How to change your life - change your lawn!

The Case for Change

An organic organic approach to lawn care is over-due for so many reasons:

• Lawns are depleting our groundwater supplies:  Some estimates indicate that lawn care uses 50% of our county’s potable water. Lawn irrigation, particularly in-ground watering systems, increase summer water use to levels three to five times higher than winter water use. Use of nitrogen-rich chemical fertilizers and fast-growing shallow-rooted grasses exacerbates the problem. Water shortages from your neighbors lawn care lead to increased water prices for everyone, water bans and enforced conservation.  Many of the non-native lawn seeds from Europe or Kentucky, with very shallow roots, are naturally adapted to environments that are wetter than ours.  In New England, and most of North America, these foreign, shallow root, high maintenance grasses leads to a pattern of frequent watering and frequent mowing, particularly if chemical fertilizer is used.
• Wasting energy and adding to greenhouse gases:  Watering lawns with water that is filtered for human consumption and pumped to our homes wastes huge amounts of energy. Producing commercial fertilizers from petroleum is energy intensive, and costs are rising as oil prices rise. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, running a typical lawn mower for an hour is eleven times more polluting than running a mid-size car full of people and luggage for an hour. So, the energy-intensive fertilizer, water from the town and lawn mower pollution in a standard lawn greatly increases your family's carbon foot print.

• Run off and unnecessary health risks: A stagering amount of chemicals are used every year on lawns. Between 50% and 80% of lawn care chemicals run off lawns with the rain and into storm drains, ending up in the watershed or local ponds, causing algal blooms and feeding the invasive weeds out of control. Again, the majority of lawn chemicals is feeding the invasive weeds in our ponds, not on your lawn! Then, local communities use expensive herbicides to get rid of the invasive weeds in the ponds and low levels of both the fertilizer, pesticides and the herbicide may end up in your drinking water.  Use of pesticides and fertilizer in urban and suburban communities contributes significantly to contamination of our drinking water and other surface water supplies.  This also increases health risks to children, pets and the elderly and increases school department budgets from learning and behavioral disorders caused by the lawn care chemicals. So, chemicals put on your lawn impact the whole community in many ways, including finances, clean up, invasive weeds and health.  
• What ends up in our homes affects children, animals and others: Lawn care chemicals and pesticides get carried indoors into homes on shoes, paws and air currents. Once inside, pesticides linger in carpets, dust, on toys and in the air we breathe. These chemicals normally break down outside over time with sunlight. However, away from sunlight and water, pesticides persist for many months, resulting in longer exposure to these chemicals indoors. According to health experts at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection prolonged exposure to the pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in lawn care chemicals is responsible for an alarming increase in the risk of learning and behavioral disorders in children and increased risk in adults for asthma, Parkinsons's disease, cancer and a number of other ailments. The increased health risks are much higher for children, the elderly and our pets. According to Dr. Margo Roman, a veterinary expert, "50 years ago, only 5% of dogs got cancer. Today, over 46% of dogs get cancer, and there is evidence suggesting this alarming rate is caused by the widespread use of lawn care fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides." In response to these concerns, "a new era in pesticide use has begun in Quebec with the banning of many domestic products that have chemicals considered toxic to humans and the environment." Read the report from the Organic Consumers Association.

Pearl's Premium provides a compelling value proposition for residential, commercial and municipal property managers:

• Cut mowing costs by up to 75%
• Cut chemical use
• Reduce or eliminate irrigation/watering

Selected Pearl's Premium commercial and municipal installations and their primary benefit:

• Park - reducing mowing and maintenance costs in low traffic areas
• Traffic Circle / Median - minimizing mowing in dangerous area
• Public Service Building - reducing mowing and maintenance costs
• Assisted Living Facility - avoiding investment in irrigation, creating healthy environment for seniors
• Utility Sub-station - reducing mowing and maintenance costs
• Swim & Tennis Club - elminating chemicals around pool and play areas
• Cemetery - reducing mowing time

