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Lakeside lawns and gardens require special attention

May 10, 2007 - On the plus side, lawns are beautiful to look at and walk across, and they set off a home magnificently. A healthy, well maintained lawns says good things about its owners.

On the negative side, lawns require maintenance, feeding, and watering.

Depending on how close to a water body a lawn is located, these attractive green swaths can take on a more ominous, even sinister, aspect.

The trouble begins when a lush lakeside lawn is deluged with a summer downpour, or with several days of heavy rain.

If the lawn has been constructed properly, maintained without too much fertilizer, and lakeside buffers left in tact, problem runoff may be minimal.

All too often, however, runoff from lakefront properties endanger nearby lakes and water bodies.

Maine's soil has naturally high levels of phosphorus, and so many of the state's water bodies are already high in phosphorus. Luckily the water is unusually cold and deep so phosphorus isn't a problem.

As our lake shores become more developed, rain that would have been absorbed by fields and forests now runs off from gardens, lawns, driveways, patios and roofs, into the lake.

Ever tightening Shoreland zoning ordinances, usually handed down from the state, are helping to protect our fragile water bodies and the myriad of life they support.

Algae blooms, caused by too much phosphorus concentrated in a small area, are bad for lakes because they use up all the available oxygen in the water.

Fish, clams, good algae, and aquatic plants all need oxygen to survive.

Homeowners with waterfront property must take all necessary precautions not to pollute the nearby water in any way.

Here are a few tips lakeside homeowners might not have thought of:

Apply only the nutrients your plants need, dictated by having a soils test done.

Hand pull noxious weeds, don't spray them with herbicide.

When you mow, raise the mower blades to allow 3 inches of grass.

Spot treat any pest problems, don't spray the whole lawn with a pesticide.

Aerating your lawn will help the roots absorb more water and stay healthier.

Use hardy native groundcovers and plants throughout the property.

Plant a rain garden in a strategic place.

Keep your septic system healthy and underutilized.

Resources available to Lakeside dwellers:

Call one of the landscapers listed in our Garden Scene directory ask them what they know about designing sustainable landscapes. Maybe get a second opinion.

Maine Pest and Turf, a licensed local firm, customizes an integrated pest management system to a particular homeowners needs.

Consult Maine's own comprehensive website on lawn care: www.yardscaping.org

The Portland Water District depends on watershed owners doing their part to keep Portland's drinking water safe so naturally their website is helpful: www.pwd.org/home.php

Homeowner vigilance must be continual. Remember, the lake to save may be your own.


This article appeared in its original form in the Bridgton News, May 10, 2007

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