BACKYARDS ON THE BAY  A yard care guide for the coastal homeowner

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• TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
• INTRODUCTION
  

• SECTION 1: Diagram of good vs. bad backyard on the bay

• SECTION 1A: Salt Marsh Diagram

• SECTION 2: Evaluation of your yard's impact on the Bay.

• SECTION 3: Bay friendly yard care tips

• SECTION 4: Coastal Erosion and Seawalls

• SECTION 5: Septic Systems

• SECTION 6: How to create a buffer of Native Plants

• SECTION 7: How to determine if you need a permit

• APPENDIX 1: Coastal Buffer
  Site Plan
• APPENDIX 2: 
  Native Plant List
• APPENDIX 3: Invasive Plants
• APPENDIX 4: Planting Guidelines
• APPENDIX 5: Sources of Native Plants
• APPENDIX 6: Technical Assistance
• APPENDIX 7: References and Sources of Information

Section 3: Bay Friendly Yard Care Tips

The following tips are simple steps that will SAVE you TIME and MONEY as well as reduce your yard’s impact on the Bay’s water quality and salt marshes.

• Minimize the size of your lawn to save time and money on mowing and watering. By mowing a smaller area you will encourage a natural buffer to re-establish itself between your managed landscape and the Bay.
• Select a drought and disease tolerant grass seed. Red fescue and chewing fescue are drought-tolerant; tall and fine fescues require less nitrogen and need less fertilizer, if any. Fine fescues can tolerate both sun and shade. Endophytic grasses are pest resistant. Avoid Kentucky bluegrass since it requires regular watering and high fertilizer applications. (See Native Plant Source List in Appendix 2).

• Grass at a height of three inches creates a healthier root system and decreases the need for water and fertilizer.
• Grass kept at three inches shades the ground, preventing most of the sun-loving weeds ­ such as crab grass ­ from growing. Longer grass is more drought-tolerant and insect and disease resistant.
• As a general rule of thumb, do not cut off more than one third of the grass’ height in any one mowing.

• Grass clippings left on the lawn reduce water evaporation and keep the soil cooler during hot weather.
• Clippings don’t cause thatch buildup. Overuse of fertilizer and over-watering causes rapid and excessive growth and can cause thatch buildup.
• Clippings are 85 percent water and five percent nitrogen. When left on the lawn, they return water and nutrients to the soil. Clippings can provide up to 30 percent of your lawn’s fertilizer requirement. A mulching mower cuts the clippings smaller for quick decomposition.

• Not only is it illegal to cut salt marsh grasses and other plants, salt marshes provide critical feeding and nursery areas for coastal birds, shellfish, crabs and many other Bay species too numerous to count. Learn where your yard ends and the marsh begins. Refer to the diagram in Section 1.
• An undisturbed natural buffer between your yard and the salt marsh (as small as 15 feet) acts as a good filter to prevent nutrients and sediments from damaging coastal habitats.
• Native coastal plants help prevent erosion of your shoreline. Native shrubs hold the soil in place with their deep root system in comparison to a lawn that has a minimal root system.

• Move your mow line back from the shoreline’s edge. Many salt marsh plants or native upland buffer plants will come back naturally without planting such as high tide bush and seaside goldenrod.

• Native coastal plants and rye and fescue lawn mixtures do not need watering to survive the dry summer months.
• Most lawns in New England will survive without watering. Healthy, well-established lawns that turn brown during hot dry periods are dormant, not dead. They will green up again during the wetter fall season.

• Watering in the early morning (before 9 a.m.) reduces evaporation and prevents sun scalding. Don’t water at all if the day is cloudy or humid. Any water that does not evaporate off the grass blades during the day can help speed fungus and other diseases.
• Lawns and plants watered in the evening remain wet longer, promoting diseases such as fungus.

• Over watering can cause any fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to flow into the Bay or leach into the groundwater.
• If you chose to water, do so no more than once a week with an inch of water. Place a rain gauge in the sprinkler zone to measure the right amount. If it has rained in the past week, only water enough to make an inch.
• Avoid frequent watering. Water slowly and deeply to help develop the depth of your lawn’s roots versus frequent light watering which encourages shallow, more vulnerable root growth.
• Using soaker hoses or drip irrigation in landscape plantings will get water more efficiently to the plant’s roots and will reduce evaporation.

• Native coastal plants do not require fertilizing (See native coastal plant list in Appendix 2).
• Using little or no fertilizer on your lawn to save time on frequent mowing.

• Maintaining proper soil pH of 6.5 results in better retention of nutrients which reduces the need to fertilize. Soil tests will help determine if you should apply lime.
• Soil testing is available through the University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension Service. Call 1-800-448-1011 to learn how to get your soil tested.

• If you choose to fertilize your lawn, half an application of slow release fertilizer applied in late April and a full application in September should be plenty for your lawn. Fall fertilizing will promote healthy root growth.
• Do not over water after fertilizing. Fertilizer on your lawn can leach into the groundwater perhaps endangering drinking water supplies or can wash off into the Bay, causing algae blooms. As the algae dies off, the breakdown of the algae can cause low oxygen levels leading to fish kills.
• Be careful not to apply fertilizer to sidewalks, driveways or walkways. Sweep up any fertilizer on paved surfaces. Fertilizer left on paved surfaces can run directly into the nearest storm drain and eventually into the Bay.