Purchase Pearl's at World Class Supply

How to mow once a month, not water and save the planet

An organic organic approach to lawn care is over-due for so many reasons:

• Lawns are depleting our groundwater supplies:  Some estimates indicate that lawn care uses 50% of our county’s potable water. Lawn irrigation, particularly in-ground watering systems, increase summer water use to levels three to five times higher than winter water use. Use of nitrogen-rich chemical fertilizers and fast-growing shallow-rooted grasses exacerbates the problem. Water shortages from your neighbors lawn care lead to increased water prices for everyone, water bans and enforced conservation.  Many of the non-native lawn seeds from Europe or Kentucky, with very shallow roots, are naturally adapted to environments that are wetter than ours.  In New England, and most of North America, these foreign, shallow root, high maintenance grasses leads to a pattern of frequent watering and frequent mowing, particularly if chemical fertilizer is used.
• Wasting energy and adding to greenhouse gases:  Watering lawns with water that is filtered for human consumption and pumped to our homes wastes huge amounts of energy. Producing commercial fertilizers from petroleum is energy intensive, and costs are rising as oil prices rise. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, running a typical lawn mower for an hour is eleven times more polluting than running a mid-size car full of people and luggage for an hour. So, the energy-intensive fertilizer, water from the town and lawn mower pollution in a standard lawn greatly increases your family's carbon foot print.

• Run off and unnecessary health risks: A stagering amount of chemicals are used every year on lawns. Between 50% and 80% of lawn care chemicals run off lawns with the rain and into storm drains, ending up in the watershed or local ponds, causing algal blooms and feeding the invasive weeds out of control. Again, the majority of lawn chemicals is feeding the invasive weeds in our ponds, not on your lawn! Then, local communities use expensive herbicides to get rid of the invasive weeds in the ponds and low levels of both the fertilizer, pesticides and the herbicide may end up in your drinking water.  Use of pesticides and fertilizer in urban and suburban communities contributes significantly to contamination of our drinking water and other surface water supplies.  This also increases health risks to children, pets and the elderly and increases school department budgets from learning and behavioral disorders caused by the lawn care chemicals. So, chemicals put on your lawn impact the whole community in many ways, including finances, clean up, invasive weeds and health.  
• What ends up in our homes affects children, animals and others: Lawn care chemicals and pesticides get carried indoors into homes on shoes, paws and air currents. Once inside, pesticides linger in carpets, dust, on toys and in the air we breathe. These chemicals normally break down outside over time with sunlight. However, away from sunlight and water, pesticides persist for many months, resulting in longer exposure to these chemicals indoors. According to health experts at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection prolonged exposure to the pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in lawn care chemicals is responsible for an alarming increase in the risk of learning and behavioral disorders in children and increased risk in adults for asthma, Parkinsons's disease, cancer and a number of other ailments. The increased health risks are much higher for children, the elderly and our pets. According to Dr. Margo Roman, a veterinary expert, "50 years ago, only 5% of dogs got cancer. Today, over 46% of dogs get cancer, and there is evidence suggesting this alarming rate is caused by the widespread use of lawn care fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides." In response to these concerns, "a new era in pesticide use has begun in Quebec with the banning of many domestic products that have chemicals considered toxic to humans and the environment." Read the report from the Organic Consumers Association.

 Purchase Pearl's Premium Grass Seed Here

Overview:

Pearl's Premium Saves Time, Money & Water

• Saves hundreds of dollars in lawn watering, fertilizer and mowing each season
• Never / seldom needs watering once established (drought tolerant grass seed)*
• Grass grows so slowly, only needs cutting once a month
• Thrives without chemicals and pesticides
• Eliminates hours of lawn mowing and lawn maintenance each month
• Cuts your carbon footprint
• Stands up to heat (sunny mix); grows in deep shade (shady mix)
• Creates a lush beautiful organic lawn
• Eco friendly lawn stays green all year long

