Landscape sustainability checkup

Want to make your yard more environmentally sustainable, but don’t know where to start? We’ve compiled a list of sustainability tips to provide you with some inspiration. Some of these suggestions will take more effort than others to implement, so we recommend picking one to three points to address each year. Before you know it, your landscape will be the model of environmental sustainability for your neighborhood!

Select the right plant for the right place

• Ensure the landscape does not contain plants identified by the Oregon Department of Agriculture as invasive (e.g., English ivy and butterfly bush).
• Replace problem-prone plants with low-maintenance natives or non-natives.
• Only maintain as much lawn as you need for active uses (e.g., pets, children, and recreation). Convert other lawn areas to eco-lawn mixes or lower-maintenance plantings.
• Use deciduous trees on south and west exposures to shade your home in summer and allow solar heating in winter.
• Reduce yard waste by using plants that don't require frequent pruning at maturity.

Water efficiently

• Design a water-wise landscape that requires minimal water after plant establishment. These landscapes often use native plants.
• Group plants in the landscape by irrigation need to avoid overwatering drought-tolerant species and underwatering species that require more water.
• Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep root growth and drought resistance in your landscape plants.
• Use drip, trickle, or micro-sprinkler irrigation systems where practical.

• Collect rainwater from impervious surfaces to irrigate plants where practical.
• Mow lawns at proper height for attractive turf, encouraging a deeper and more drought-tolerant root system: 1 inch for bentgrass and 2 to 3 inches for perennial ryegrass and fine fescue.
• Use a rain gauge to track irrigation amounts and calibrate your lawn’s sprinkler system.
• Do not start in-ground irrigation systems too early in the spring. Shut off irrigation systems in the fall.

Protect your watershed

• Maintain a border of low-maintenance plants between your lawn and any adjacent waterways to absorb nutrients and hold onto soil during times of high water.
• Establish 30- to 60-foot "no pesticide, no fertilizer zones" along riparian areas on your property.
• Direct downspouts and gutters to drain onto the lawn, plant beds, or containment areas away from foundations.
• Use porous surfaces for walkways, patios, and driveways.
• Create swales and terraces to catch or filter rainfall.
• Pick up after pets in your yard and on walks to reduce bacterial and nutrient pollution in storm drain systems.
• Clean up oil spills and leaks with cat litter.
• Remove yard waste from street gutters.

Recycle organic material

• Compost grass clippings in place by leaving them on the lawn or using a mulching mower to reduce your lawn fertilizer needs.
• Use your leaves or conifer needles as mulch.
• Don't burn yard waste. Maintain a compost pile to recycle organic material, such as yard trimmings, leaves, and kitchen scraps.

Promote soil health

• Build healthy soil to grow healthy plants that require less pest control and supplemental fertilization.
• To avoid overapplication of nutrients, get your soil professionally tested for nutrients and pH before applying fertilizers.
• Apply compost to improve your soil’s nutrient and organic matter content, being careful not to overapply at levels that lead to nutrient runoff.
• Fertilize only enough to maintain healthy plants. Over-fertilization promotes excessive soft growth that attracts pest insects.
• Use natural, organic, or other slow-release fertilizers.
• Minimize tillage and keep soil mulched or covered with living plants as much as possible.

• Maintain a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch over tree roots, around shrubs, and over plant beds, making sure to leave about 2 inches of un-mulched space around tree trunks and shrub bases.

• Create self-mulching areas under trees and shrubs where leaves can remain. Use by-product mulches like fir bark or recycled mulches.

Encourage wildlife

• Plant native vines, shrubs, and trees to provide cover, nesting sites, and food for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
• Provide a water source such as a birdbath or small pond for wildlife.
• Provide a wildlife shelter such as a bat house, bird house, or brush pile.
• Identify five kinds of wildlife (e.g., birds, reptiles and insects) that live in your yard.
• Avoid cutting the garden back too heavily in the fall. Leave standing stems year-round for stem-nesting bees. Leave small undisturbed, un-mowed areas year-round to support beneficial insects and other small creatures.

Manage pests responsibly

• Learn to identify five beneficial insects that provide natural control of harmful pests.
• Check your landscape weekly for signs of problems.
• Learn the primary pests of your plants and when to target these pests. Avoid broad-spectrum pesticides that kill beneficial insects as well as pests.
• Use nonchemical approaches to pest control such as pruning to improve air circulation, hand removal of insects, sanitation, and planting disease-resistant plants.
• If necessary, use environmentally friendly pesticides such as insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils as your first choice.

• Store pesticides in a watertight container away from kids. Never leave sprayers filled with pesticides. Always read the pesticide label before application and follow all instructions on the label.

Reduce your carbon footprint

• Use a push or electric mower.
• Use hand tools for raking, edging, and pruning.
• Grow food crops to minimize your dependence on store-bought produce.

For more information

• State of Oregon: Oregon Noxious Weeds - Oregon Noxious Weed Profiles
• Conserving Water in Your Yard and Garden | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu)
• Practical Lawn Care for Western Oregon | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu)
• Through thoughtful practices, lawns can be climate-friendly | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu)