Tell One Friend: Go Bagless to Reduce Yard Waste

In the summer months, up to half of all the waste collected from households is grass. Going Bagless is the number one way Edmontonians can reduce their waste. 

Benefits of Going Bagless:

• Reduces the need to water your lawn.
• Reduces need to fertilize your lawn. 
• Saves time-no bagging and dragging grass.
• Can cut water use in half.
• Reduces CO2 emissions.
• Yields a lush, healthy lawn.
• Helps prevent thatch build up and disease. 

It's Easy:

• Mow high so that no more than 1/3 of the grass blade is removed.
• Mow often; every 4-5 days during heavy growth and once a week when growth is slower.
• Mow when the grass is dry to prevent clumping.
• Make sure your mower blade is sharp. 
• Sweep grass clippings that end up on the sidewalk back onto your lawn. 

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Share your Message Effectively

Try these strategies to help encourage your family, friends and co-workers to have healthy, environmentally conscious lawns.

Model the Behaviour

Go Bagless when cutting your own lawn. 

Make it Normal

Display a Go Bagless sign on your lawn if you have one and talk about it with friends, family and neighbours. 

Offer Timely Prompts

When talking to family, friends and neighbours about lawns or outdoor chores, mention how cutting grass can be more efficient. 

Give Positive Feedback

"Your lawn looks so healthy" or "Your go bagless efforts have reduced CO2 emissions".

Highlight the Benefits

When engaged in a conversation about going bagless, share the aforementioned benefits and be excited about your success when going bagless. 

Visit edmonton.ca/waste

Next Tell One Friend: Leave those Browns on the Ground

Tell One Friend: Mow High, Mow Often

Do you leave your clippings on the lawn? Remember to mow high and mow often.

Mowing high ensures that your clip only 1/3 of the length of the grass blades, each time. Small clippings also break down easily. Mowing often develops a deep, extensive root system and leaves little room for weeds to grow.

• Raise your mower blade to medium range.
  Mow to the height of your pinky, or 6 to 8 cm (2.5 to 3 inches).
• Mow about every 4 to 5 days during the heavy growth season.
  When growth is slower, cutting once a week or less will suffice.
• Sharpen the blade. It's makes for a sharp-looking lawn.
  Grass recovers more quickly when cut cleanly.

Help your friends and neighbours keep it simple.

Prompt Them
"It's really simple to leave my clippings on the lawn. I don't cut off too much of the grass at a time. I mow regularly, but I don't have the hassle of bagging and dragging my grass."

One Small Ask
"Can I show you how to raise the blade on your mower? You can decide what length to go with afterwards."

Give Feedback
"I love how lush your lawn looks, and I noticed you leaving the clippings on the lawn. Will you get in touch if you ever need help?"

Did You Know?
It is not too late to go bagless if the grass has grown a bit too long. Just raise your mower blade to the highest possible setting. Go over your lawn once, then lower the blade it to a medium range, and mow the lawn a second time. It will still be more time effective than bagging your grass and ensures your clippings remain small enough to break down efficiently.

Visit edmonton.ca/gobagless
Visit edmonton.ca/waste to learn What Goes Where.

Next Tell One Friend: "No Drinking Straw, Thank You"
Previous Tell One Friend: Make Waste-Wise Actions Visible

Driverless Lawn Mowers Help City Maintain Grass and Parkland

Edmonton's first electric, driverless lawn mowers are almost ready to roll. On June 21, the mower's became fully operational and are currently GPS mapping their assigned area, which can take up to two weeks. GPS will then be able to guide each mower with an invisible electric line to keep the vehicle in its determined area.

"The City is continuously looking for ways to use innovative technology to reduce our carbon footprint," said Olivier Le Tynevez-Dobel, Supervisor, Turf and Sports Fields. "The autonomous mower navigates areas of any complexity - even ones with slopes and obstacles. It is the future of turf operations."

The mowers can operate 24/7 in a variety of weather conditions. Compared to a conventional lawn mower, the autonomous mower is relatively light, weighing between 15 to 30 pounds. The mowers are rechargeable and will last from four to six hours depending on the density of the grass. Mowers are designed to return to their designated charging stations if they're running low on power.

The mowers are able to detect objects from a distance and will lower their speed to avoid collisions. This makes them safe for kids, pets, and wildlife to be around. Since the mowers run on batteries, they don't produce any emissions or consume a large amount of energy. They even leave the tiny grass clippings behind, which act as a natural fertilizer.