Pearl's Premium also provides a compelling value proposition for commercial and municipal property managers:

• Cut mowing costs by up to 75%
• Cut chemical use
• Reduce or eliminate irrigation/watering
• Park - reducing mowing and maintenance costs in low traffic areas
• Traffic Circle / Median - minimizing mowing in dangerous area
• Public Service Building - reducing mowing and maintenance costs
• Assisted Living Facility - avoiding investment in irrigation, creating healthy environment for seniors
• Utility Sub-station - reducing mowing and maintenance costs
• Swim & Tennis Club - elminating chemicals around pool and play areas
• Cemetery - reducing mowing time

Sustainable Lawncare Information and Solutions

Millions of dollars are spent each year designing, implementing, and maintaining urban landscapes. Unfortunately, long-term problems are caused when these processes are not carried out properly. Many of these problems can be avoided or reduced by utilizing sustainable landscape practices. A landscape developed with sustainable practices will improve the environment by conserving resources and reducing chemical applications. A sustainable landscape will also reduce labor inputs making it less expensive to implement and maintain.
The key to creating a sustainable landscape is understanding that the design process should be considered first. Plant selection, implementation, and maintenance build on the design process, each having sustainability as a major consideration.

According to one estimate, 40 million acres of land is devoted to turfgrass in the United States with nearly 75 percent in home lawns and more than 30 billion dollars spent on annual lawn maintenance1. It is no wonder that the large amount of resources allocated to lawn care and the impact that they have on the environment has called the sustainability of lawns into question. This critical attention has challenged lawn managers and turfgrass research programs across the country to develop and work toward more sustainable, lower input turf/lawn ecosystems. While SULIS defines sustainability in a general way, sustainability as it relates to lawns can be defined as a lawn area that requires few material inputs while having a positive impact on the environment. Creating and maintaining a more sustainable lawn begins with proper selection of the best adapted grass species and varieties. Proper site preparation, lawn installation, and appropriate follow-up care will help reduce the need for inputs of the established lawn. The Sustainable Lawn Care Information Series (SLC) consists of the following chapters.
	Upper Midwest Home Lawn Care Calendar for Cool Season Grasses The lawn care calendar is a guide for maintaining lawns in the upper midwest area. It covers the general care needed to maintain an average home lawn typically found in this geographic area. It is not intended to cover all aspects of lawn care, or to cover all different growing conditions that may exist on a specific property.
	Environmental Benefits of a Healthy, Sustainable Lawn As a groundcover, healthy lawns provide important environmental benefits to our communities. Properly established and managed lawns, combined with good sustainable landscape design, can help protect and preserve water quality.
	Grass Plant Growth and its Relationship to a Sustainable Lawn Understanding a few basic principles of grass plant biology is important. Planning maintenance to take advantage of the natural growth cycles and habits of grass is the first step in developing a more sustainable lawn care approach.
	Turfgrass Selection for a Sustainable Lawn Lawn sustainability begins with good landscape design. Selecting the best adapted species and varieties for particular areas of the landscape is just as important as choosing trees and shrubs best adapted to the different locations within a landscape.
	Establishing a New Lawn to Achieve Sustainability The best time to build in sustainability is when an area is first being prepared for a lawn. Following tried and true methods for site preparation and grass establishment will help insure a successful and sustainable lawn for many years to come.
	Renovating an Existing Lawn to Achieve Sustainability Introducing lower input grasses into an existing lawn will often be the first step in establishing a more sustainable lawn cover. Also, using the elements of sustainable landscape design to evaluate appropriate locations for lawn areas will help create a more overall sustainable landscape.
	Understanding and Using Lawn Fertilizers A vast array of fertilizers are available for use on lawns. Choosing those best suited to your site (such as near water bodies) or to the plant species and varieties in your lawn, does not need to be intimidating. A healthy lawn, achieved with modest inputs of the proper materials, can be very satisfying.
	Mowing Practices How a lawn is mowed largely determines the need and frequency of maintenance required by that lawn. Sharp blades and proper height of cut will help keep grass growing vigorously and maintain adequate shoot density to completely cover the soil surface.
	Watering Practices Efficient watering practices are important to all homeowners who want to conserve water, maintain a sustainable, healthy turf and reduce maintenance costs. Understanding how grass plants use water and their ability to tolerate dry conditions is the first step to putting the right plant in the right place to perform the right function. This is a key concept in establishing a more sustainable lawn.
	Weed Management Too often, the term "sustainable lawn" has been associated with lawns allowed to become neighborhood weed patches with no resemblance to a "maintained" lawn. While lawns maintained on very low inputs may have a few weedy plants in them, having well-adapted grass species and varieties will help keep significant weed infestation to a minimum.
	Home Lawn Disease and Insect Pests Properly maintained and healthy turfgrass will tolerate the presence of low levels of pest populations without suffering permanent damage. Healthy turfgrass usually recovers more quickly from insect and disease infestations. However, there may be times, even in healthy lawns, where some pest control is needed to prevent significant damage.

