Making Your Lawn ‘Falmouth Friendly’ Will Help Save Our Coastal Ponds by Greg Peterson

By now, you have probably dusted off your lawn mower. This season, as you begin your lawn maintenance, bear in mind that there are several simple, steps that you can do to help save East Falmouth’s ponds.

The health of Great, Green, and Bournes ponds has deteriorated steadily over the past twenty-five years, and lawn fertilizers have played a role in that decline.

Fertilizers work because they contain nitrogen, a nutrient that helps grass grow. The problem comes when heavy concentrations of nitrogen intended for the grass leaches through the lawns, to the groundwater, and into the ponds. Excess nitrogen stimulates the growth of algae in the water, which in turn shades out native vegetation, destroys fish habitat, and occasionally drives oxygen out of the water column, suffocating the animals (fish and shellfish) living there.

Fertilizers account for more than 15% of the total nitrogen entering the ponds.

This is not as big a problem as septic waste, which contributes more than 50%. However, fertilizer loading is unique because it is something that every homeowner has the power to help reduce. As for septic waste, the town is currently reviewing ways to treat wastewater to reduce its nitrogen load.

Obviously, the win-win situation is to maintain your lawn so that it absorbs nitrogen as efficiently as possible. This will limit the amount of fertilizer you need to use, while keeping your lawn healthy, and it will reduce the amount of nitrogen leaching out into the ponds. Many well-maintained lawns do not need any fertilizer at all. These lawns store and recycle nutrients so well that the little bit of nutrients that come in naturally from rain and the air are more than enough to keep the grass healthy. These seven steps will put you well on your way to a ‘Falmouth Friendly’ lawn:

1. Plant fine-leafed fescues or a fescue/perennial rye mix. Fescues are a great grass to grow

on the Cape because they are low maintenance. They tolerate shade, but will grow in the sun, are drought resistant, and require less fertilizer than other grasses. Fescues require one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet/year, while many other grasses, such as Kentucky Blue Grass, requires two. Planting fescues will mean you have to use less total fertilizer, which is less of a hassle for you, and also puts less strain on the ponds. Fescues are often sold in mixes with other perennial grasses; these will also do.

2. Maintain 6” of soil. When it comes to soil, the deeper the better. Deep soil layers hold moisture well, and encourage grasses to grow deep roots. In turn, grasses can absorb more of the nitrogen (and other nutrients) applied to the soil.

When you are planting a new lawn, begin on the right foot by making sure that it has at least 6” of topsoil. Existing lawns that do not have a thick soil layer should be top-dressed each year with 1-2” of a loam/compost mix every spring until you get that 6” for your grass. When you are overseeding your lawn, first apply the topdressing of loam/compost, then overseed.

3. Mow at 3” and leave clippings on the lawn. Grass that is too short does not have the surface area it needs to capture sunlight and photosynthesize effectively. Letting your grass grow 3” blades will keep the photosynthetic machinery rolling, and allow the grass to develop deep roots that absorb nitrogen and other essential nutrients.

Lawn clippings are a natural and convenient form of organic fertilizer and should be left on the lawn for the grass to enjoy. A common myth is that lawn clippings contribute to the build-up of thatch. The truth is quite the opposite: grass clippings stimulate earthworm activity that breaks down thatch.

4. Water infrequently. The cool season grasses typically grown on the Cape do not need much water; watering excessively can actually hurt the grass by encouraging it grow shallow roots. Watering infrequently -- only when the grass shows signs that it really needs it -- encourages grass to grow deep roots. Deep roots in turn make the grass hardy and able to withstand dry spells.

Many deep-rooted lawns do not need to be watered at all. However, if your lawn begins to turn brown during its normal growing season (spring and fall), then it is time to water. Make sure to water deeply; a good rule of thumb is 1” per week, all at one time. One big watering a week, rather than many smaller watering sessions spread throughout the week, means that you will lose less water to evaporation. It also encourages your grass to grow deep roots, since the grass must reach down deep into the soil to get to all the available moisture.

An easy way to make sure that your lawn gets 1” of water a week is to leave an empty tuna can out in your lawn. Tuna cans are 1” thick, so when the can is filled with water, you know your lawn has had its share for the week. If it rains in the beginning of the week, and your can is half full when it comes time to water, make sure you only add enough water to top off the can; do not add a whole other inch of water.