Visit edmonton.ca Parkland Maintenance
Visit edmonton.ca/GoBagless

   

Myth or Fact: Going Bagless Makes Thatch

MYTH!

Going bagless will not make more thatch. On the contrary, grass clippings are great for your lawn!

Thatch is mostly old roots, stems, and leaves that have not yet broken down. It's a layer of accumulated dead stuff between your living grass, and their roots and soil. This build-up is typically made of the types of debris that are most resistant to decay, such as dead leaves, grass roots, and stems.

Grass needs some thatch for protection. But when the thatch layer is too thick, it can be a boundary that blocks nutrients, water, and air from reaching the root system. This leads to poor grass health.

Won't the Grassclippings Add More Thatch?

It's easy to see why so many people believe this myth. But it's just not true.
Grass clippings are 80 to 85% water. So they break down quickly and do not add to thatch.

Lawn care experts agree that going bagless is a great way to support lush and healthy grass.

The primary causes of thatch are over-watering and over-fertilizing. These encourage excessive root growth. The roots take longer to break down, so the thatch layer builds up.

Going bagless is great for your lawn. Grass clippings create a small layer of mulch to protect the soil and grass roots. As clippings break down, they return water and valuable nutrients back to the soil.

Make sure to leave your clippings on the lawn!

Visit edmonton.ca/compost

Get the Keep Composting newsletter

(Get compost info straight to your inbox, just 4 newsletters/season.)

Go to Compost 'S cool

Image source: Blackhawk Hardware

   

City Launches New Change for Climate Initiative for Edmontonians

The City of Edmonton has launched Change for Climate, a new initiative to encourage citizens to take action on climate change.

The initiative is anchored around a new blog called ChangeForClimate.ca where residents are provided a spectrum of 30 actions to help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The actions cover a wide range of impact levels, from hanging clothes instead of using a dryer to installing a solar panel system on a roof.

“Edmonton has emerged as a sustainability-focused city, and our citizens care about sustainability,” says Councillor Michael Walters. “Change for Climate will serve as a tool where citizens can learn and practice ways to reduce their carbon footprint. They will be provided with a real opportunity to act on climate change.”

The Change for Climate initiative is a major component of the City’s goal of creating a 35% reduction in the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 (below 2005 levels). The blog will provide Edmontonians with the opportunity to share their Change for Climate stories, highlighting why and how they are taking action. It also encourages citizens to select actions from the spectrum, participate on related City programs and share their commitments on social media.

Edmonton is part of global social, economic and environmental systems that support our quality of life. These systems are being disrupted by climate change. We have an opportunity to act now and act locally to protect our quality of life, our health and our economy. Our actions in our community have local and global impacts.

Edmontonians will have many opportunities to engage and participate in the new Change for Climate initiative. Over the next six months, various community events will take place starting with Change for Climate Talks on Dec.7, an evening in which 12 speakers will bring fast paced and inspiring presentations on what we can do to act on climate change. More events are planned in the New Year leading up to the 2018 Cities and Climate Change Science Conference March 5-7.

Visit ChangeForClimate.ca

Tell One Friend: Go Bagless this Summer!

Image provided by the City of Edmonton

Tell One Friend: Go Bagless this summer!

In the summer months, over half the waste collected in Edmonton is grass clippings. Going bagless and leaving the clippings on the lawn is the number one way to reduce waste this time of year. It's easy, good for your lawn and great for the environment!

Encourage friends and neighbours to request a “Go Bagless” lawn sign. They will be entered into a draw to win a free checkup and tuneup for their lawnmower at the Lawnmower Hospital.

Learn more at edmonton.ca/gobagless.

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Use these ideas to remind your friends, family and co-workers:

Change habits
“Going bagless is easy, it’s good for your lawn and less work for you.”

Prompt them
"You don't need to buy a special mower to go bagless. You can take the bag off your current mower and raise the cutting blade."

One small ask
"Will you try going bagless this summer?"

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Going bagless is easy. Here’s how to get started.

• Mow high so that no more than ⅓ of the grass blade is removed.
• Mow often. Mow every 4-5 days during heavy growth season, and once a week when growth is slower.
• Mow when the grass is dry to prevent clumping.
• Make sure your mower blade is sharp.
• If grass clippings end up on your sidewalk, just sweep them back onto your lawn.

