Eco Eco Ecology

Estara, and spring is in the air. After a mild winter in the Northeast, leaving one to wonder about normal weather fluctuations or Global Warming, days grow warmer, crocuses bloom, and birds return from lands south. For those of us who have yards, it is a time to consider, either with dread or joy, what to do about them this year. (A future article will be geared towards the environmental urban Pagan.)

First off, there's the lawn. The quintessential suburban monoculture. A strain or three of grasses, fertilized to the hilt; a war between herbicides and weeds. The definition of a weed, of course, being anything we don't want right in that spot, there. Indeed, back in the `50's, while Joe McCarthy was deciding he didn't want any Reds in America, lawn care companies were deciding we didn't want any clover in our lawns. Prior to that, clover was a regular part of the seed mix. Suddenly, there were herbicides to root the nasty stuff out. Since the herbicides were specific for broad-leaf stuff, the clover was in trouble.

Nearly all of these man-made herbicides are suspected of causing long term health problems, as carcinogens and mutagens.

By excessively fertilizing the lawn, one is essentially growing it to death. The grass gets its growth spurt, slows, and then the weeds use the rest. In many areas, additional fertilizer really isn't required at all. After three years of not fertilizing, I still have a green lawn. The recommendation is to mow high, leave the grass clippings (THEY'RE the fertilizer), and mow as often as the season and weather warrant. This prevents lawn burnout (or in many areas, the need to water it), and an excess of clippings.

There are special, hardy varieties of grass one can buy for your locale. Some may require planting as plugs or as sod, rather than from seed. While I haven't tried this, others report good results, although the downside is that sometimes these may be the last things in your lawn to turn green in the spring. However, whatever grasses you choose, do leave the clover -- it fixes nitrogen.

This manner of planting, mowing and self-fertilizing will help to minimize, but will not abolish weeds. A healthy lawn limits their numbers. Areas grass can't handle (too much shade, wetness or dryness), or areas where grass has been too stressed by things you or your predecessor have done, are breeding zones for weeds. Long handled manual tools can assist one in weed removal -- plant in a plug of grass from somewhere obscure on your lawn to fill in the hole. One can, as I do, learn to co-exist with all manner of green leafy things -- the ajuga, clover and dandelions are quite nice, and the ajuga blooms blue if the mower isn't fast enough. If it isn't prickly or poison ivy, and it can stand mowing, it is allowed to live in my lawn.

The April 1994 issue of ORGANIC GARDENING discusses the pros and cons of 34 non-grass groundcovers. While some can't take the heavy traffic of an active household, others are more resistant. Although startup sounds expensive, many of these plants grow rapidly. And many thrive in poor soil (thyme, St. John's wort, yarrow). Woodruff is attractive, doing well in shade or sun. And there's wild strawberry, and vinca. Some of these may be appropriate for that patch of lawn that just won't BE standard lawn, whatever you try. One useful attitude shift is to think of the lawn as an extension of the garden, and to plan plantings by conditions.

Consider, if your health, lawn size and slope will permit, a manual, human-powered mower. An important source of air pollution is our standard gas-powered mower, which, after all, doesn't have to go in for their yearly emissions testings like cars do in many states.

And then there's composting. This may not be practical for everyone. If there's the space, there's no need to buy one of those expensive, fancy composting units. Just find a spare corner, put up chicken wire, or just have a pile without benefit of boundary. One can get quite specific about the properties of one's compost soil, but the primary things to know are: it works most in the summer, goes dormant in winter except for southern climes. It needs periodic turning while working. Toss in kitchen leftovers -- vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds -- but no meat or fat. Throw in any extra pulled weeds, and leaves you may have raked up. In areas where there is not a good ratio of yard waste to kitchen waste, there may be an aroma problem. There are worm bins, with red worms, available for such situations.

Beware of foreign invaders. We all know about kudzu, that superficially-attractive groundcover of Southeast America, since the introduction of the vine in the late '30's, Problem is, it is capable of growing 12 inches a day, sending roots twelve feet into the ground, covering up a lot more than just the ground when given the opportunity. Amazingly, there were even kudzu clubs back in the thirties and forties. It lives up to its original purpose of U.S. Soil Conservation Service erosion control, and then some. Sometimes a cure can be worse than the disease. Other major scourges include water hyacinths and similar invading wetlands plants. These choke waterways, and are costly to remove. Much of the invasive damage done by alien species is not as blatant as these examples, but may be no less problematic.

A previous occupant of my home was sold on Japanese barberry, a bushy invader both prickly and intrusive. What started off as four or five plants is now a true mess, and is invading the adjoining woods. My only practical solution is to start cutting them to the ground a few times every year until they take the hint and decide to ford the River Styx into oblivion. A nearby town- owned park has a massive barberry infestation problem, with the plants crowding out the understory of native shrubs and bushes in many sections of this park.