Use organic fertilizers:

• There are many organic products on the market including animal manures, cottonseed, bone meal, fish emulsion or plain old compost. Organic fertilizers contain low concentrations of nutrients, however they have the added benefit of increasing soil moisture retention and providing minerals and trace elements not found in chemical fertilizers.
• Organic fertilizers release nutrients gradually as they decompose so they are available to the plants for longer periods of time and are less likely to runoff into the Bay.

Use water insoluble fertilizers:

• Most synthetic fertilizers are high in soluble nitrogen that results in a quick but not necessarily healthy greening of your lawn.
• Water insoluble fertilizers release nitrogen slowly over extended periods of time so they are not as likely to leach into groundwater or cause water quality problems in nearby waterbodies. These fertilizers are typically marketed as "slow release" products.
• Select fertilizers with more than 50 percent Water Insoluble Nitrogen (WIN).

All fertilizers are labeled with three numbers. These are the fertilizer ingredients labeled as "guaranteed analysis" (e.g. 20-4-10). The first number refers to the percent nitrogen, the second number refers to the percent phosphorus and third number refers to the percent potassium.

For example, a bag of 20-4-10 contains 20 percent nitrogen. If the guaranteed analysis shows 10 percent water insoluble nitrogen in the fertilizer, then 50 percent of the total nitrogen is water insoluble.

• Weeds can be a symptom of soil problems such as being too acidic or too compacted.
• Test your soil and correct the soil deficiencies.

• Natural predators, such as ladybugs, lacewings, toads and preying mantis will prey upon garden pests.
• Plant a variety of flowering plants that will attract natural predators as well as beneficial insects such as butterflies and bees (see Native Plant list in Appendix 2).

• Control weeds before they become a problem. Weed by hand before they go to seed and then mulch to keep weeds from coming back.
• It is simpler to prevent pests rather than to kill pests. Use disease resistant grasses and plants (see Native Plant list). Clean up dead perennials and plants in the fall to prevent pests.
• Plant pest resistant plants (see Native Plant list for plants that are listed as pest resistant by URI’s Sustainable Trees and Shrubs for Southern New England)

• Contact the Master Gardener hotline at 1-800-448-1011 to help identify the type of pest causing the damage and to determine an organic solution. Most yards have both beneficial and damaging insects.

• Pesticides may not harm your plants but they can harm wildlife and your health.
• Accept minor damage of plants from disease and insects.
• Remove eggs, larvae, cocoons and the adult larvae by hand.
• Use natural pest control options such as horticultural oil sprays, boric acid for ants, Bt Bacillus thuringiensis for larvae and caterpillars, dehydrating dusts (diatomaceous earth and silica gel), pyrethrin-based sprays and soap solutions.
• Always follow label precautions and directions.

• Broad-spectrum pesticides are not selective and they will even kill beneficial insects.
• Only use pesticides as a last resort when other methods have failed.

• Homeowners can dispose of hazardous materials at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s ECO-Depot, call (401) 222-4700 ext. 4434.

Insecticidal soap: make your own effective spray with two and a half tablespoons liquid dish soap in one gallon of water. Spray liberally on affected plants and repeat application if necessary.

• Yard and vegetable scraps will provide free mulch and supply you with a natural Bay-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers. For tips on composting or where you can purchase a low-cost composter, call the Department of Environmental Management at 222-3434. Ask for their composting brochure.
• Add compost to your soil to improve the soil structure and its ability to hold water and to reduce or even eliminate the need for fertilizing.
• Shred leaves with your mower and then add them to your compost pile. Let fallen leaves remain in natural areas along the shoreline. The leaves provide natural mulch and slow and filter water running off your managed landscape.

• Piling and dumping brush or grass clippings in the marsh or along the shoreline can smother and kill native grasses and coastal plants. Do not locate compost piles near the shoreline, salt marsh or streams.
• Yard waste dumped along the shore adds unnecessary nutrients to the Bay. As grass clippings and leaves decompose, they release nitrogen that contributes to nuisance algae blooms.
• It is illegal to dump yard waste and grass clippings in coastal marshes and on the shoreline.

• Use alternatives to concrete and asphalt ­ such as gravel, crushed stone or crushed shells for driveways and blue stone or field stone set in stone dust or sand for walkways.

• Place straw over tilled vegetable gardens or newly planted grass to prevent precious topsoil from being washed away by rainfall .

• Plant groundcovers and/or bushes on steeper slopes. Groundcovers have deeper root systems than grass and can better hold the soil in place. Leave native trees and shrubs on slopes.

• Trees, shrubs, grass and groundcovers slow down stormwater and help water soak into the soil.

• Direct down spouts from your roof onto flat grassy or gravel areas.
• Plant shrubs around driveways and direct runoff to planted area to encourage groundwater recharge.

| TABLE OF CONTENTS | INTRODUCTION | SECTION 1 | SECTION 2 | SECTION 3 | SECTION 4 | SECTION 5 | SECTION 6 |
SECTION 7 | APPENDIX 1 | APPENDIX 2 | APPENDIX 3 | APPENDIX 4 | APPENDIX 5 | APPENDIX 6 | APPENDIX 7 |