Visit edmonton.ca/reusecentre for more about the Reuse Centre.
Next Tell One Friend: Visit Compost 'S Cool Previous Tell One Friend: Use Your Compost!

     

Don't Feed the Grass Monster

During the grass growing season (May - August), weekly residential waste can be monstrous, even double the volume collected during the winter. To avoid feeding the Grass Monster, the City is asking residents to go bagless this summer, and leave grass clippings on the lawn.

An average household that bags their clippings sets out 40 to 50 bags of grass each year. Roughly 30,000 tonnes of grass are collected annually, which is equivalent to the weight of 2,382 City buses.

Going bagless has many benefits:

• It’s good for your lawn: the grass clippings protect the soil by keeping moisture in the ground. Also, the clippings break down quickly, naturally fertilizing the lawn with nutrients after each mowing.
• It’s good for you: no bagging and dragging of grass is required, and it reduces the need to water and fertilize your lawn.
• It’s good for the environment: in the summer months, up to half of the waste collected by the City is grass. Going bagless is the easiest, most effective way to reduce waste. 

More than half of Edmonton households already practice going bagless -- join them! By signing up for a Go Bagless lawn sign, you’ll have a chance to win a checkup and tuneup for your mower from the Lawnmower Hospital.

For more information visit edmonton.ca/GoBagless.

Are You Satisfied with the City's Waste Services?

Results of Fall 2016 Survey

If so, you’re in good company! Every year the City conducts a survey to determine how satisfied residents are with their waste services and how much they participate in waste programs. We do this to measure key performance indicators, such as recycling participation and the level of satisfaction with specific services. We use this information to identity areas for improvement, to figure out where our advertising dollars need to go to raise awareness for our services and facilities, and to continue to help residents properly sort their waste.

This year’s fall survey showed strong results in both the customer experience and participation in sustainable waste activities. Edmontonians really do care about their environment and the impacts their waste can have, and we love hearing from you!

Overall, residents are pleased with the services we provide! Of the residents surveyed, 93 percent of single family homeowners said they were satisfied with their garbage and recycling collection. This statistic is marginally higher than last year’s results. Families living in apartments and condominiums remained steady at 86 per cent satisfaction. Edmontonians continue to show their dedication to diverting waste from landfill with participation in the City’s voluntary blue bag recycling remaining high at 91 per cent.

Eco Stations play an important role in the proper handling of household hazardous waste. The number of residents who took items to an Eco Station (in the last year) also remains consistent at 63 per cent; however, the number of visits per resident is up this year by 0.6 per cent. Of the residents who have visited an Eco Station in the last 12 months, 93 per cent reported being satisfied with their experience.

What’s better than reusing waste or recycling? Reducing! That’s why we’re excited about the increase to 66 per cent for awareness of the Reuse Centre, up from 49 per cent in 2012. In addition to being a drop-off facility, the Reuse Centre provides unique items for organizations and individuals to pick up. For just $5, people can take up to 5 kg of product! The Reuse Centre also offers ongoing programs such as crafting workshops, and offers space rental at affordable prices for meetings and children’s birthday parties, so be sure to check it out!

Another proud achievement for Edmonton is the increase in the City’s grasscycling program – Go Bagless. Of Edmontonians who have a lawn to mow, 63 per cent reported leaving their grass clippings on the lawn all or most of the time in 2016, which increased from 58 per cent in 2015. This program, which has been running for several years, is an excellent example of social marketing and the positive impacts it can have for our city and its environment.

We’d like to thank everyone who participated! Survey engagement was high this year with 801 Edmontonians participating in online interviews. The survey targeted Edmonton residents 18 years or older, who are the primary decision makers of their household, between October 6 and 20, 2016.

“These survey results show that there’s a lot of community support for waste programs and that residents continue to be active participants in waste reduction, reuse and recycling, fully supporting our goal to divert waste from landfill,” says Connie Boyce, Director of Community Relations with Utility Services. “These results help us measure the impact of our programs and prioritize our efforts to continue improving customer service.”

For more information on programs and services, visit edmonton.ca/waste. Lastly, a big thank you to all Edmontonians who reduce, reuse, recycle and/or simply take the time to set out their waste correctly — your efforts make this city safer and cleaner!

Go Bagless to Win!