World Class Supply carries Pearl's Premium grass seed, which once established requires no watering, is ever-green, only needs to be mown once a month.  This translates to the saving of  time, equipment, gas and machine pollution from the usual 7-10 day grass mowing. 

Spring Patio Fix-Ups: 10 Wonderful Ways With Built-in Benches

Laura Gaskill

Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.

Houzz Contributor.

If you are looking to make a lasting change in your outdoor space, you can't beat the durability and style of built-in seating. Fresh patio furniture is fabulous, but the right built-in bench, designed to suit your space to a T, can make your patio feel larger and more welcoming, and ramp up the style. See if any of these 10 useful ideas for transforming a patio with built-in benches could work for you.

by Sullivan Design Studio » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

1. Use one long bench for multiple seating areas. Make the most of your space by using a built-in bench long enough to span several seating areas. Vary the height of your bench so you can position an outdoor dining table at one end and make a lounge area at the other end.

by Swell Homes » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

2. Tuck a bench between planters for built-in shade. If you could use more shade in your patio, consider installing a bench nestled between a pair of big planters filled with trees. Check with your local garden center to choose a variety that does well in a pot and works with your climate.

by Cary Bernstein Architect » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

3. Make a statement with a big swoop. Have a steep hillside that's impossible to plant? Use it to your advantage by building in a unique curved bench. See the rest of this house

by Outhouse Design » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

4. Maximize a small space with a custom fit. A small space filled with lots of small furniture just feels cluttered — you can actually seat more people and increase the sense of space with a built-in bench that fits perfectly.

by Arterra LLP Landscape Architects »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

5. Integrate steps and seats for a smooth look. If you are working on a major patio remodel, take into account the steps, pathways and other elements during the planning process. Repeating materials, like the wood and concrete shown here, creates a cohesive look.

by Ryan Group Architects » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

6. Cozy wood benches up around the fire. If a fire bowl is the centerpiece of your patio, chunky wood benches are a natural choice. Try a pair filling out one corner, as shown here, or use curved wooden benches all around, campfire-style.

by Jane Ellison »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

7. Make room for kids and grown-ups. A unique design like the combo bench and table shown here can provide a perch for adults sipping wine just as easily as it can play host to toddler tea parties.

by Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

8. Weather the elements with stone seating. A stacked stone bench and table have a rustic elegance that would be at home anywhere from New England to California and beyond. In the summer it can play host to gatherings, plumped up with colorful cushions. In the winter it adds organic beauty to the landscape.

by Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

9. Welcome friends with a curved border. Sharp, modern lines look crisp, but they are not for everyone. If you crave a softer look, try introducing a round shape to your patio with a gently curved bench made from stone or wood.

by McDugald-Steele Landscape Architects » Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

10. Channel elements of your dream getaway. Love the Italian Riviera? A built-in stone seat with an architectural backrest and striped cushions, plus café chairs and a big umbrella nearby, will bring the look home. Even if you can't jet off to Italy, you can enjoy a pretty fabulous staycation in your own yard. Find eco-friendly building materials, cleaning products and grass seed at World Class Supply.