The problem with many transplanted immigrants is that they can outcompete the local vegetation. Perhaps insect enemies are absent in their new locale. Perhaps they can survive in more densely packed conditions than can the natives. Perhaps other factors select in their favor. The fine tuning that makes up an ecosystem is thrown out of whack, and native species are crowded out. Forests invaded by escaped garden plants decrease plant biodiversity, which in turn limits the number and amounts of animals -- birds, mammals, and otherwise -- that can find themselves a viable niche within.

Some plants with a reputation of chasing out the locals include the osage orange, many of the multiflora roses, the autumn olive, the Amur maple, and the Amur honeysuckle. Of this honeysuckle, it has been written, "But on this bright spring morning there was no sense of renewal; the woods were deathly silent. A forest understory beautiful in its diversity had been strangled by a monoculture beautiful only in its colors. As I stared at it I began to see something more frightening and monstrous than gouged earth and stump fields, which, given time, can heal." (Williams, 1994.)

While some gardeners are going so far as to plant only native plants, an environmental garden need not be restricted to natives. Use common sense and research. You'll want to avoid plants that require a massive amount of attention and water for your region. On the other hand, you don't want spreaders that are just so happy with the situation you've given them that they start scouting out and infiltrating your neighbors, much less turning Tribble on you. If you don't know what a foreign plant is apt to do, opt otherwise. And don't rely on many of the gardening manuals to tell you -- recent books STILL recommend Japanese barberry for landscaping in this region. Indeed, the Soil Conservation Service still recommends many of the plants that farmers and wildlife managers have learned can be harmful in their tendency to run amok in fields and wildlands.

If space permits, setting up a garden which encourages wildlife can be rewarding. Minimizing the amount of lawn, and encouraging plant biodiversity will help. Giving wildlife a variety of groundcover in both type and height provides diverse potential niches. Many garden plants, including dill, the butterfly bush, cannas, zinnias and other nectar producers are specifically suitable for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

There are some forms of wildlife one may well not wish to attract. Being careful of what one dumps in the compost or outdoor trash will help to minimize raccoons (problematic here in the east for the rabies many carry). Deer, sometimes considered rodents with hooves, find many plantings delectable. I've heard that spraying with a mixture of water and egg white has proven effective (and may be impossible to clean out of the sprayer, afterwards). Human hair taken from a hairbrush and attached to prime plants seems to be a deterrent.

An environmental garden minimizes insecticides. Indeed, many are deadly to the wildlife one wishes to encourage. Natural enemies of pests can fall victim to sprays. An ecologically- balanced garden will encourage its own predator-prey relationships to develop. Yes, there will be the insects that find your plantings to be tasty; they will in many cases fall prey to other hungry critters. Options include planting pest-resistant vegetation. This includes most herbs. Bayberry and witch hazel are insect-resistant shrubs. Where appropriate, plant to allow sufficient air movement between plants, diminishing the need for fungicides. With gardening on the small scale, weeding by hand is sufficient. Monitor plants for dead and infected portions, and remove accordingly.

Many pests have natural enemies, which can either be purchased, or encouraged to take up residence with suitable plantings to provide shelter. You need to do the research to know whether you require ladybugs, nematodes, or Trichogramma parasitic wasps, and whether you have the right conditions for them to stay in your yard. Suitable information may be obtainable through ORGANIC GARDENING or your local library. There are also now very selective bacteria which target some insect pests. Mulches also provide a home for natural enemies of pests. Beer in old margarine tubs is an effective end for slugs.

If one must use pesticides, and there are indeed times when this may happen, selecting for ones with the least amount of environmental disruption is important. Both the chemical content and how it is to be used should be taken into consideration. Herbicides which are applied directly to the plant are best. In this yard, the only thing so treated is poison ivy. I am quite unabashedly the foreign invader driving it OUT. There are some insecticide soaps that can be applied to some plants. Choose carefully and specifically. Follow directions, and if anything, err on the conservative side. Anything intended for human consumption should not be treated in an organic garden.

Planning for the environmental garden can be a pleasurable harbringer of Spring, encouraging us to return to an understanding of the roots of Mother Gaia, in spirit and in action.

Resources:

Anne Simon Moffat, Marc Schiler, & the Staff of Green Living, 1994. Energy-Efficient and Environmental Landscaping. Appropriate Solutions Press, South Newfane, VT. (An excellent resource).

Organic Gardening. A monthly magazine at Box 7320, Red Oak, IA 51591-0320.

Lon Rombough, April 1994. Non-Grass Ground Covers. Organic Gardening.

Ted Williams, September-October 1994. Invasion of the Aliens. Audobon magazine.

Michael Potts, 1993. The Independent Home: Living Well with Power from the Sun, Wind, and Water. Chelsea Green Publishing, Post Mills, VT. (Beyond the scope of this article. Making one's home itself environmentally self-sufficient. An undertaking for the ambitious with good time management skills.)

(Document Copyright as Freeware © 1994 by Jehana Silverwing. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this document in its entirity. My name and this notice must remain intact.)