The prize? A mulching mower or a $750 City Attractions and Recreation card. The City of Edmonton is encouraging residents to Go Bagless this summer - that is leave their clippings on their lawn and win. Going bagless has many benefits: It’s good for your lawn: the grass clippings protect the soil by keeping moisture in the ground. Also, as the clippings break down quickly, they naturally fertilize the lawn with nutrients after each mowing. It’s good for you: no bagging and dragging of grass is required, and it reduces the need to water and fertilize your lawn. It’s good for the environment: in the summer months, up to half of the waste collected by the City is grass. Going bagless is the easiest, most effective way to reduce waste. Half of Edmonton households already practice Going Bagless?try joining them! And by signing up for a lawn sign, you’ll have a chance to win great prizes, a mulching mower or a $750 City Attractions and Recreation card. For more information or to sign up for a Go Bagless lawn sign, visit edmonton.ca/GoBagless.

We "Go Bagless". Do you? by MCR Rifat S.

Who doesn’t know the importance of grasscycling in summer?
As an advocate of grasscycling, I have been talking about it to my friends, especially those who have a house with a lawn, and it’s great to see some of them have started going bagless! I feel very happy about that! I do not have a lawn of my own, so in my mind I wished to show my support in any way possible. And it is well said that where there is a will, there is a way! Who knew my wish would come true?

I live in an apartment in an old neighbourhood near Whyte Avenue, which is home to about 50 families. There was no blue bin before for this complex, and we recently got one! Within a few days, I saw that many of the neighbours were not aware of recycling in a proper way. They were putting all the wrong things in the recycling bin, and leaving big items beside it, and the resident manager was so worried about that. One of my goals is to teach my friends and neighbours about “What Goes Where”, and so I approached the manager to see if I could help her by providing information to all the neighbours. She was more than happy! She saw the offer as a favour, and that actually helped achieve the next step!

I approached her next about grasscycling, and showing support with a ‘Go Bagless’ lawn sign. She was interested, but explained the fact that it might be difficult to convince the property management office and the shareholders involved with the apartment. But sometimes I can be super devilish...of course for something good! I kept knocking on her door, chitchatting with her so she was thinking about the issue, and giving her information to pass along. I did not want to lose the chance to make it happen!

…And yes, we succeeded! Now not only me, but also another 50 families with about 100 people from this apartment can say we “Go Bagless’! Do you?

Can you see the treasure on our lawn?

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I have my greatest passion to contribute to building sustainable communities. Being an MCR-in-training, I am happy that I can do something for the community. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see my friends and neighbours are following waste-reduction tips in their life that I pass on to them!

Let it all hang out and "Go Bagless" by MCR Awa D.

Awa D. is a new MCR, who is chronicling her waste journey online. She's been sharing her knowledge and thoughts on everything from how she came to the MCR program, to the age old debate of Reuse vs. Recycle.

Check out this excerpt from a recent post about the City of Edmonton's Grassycling Campaign, or visit Awa's blog, From Within to the World for the full article.

Read the rest at From Within to the World.

Concerned about summer weight? Your collector is!

Growing season is at its peak and as a result the City’s waste collectors are dealing with high volumes of yard waste in addition to the usual household garbage. On a typical summer day, a collector picks up an average of 3000 bags of garbage from more than 700 homes. That’s about 22,000 kgs of garbage – the equivalent of lifting about 27 smart cars a day! Grass clippings are the biggest contributor to waste volumes this time of year. Residents are encouraged to Go Bagless and leave the grass clippings on the lawn while mowing. It helps reduce waste, promotes healthy lawns, and reduces the number of heavy bags lifted by collectors. For the safety of collectors, the City is reminding residents to please keep each garbage can or bag under 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Brush and tree trimmings should also be below this weight limit, bundled, securely tied, and no longer than 1.2 m (four feet). For more information about waste collection please visit edmonton.ca/wastecollection.

Go Bagless: The No. 1 Way to Reduce Your Waste

The City of Edmonton is asking residents to Go Bagless this summer and leave the grass clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them for collection. Grass clippings account for almost half the waste collected during the summer months.

“Edmonton is making progress on its goal of keeping 90% of household waste out of landfills,” says Mayor Don Iveson. “This goal will be achieved if we all make an effort to reduce the amount of waste that needs to be picked up.”

