are going to use,” he says, referring to areas where such outdoor activities as badminton and ball playing may occur.

To reduce lawn size, Melby recommends the installation of a filter strip of mulch beds around the turf area, in which bulbs, shrubs, perennials, and trees may be planted. The strip, which can range from eight to 15 feet in width, will help improve exterior appearances while functioning like a sponge to catch and store runoff water.

In addition to storing nutrients from the decaying leaves and pine straw, the strip filters sediment from the lawn area and reduces water runoff.

For homes with outdoor pets, the strip also can catch animal waste and keep it from traveling via runoff to the neighbor’s yard or nearby streams or municipal drainage systems.