Improve soil quality. Compacted, nutrient deficient soil not only requires a lot of chemicals to stay green, but it does not absorb, filter or retain much of the precipitation needed to maintain a healthy lawn. Aerating your lawn and adding a little compost can increase the soil’s organic matter content, increasing the availability of nutrients and the soils ability to retain rain and/or the moisture it needs to stay healthy.  Learn more at this link.

• Looking for info on the "Soil Your Undies" Challenge and how placing cotton undies can help you measure the quality of your soil?  Find details on soil quality restoration and our Davenport Compost Facilities products at www.davenportiowa.com/compost.  Use this link for more info on the challenge and what you can tell from those soiled undies. Here's a fun video too! 

Mulch grass clippings back on to the lawn. Did you know mulching leaves and grass clippings back onto your lawn puts nutrients such as nitrogen back into your lawn and can improve the organic content of your lawn's soils? The practice of mulching clippings and leaves back onto your lawn can also help suppress weeds and retain soil moisture.  Find mowing tips that will help you keep your lawn and our waterways healthy at this link. 

Consider home composting.  Reduce yard and food scrap wastes, and have a great lawn?  Grass clippings, leaves and food scraps such as apple cores, banana and orange peels, melon rinds, coffee grounds and eggshells can be recycled and put to good use through home composting.  Not only will you avoid disposal fees, but you will produce beneficial nutrient rich compost for use in all of your lawn and garden projects without having to purchase the product.  Find out more at this link. 

Apply fertilizer only when you need to. Before applying fertilizer find out what your lawn needs by having your soils tested. Pay special attention to: pH, phosphorous, nitrogen and organic matter. After reviewing your soil report, make a plan. Does applying fertilizer make the most sense, or should you spend a little time aerating and applying a thin layer of Compost?  Residents should specifically look at those items that have the greatest potential to reduce contaminated run-off and personal monetary expense (watering and chemical costs). Click here to learn more about applying fertilizer.

Properly dispose yard waste. In accordance with the Clean Water Act and City ordinance, you can be fined for blowing or depositing grass clippings and yard wastes into the street or directly into or near a water body. Grass clippings and yard wastes that end up on streets and in our waterways degrade water quality and can reduce oxygen levels necessary to support aquatic life. In addition, when washed to nearby storm drains during rain events this lawn debris can clog catch basins and contribute to localized flooding. The City offers a number of ways to properly dispose yard waste.