An average household that bags their clippings sets out 40 to 50 bags each year. About 40,000 tonnes of grass are collected annually in Edmonton. This is equivalent to the weight of 3,077 City buses.

“I grasscycle at home because it is good for the environment and for my lawn, and it reduces the amount of waste we set out for collection,” said Mayor Iveson.

Grass clippings quickly decompose and naturally fertilize the lawn, meaning less chemical fertilizer is needed. It also reduces the need for watering and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn about other ways to reduce household waste and help Edmonton reach its goal visit 90WaysTo90.com. Residents are also invited to submit short videos of how they reduce their waste for a chance to win one of three mini iPads.

For more information, please visit 90WaysTo90.com.

Stop to Chat with Ella

Ella is doing a fabulous job as our Summer Compost Educator. Folks can learn to compost by visiting the Compost Education Centre (JJNC) on Saturdays and Sundays. She will also be there on Fridays and Mondays. We asked her some questions to see what makes her tick:

What are you the most proud of from your work this summer?

Before I talk about what I’m proud of in this job, I would just like to say that I’m incredibly honoured to be working for the City of Edmonton. My colleagues in Waste Management Services are very dynamic and forward-thinking, and have not ceased to stretch and challenge me in new ways.
In terms of visible accomplishments, I am most proud of maintaining the garden and floral displays at the John Janzen Nature Centre - I can watch how plants grow with the help of compost, daily!

What kind of questions do you get from people who visit the site?

I get a lot of crazy questions at the Compost Education Centre, but some of the most common ones are:

• How long does it take to compost something? This one is a bit tricky because people want a simple answer. However, as any experienced composter knows, it’s never the same! I usually tell people that it can take anywhere between three months and five years; it’s up to them how long it takes.
• What is the best kind of compost bin to get? When I get this question, I begin my answer by asking some questions of my own about the amount of waste the visitor wants to compost, how much time they have to turn the compost, and whether they want it done quickly. All of these factors allow me to make a recommendation.
• How do I get started? That one’s easy, because the answer is always the same: greens, browns, water, air!

When you visit the site, let us know if you do any maintenance work
in this log book. That way we can properly thank you for your time!

Check out this map to learn what Ella has planted around the site.

What’s your favourite story from your work with Mark?

It’s hard to settle for one specific Mark story (there are just so many), but there is one ongoing saga that comes up the most often: Mark’s love affair with lattes. Of course I enjoy lattes as well, so Mark and I will often get one while out running errands. Recently, things have progressed so far that Mark and I will try to interpret the colour patterns in the milk foam. Although it’s not quite like reading tea leaves, it comes close to it in artfulness and imagination.

Ella has lots of examples of worm composting to show visitors.
She also encourages picnickers to compost their food scraps. 

How many people have you spoken to at the Compost Education Centre?

According to our stats, I've spoken to over 450 people, so far, this summer.

Ella is very comfortable helping residents find
a way to compost that fits their lifestyle. 

Do you have any tricks to engage people walking by the site?

The key to engaging any guest is offering them something, be it an activity, a demonstration, or just some attention. The most effective way of bringing families in is to play a game with the kids or to offer an encounter with our Red Wigglers. Adults without children can be more difficult to engage, but if they have any interest in composting, it usually works to be friendly and approach them. I offer to answer questions and encourage them to interact with the compost bins we have on site.

Thank you to Ella for sharing your experience with us. Remember to stop by, and say hello to her this summer! As you can see, Ella is happy to answer questions.

Edmonton "Leaves It On The Lawn"

Myles shared his passion with a presentation at Pecha Kucha Night 16.
(He starts 12 minutes into the video)

 


Notice the crowd cheer as Myles points out that bagging grass is an outdated behaviour, originating when the first lawn mower was designed with a bag to catch clippings. Times have changed and now people understand that grassclippings are great for lawn health. Over half of Edmonton leaves our clippings on the lawn!


Start a conversation about grasscycling with your friends, they can enter a draw to win a mulching mower at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com

You may notice our summer street crew in
your neighbourhood, we'll tell you
about their role sometime soon.

You can ask for a lawn sign at LeaveItOnYourLawn.com

Welcome May Flowers!

from the Edmonton Naturalization Group's Newsletter
Lawn care time is upon us, but before you reach for your weed hound or industrial vinegar, consider celebrating your dandelions and leaving a few as an early food source for bees.