Sustainable Grass Seed

Thanks to http://www.apartmenttherapy.com for posting this!....

Last night while driving home I heard a segment on NPR about the sustainable grass seed movement. It's no secret that we've known for many years how harmful pesticides and fertilizers can be to the environment, humans and animals, yet the general population continues to opt for greener lawns year after year.

Entrepreneur and scientist Jackson Madnick was inspired to create his own sustainable grass seed after moving to a golf course and having his cat die from cancer. He suspected that it was the fertilizer treatment used to keep the golf course green. After years of testing he unveiled his eco-friendly low maintenance seed Pearls Premium. This unique mixture of seed boasts that it only requires mowing once a month and uses less water and fertilizers (he suggests using organic fertilizer with his seed).

I often have conflicting feelings about keeping up a lawn, especially in Texas. I find the water usage completely wasteful trying to keep grass alive through 20 straight days of over 100 degree temperatures (and counting).

AVAILABLE @ WORLD CLASS SUPPLY

How Mycorrhizal Fungi Cut Your Carbon Footprint with Low Water Grass

A well-established Pearl’s Premium lawn can decrease your carbon footprint in four ways.  This is due to the special blend of native and long-adaptive grass seeds.  Some of these seeds existed prior to the arrival of the Native American peoples.  Pearl’s seed mix is all natural and non-GMO.

Pearl’s grass seeds are coated with Mycorrhizal Fungi, which enhance water storage and carry nutrients to the grass roots.  The grass-beneficial fungi were selected from lab tests of 50 different types.

Less Chemicals: you can cut your use of carbon-intensive chemicals. A Pearl's Premium lawn only needs an organic fertilizer or composting to stay green, especially if you leave the grass clippings.

Less Watering: you may seldom or never need to pour drinking water on your lawn again. Pearl’s grass grow 12-14 ‘ roots that have 30 percent more water storage capacity than ordinary grass. Remember, most lawns are irrigated with the same water we drink - that's energy-intensive filtered, treated, pumped and paid for.

Less Mowing: you only need to use that polluting lawn mower once a month and not weekly, or never if left to go to a high meadow. A typical lawn mower produces as much carbon in an hour as a mid-sized car, fully-loaded, produces in 11 hours of driving!

More Oxygen: your Pearl's Premium lawn, properly maintained, produces dramatically less carbon than the typical American lawn. A university study demonstrated that fescue grass blends like Pearl's Premium, cut 3" high, produce 5,760 times more oxygen than carbon in 24 hours. The same study found that a bluegrass lawn, cut one inch high, produces oxygen and carbon in a 1-to-1 ratio. It's like having your very own carbon sink in your backyard!

Buy Pearl's Premium at World Class Supply

Would you like to mow and water less?

Pearl’s Grass Seed is the answer for the regular home-owner and even those seeking LEED points.

Pearl’s Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed is ideally-suited to residential and commercial projects seeking lawns that align with the LEED® categories of:

SUSTAINABLE SITES

Because of its selected growth characteristics, Pearl's Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed is more suitable than other grass blends. Its deep-rooted and thick growth habit:

Eliminates watering once established (zeroscape in northern zones)

Reduces or eliminates chemical fertilizer requirements

Requires much less frequent mowing (once a month)

WATER EFFICIENCY

Pearl's Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Lawn Seed Mixes use water very efficiently. As a result, they may enable your LEED® project to meet the 1.1. and 1.2 standards for water efficiency.

Pearl's Premium mixes are specially-blended to grow a 12-inch deep root system after one year. As a result, they only require watering for a one-month period to get established, periodic watering during first hot summer period, another one-month period for an (optional) over-seeding the second planting season (recommended), and then rarely or never again.

Buy Pearls Grass Seed Here