What Matters Most
Here are the top 5 things you can do that will make the biggest difference in the area of landscaping:
- Eliminate chemical fertilizers and pesticides and use only organic products on your lawn and gardens.
- Use plants native to your area as they will require less to maintain them.
- Consider reducing the size of your lawn by putting in garden beds, stone or gravel paths and trees.
- Test your soil periodically so that you are using the proper fertilizer in the proper amounts.
- If your yard is small enough, try using a reel mower to eliminate exhaust and noise pollution.
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Featured Ideas
- God's Take on Lawns Retrieved January 1, 2006 from Richsoil.com. It'll make you wonder how we ever got to this point!
- Dandelion Weed Spray: 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 lb. table salt, and 8 drops of liquid dish soap. We put it in a pump spray bottle thing, and sprayed it on. An hour or so later, we checked, and the dandelions were shriveling. Today, they are dead. The grass, I'm happy to report, is fine.
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Did You Know...
- American lawns cover more than an estimated 30 million acres, and there are over 200 pesticides approved and available for yard care.
- 75 percent of American households use pesticides
- Synthetic fertilizers spiked with nitrogen and phosphorous readily run off lawns or penetrate oversaturated soil, moving into ground water, storm drains or streams.
- Studies have shown that exposure to household pesticides is associated with an elevated risk of childhood leukemia, lymphoma and asthma.
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Resources
Native Plant Nursery
Wildtype Nursery Website - Mason, MI, Ltd.
Product Suppliers
Full Service Landscaping Companies
Other Resources
Michigan Native Plant Producers Association - Source Guide
Wildflower Association of Michigan
Premium Plants
Custom Garden Builders Organic landscape and horticultural services.
Cold Frame farming
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