5. Have an annual soil test done to determine the pH of your soil. If you follow suggestions 1-4, you may find that your lawn is completely healthy and does not need any fertilizer. However, if your lawns does need fertilizer, the first thing to do is to check the pH of your soil. Soil pH – that is, the amount of hydrogen ions in the soil – will determine how effectively your grass can use fertilizer applied to the lawn. Grasses grow most efficiently in soils between 6.5 and 6.8 pH. You can test the pH of your soil by taking samples from 3-4 different locations in your lawn, mixing them together, and taking them to the Extension Office in Barnstable. The Master Gardeners will do the soil test there, and tell you how to correct the pH of your soil, if needed.

6. When you do fertilize, fertilize in spring (April, early May) and early fall

(September). Cool seasons grasses, like the fescues commonly found on the Cape, go semi-dormant in the heat of the summer so you do not want to fertilize then. You will only be fertilizing the weeds, and the fertilizer that escapes the weeds will end up in the ponds.

Also, make sure that you only use as much fertilizer as you need. Most fertilizers come in bags that cover 5,000 square feet. If you only have 4,000 square foot lawn, do not use the whole bag. A simple way to measure the area of your lawn is to pace off the sides of your lawn, and know that one pace is about three feet. For example, if your lawn is a rectangle roughly 15 paces by 30 paces, your total lawn area is 4050 square feet. Finally, as much as you may appreciate your driveway and sidewalks, they do not need to be fertilized. This is a case where more is definitely not better.

Use organic fertilizers. Most fertilizers contain nitrogen in its simple, inorganic form,

which is easy for grass to take up from the soil. This is great when the fertilizer is first applied; the grasses get inundated with food. But just as you cannot eat fifty pizzas in one sitting, the grass cannot absorb all that nitrogen at once. Most of the nitrogen leaches down into the groundwater, eventually making its way out into the ponds.

Organic fertilizers, in contrast, release nitrogen slowly, over many days, allowing the grasses to absorb much more of the total nitrogen in the fertilizer. Most local garden centers are now selling organic fertilizers. The fertilizers come under many names, such as methylene urea, ureaformaldehyde, sulfur coated urea, and IBDU. In general, if the fertilizer has 50-66% water insoluble nitrogen (WIN), you are all set.

With these suggestions, you will be armed with the tools you need to develop a ‘Falmouth Friendly’ lawn – one that not only looks good, but also helps preserve, and possibly restore, the health of our ponds.

Future of Ponds Brightens As Organic Fertilizers Become Popular by Greg Peterson

When you walk into Mahoney’s Garden Store in East Falmouth, you see two large sections of lawn care supplies that seem to be battling it out for your attention. On one side are the traditional synthetic fertilizers and insecticides, and on the other are the organic fertilizers and insecticides. In recent years, more and more people have been shifting to the organic option.

This shift is promising for the health of Great, Green, and Bournes Ponds in particular, but also for every one of Falmouth’s coastal ponds and harbors.

Water quality in these ponds has deteriorated steadily over the past twenty-five years, and lawn fertilizers have played a role in the decline. Fertilizers work because they contain nitrogen, a nutrient that grass needs to grow. However, much of the nitrogen in fertilizers never makes it into the plants; rather, the nitrogen leaches down into the groundwater and eventually out into the coastal ponds. Once in the ponds, the excess nitrogen stimulates the growth of algae, which in turn shades out native vegetation, destroys fish habitat, and occasionally drives oxygen out of the water, suffocating the animals (fish and shellfish) that live there.

Synthetic chemical fertilizers pose much more of a leaching problem than organic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers contain nitrogen in its most simple, inorganic forms. The nitrogen dissolves in water and is easy for grasses to take up from the soil. This may seem great when the fertilizer is first applied: the grasses get inundated with food. But just as you cannot eat fifty pizzas in one sitting, the grass cannot absorb all that nitrogen at once. Most of the nitrogen leaches out in the groundwater.

