Spring & Summer Lawn Care
for Cleaner Rivers, Lakes & Beaches
Follow these tips below to grow a green lawn while protecting our rivers, lakes and beaches:
Select earth-friendly fertilizers
Choose fertilizers with slow-release nitrogen and low phosphorus content to protect water quality and support healthy grass. Avoid weed-and-feed products which can add unnecessary herbicides to your landscape.
Create fertilizer-free zones
Keep a 15-foot buffer along waterfronts in your yard by not fertilizing or just letting the grass grow. A buffer helps to keep grass clippings and fertilizer from entering the water and causing algae problems. A buffer can also help discourage geese.
Keep fertilizer and lawn clippings on the lawn
Sweep or blow fertilizer and grass clippings back onto the lawn and not into the street to prevent them from getting into storm drains and ditches, which lead to our rivers, lakes, and beaches. Don’t dump lawn clippings into drains or ditches.
Mow high and leave the clippings
Set your mower deck high (3 inches) to establish strong, healthy roots and shade out weeds. Leave clippings on your lawn to return nutrients to the soil.
Hire a knowledgeable contractor
Check out Michigan Green Industry Association’s endorsed companies for the Healthy Lawn Care Program for Watershed Protection.
Reduce your lawn area
Making your lawn smaller by creating more planting areas with native plants will help infiltrate more water and reduce the amount getting into storm drains.
Independence Townshipis a proud member of Clinton River Watershed and has been protecting and enhancing our rivers and lakes since 2002. Check out the programs and activities offered for families to support clean water in our area. For more information, visit http://www.crwc.org.