Of all the home maintenance operations, lawn care takes the lions share of resources. The average home owner spends more on lawn care than any other aspect of managing property.

Add up the cost of weekly mowing, fertilization, irrigation, and pest control, and a half acre lawn can cost as much or more to maintain is a mortgage payment.

Traditional lawns have a big carbon footprint

If you pride yourself on being green, and having a green lawn, there may be a few contradictions at work. There can be issues with fertility runoff, chemical usage, water usage, and excessive fuel use for equipment, and the manufacture of the products used to keep a lawn green. Even the “organic” pest control products available from manufacturers have a large carbon footprint, because they have to be gathered, processed, stored, packaged, shipped, and so do the packaging and labeling products used.

Lawn alternatives

There are ways to avoid this conundrum, save money, and have a beautiful landscape without sacrificing the environment, or your time and money. It can even be done without starting a massive landscape project, gradually, over a long period of time, and won’t look awkward and strange while it is being done. What we are talking about is a native habitat, or backyard habitat. Native habitats are an excellent and inexpensive way to modify your lawn, and save money in the long run.

How to start a native habitat

Start by adding a few native trees and shrubs around the parameter of your property. I say “native” because native plants will withstand the rigors of their native environment better than the exotic species more commonly used in landscaping projects. Native plants are already acclimated to your region, are naturally resistant to the pests in your area, and have evolved to adjust to your soil type. As a side benefit, native plants will attract native wildlife, particularly birds, which will then lower your pest population.

Find ground covers native to your area, and add them where appropriate to help prevent erosion. You can also add some landscape stone paths if you like.

Continue to add trees, shrubs, and ground covers including native grasses until you have no lawn, or very little lawn left to mow.

Native habitats:

• Are less costly
• Are less time consuming
• Use less pesticides
• Use less fertilizer
• Require less maintenance
• Provide built in pest control
• Have a smaller carbon footprint
• Are wildlife friendly

To plant trees there are some tools and materials you need. The tree planting tools and materials you will need are a shovel , or something else to dig with, some soil amendments, mulching materials, something to “water the tree in”.

If you have a very large tree to plant, you might want to consider some nylon tie down straps, and some means of moving the tree like a dolly. If you live in a windy area, it might be a good idea to stake the tree to keep it from leaning. This will require stakes long enough and sturdy enough to be driven into the ground, and rope, wire, or cable for tying off. If you choose wire or cable, find something like a section of disused water hose to to protect the tree from the wire or cable. You can cut it to the proper length, and slide it over the tie. Another option is pipe insulation.

You might add to this list , root stimulator. Root stimulator is a fertilizer and nutrient mix that sometimes contains indole butyric acid, a rooting hormone that increases root production. Both those mixes that contain IBA, and those that don’t, seem to offer some help in establishing newly planted trees, and in our experience, they are worth the money spent. Various studies have shown mixed results, so it is up to you.

Assemble all the tools and materials you need, including the trees, as near as possible to the marked planting site. For details on choosing the right sit see: Planting Trees Tree Planting Information Preparation

For details on planting the trees, see: Tree Planting | Planting Trees