In fact, providing honeybees with an important food source doesn’t require any effort at all, just don’t mow down your dandelions. As a non-native plant, dandelions are a weed by almost every definition, but honeybees are not native to this continent, either. Dandelions bloom early in the spring, when there are few other flowers. They are a vital source of both nectar and pollen at that time of year, when the bees’ food stores are at their lowest.

A healthier environment for this important and welcome non-native species includes plenty of dandelions.

Dandelion Blossom Tea
Since there are more than enough dandelions for everyone this year, here is my method of preventing some of them from going to seed.
Pick 5 or 6 dandelion blossoms (no stems), check for ants etc. and place them in a mug. Pour boiling water on them and let then steep for 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste and drink. This is a very mild tea, green tasting but not bitter. Dandelion tea is a great liver tonic.
I usually pick a year's supply and dry them on a screen. Once the blossoms have dried they can be stored in glass jars.

Brokeback Compost

This article on compost application on ranch land brings together some pure Alberta issues - cattle, carbon sequestration, and some mighty fine scenery.
It also demonstrates that compost land application has long term benefits.

This is the perfect time to add compost to your garden and fill up those cracks in the soil - the carbon will penetrate deeply into the clay and improve next year's tilth.

Before you core aerate your lawn, fill up those cracks by topdressing with Second Nature - it will keep the moisture in the soil and make the aerating easier (water a couple days before renting the aerator for best results). Your soil will be ready for over-seeding later this month.

The compost will also ensure a cozy rest over the coming (sorry) colder months.

Tips from today's Edmonton Journal

Two things I learned in today's Gardening section:

Steven Biggs says "buying new soil every time it gets hard is like buying a new car every time yours runs out of gas." A brilliant analogy I will use often. Compost, after all, is the fuel that drive plant growth. With Second Nature available at $6 per 30 litre bag, the price at the pump is just 50 cents per litre!

Thomas Christopher gives this wonderful tip about reducing your lawn's carbon footprint: "Once you start mowing do not back up or make turns so tight they require slowing down. Let your mower decide the shape of your lawn and when you are done mowing remove the areas that were not cut." Elimiating little corners and areas we need to go over again and again, either with the mower or whipper, greatly reduces our energy consumption.

U-Load Wood Chip Mulch available at OMCN

Old Man Creek Nursery (OMCN) is a small tree nursery where the City Parks Branch grows trees and shrubs for planting in parks and green spaces. They have a pile of shredded wood which they make available to residents at no charge. The material is coarse, but certainly attractive enough for the back yard or the far corners of the front. And did I say FREE?!!

Next time you see your neighbour bagging their grass clippings, run over and tell them about this secret stash. Tell them how easy it is to get rid of weedy lawn under a layer or organic waste and wood chips, and then plant a few attractive shrubs instead. Point to your own yard and boast about how little work it takes and how good it looks!

The Details:

Location: 2km north of Hwy 16 on RR231 (3.5km past the Meridian Street (EWMC) overpass, towards Greenland Garden Centre); GPS 53.59,-113.27 see photo.

Open: Workdays, 7am - 2pm 

Conditions:

Phone ahead, 780 467 4222 to ensure availability and accessibility.  It can be muddy in any weather.

Check in at office (to your left) upon arrival to ensure safety.

NOTE: You must load by hand - this is not for contractors.

Mulch is great for the soil, reuses waste, and reduces yard maintenance. Kids will love hunting bugs in its fragrant, living biomass. It also makes you yard look great!

Keep your lawn greener with less work

Welcome August - the hottest month of the year.

August heat can take a toll on your lawn. Here are some things to do that will keep you turf tuff:

Mow High! Keep those roots shaded.

Mow Often! Encourage thicker growth.

Topdress! A cm or two of compost keeps soil cool and reduces browning.

Water! Deeply, weekly to encourage healthy roots.

Reduce Thatch! If your lawn feels spongy underfoot, your thatch layer may be too deep. Grass needs a cm or two of thatch for good health; if you have more then topdress with compost and water lightly every day for a week. The microorganisms in the compost will turn some of that thatch to soil. Warm days speed this process.

Grasscycle! Those clippings provide moisture, protection, and nutrients that will help your lawn recover quickly.

Reduce your Lawn Area! Build a Lasagne Bed now and you will have less mowing and more vegetables next year.

Stay Cool! Hammock, beverage, and shade reccommended.