In contrast, organic fertilizers release nitrogen slowly, over many days, allowing the grasses to absorb much more of the total nitrogen in the fertilizer. Only a small fraction of the nitrogen makes it out into the ponds.

The central difference between organic and inorganic fertilizers is that organic fertilizers contain a higher percentage of water insoluble nitrogen (WIN). While synthetic fertilizer contain very little WIN, WIN ranges from 30-95% for organic fertilizers. Water insolubility ensures that the nitrogen in the fertilizers will not simply dissolve into water with the first rain and rush down into the groundwater. Some organic fertilizers are better than others: those with 90-95% WIN are the best.

Fertilizers are the second largest source of nitrogen to the ponds, dumping more than 18,000 pounds of nitrogen a year into the three East Falmouth ponds from lawns in their watersheds. This accounts for more than 15% of the total nitrogen loading to the ponds. So if the recent trend toward organic gardening continues, the effect on the ponds could be quite significant.

At Mahoney’s, the shift towards organic fertilizers has been remarkable. Just a few years ago, sales of organic fertilizers and insecticides made up only a small fraction of total fertilizer and insecticides sales. Last year, they reached 15%. This year, they are up to 40-50%. In fact, the demand for organic products is so high that suppliers can barely deliver enough to keep the shelves stocked.

James Redding, a sales manager at Mahoney’s, believes that one of the reasons that organic fertilizers have become so popular is that local citizens groups have actively promoted them. In Falmouth, The League of Women Voters, The Garden Club, FACES (Falmouth Associations Concerned with Estuaries and Saltpond) and the Ashumet Plume Citizens Committee have conducted workshops to let people know about lawn care practices that reduce nitrogen run-off to the ponds. A central theme in these workshops is that the best option is not to use any fertilizers at all; just take advantage of nitrogen from rainfall and grass clippings left on lawns to feed them. But, if that seems too radical a first step, then spring and fall applications of organics is the way to go. A FACES poster advocating organic fertilizers greets customers as they come into Mahoney’s gardening section.

Several other factors have also spurred the shift towards organics, according to Mr. Redding. First, the number of organic products available to customers has exploded over the past couple of years. There is ground seaweed to feed your grass, corn gluten to prevent weeds from emerging, and the list goes on. Families are also turning to organic alternatives in order to keep their lawns safe for their children.

Finally, more and more people see the real benefits of organic fertilizers to the lawns themselves. Organic fertilizers provide a much fuller suite of nutrients than the synthetic ones, and they release those nutrients slowly as the plants need them. The result is a fuller and hardier lawn, more resistant to insect and fungal attacks. Of course, many people who keep home compost or manure piles for their lawns have known these benefits for a long time.

But organic fever has not caught on everywhere. At the Cataumet Garden Center, sales of organic fertilizers have increased over the past several years, but those increases have been fairly small. Seth Andrews, manager of the Center’s nursery, says that their customers are now, more than ever, “exploring options of responsible lawn care”, which includes organic gardening. But people are, for the most part, sticking to the synthetic options.

Synthetic fertilizers have two things going for them: they are cheap, and they work quickly. They cost 3-5 times less than the organic alternative. And, because they contain nitrogen in a form that is easy for plants to take up from the soil, results are immediate. Fertilize one day, the grass is greener the next.

In the long-run, Seth believes, the slow releasing organic fertilizers are better for the lawn. But the lure of a quick fix often tempts people. He says the “biggest hurdle” for getting customers to switch to organic gardening” has been “people’s need for fast results, versus long-term benefit.”

Professional lawn care companies typically are among the most eager for “fast results”, according to Seth. Most customers want their lawn care company to give them green lawns, the quicker the better. For a lawn care service provider, the easiest way to do this is to buy a large stock of synthetic fertilizer, throw it into the back of a truck or into spray packs, and go to it. Not until customers insist on organic lawn services, both with their voices and their pocketbooks, will this sector of lawn care join in with the recent trend towards organic practices.

While organic gardening certainly has not caught on everywhere, it has gained momentum. You can help accelerate that momentum by curbing your own use of nitrogen chemicals and by urging more of your neighbors to give organics a try. Those are simple steps every homeowner can take to start reversing the nitrogen pollution that’s ruining Falmouth’s coastal ponds.