To
make your Lake Ontario shoreline property
more inviting and safe for wildlife,
you need to consider how you treat the
rest of your yard away from the shore.
For example, have you considered making
part of your lawn into a wildflower garden?
In addition to attracting butterflies,
hummingbirds and many other types of
wildlife, you will reduce your time spent
mowing!
For a wildlife-friendly lawn, consider
the tips that follow.
Lawn Care
When you think of your lawn, the first thing that
probably comes to mind is grass. Almost every property owner wants
a healthy
looking lawn - but what may look healthy to a human is not
necessarily the healthiest option for the local wildlife,
the lake or the
humans living on the property. To make your shoreline property
healthier, consider the following tips:
Mow Less
One of the best
things you can do for your Lake Ontario
shoreline property is to stop mowing
all the way to the edge of the water.
Why? A common problem for
property owners who mow to the edge
of the water is erosion. Kentucky bluegrass
(Poa pratensis), a common
lawn grass, has shallow roots. When
growing deeper-rooted native
shrubs
and other
native
plant species
next to the shoreline are
replaced with Kentucky bluegrass,
erosion is much
more
likely. Erosion
of soil into the lake causes
the water to become
turbid, or cloudy. This loss
of water clarity makes feeding difficult
for fish and wildlife species that
rely on sight
for pursuing their prey. The eventual settling
of suspended particles of soil and
organic debris onto the lake bottom
also changes the
lake
ecosystem. Sediment covers plants
and bottom habitat required
for invertebrates and pollutes
the water by releasing nutrients and
other pollutants attached to the soil.
Mow
Correctly
Make sure
your mower blades are sharp. Sharper blades produce a cleaner cut and a
more uniform look.
- Set
the blade to remove only the
top one-third of the grass, generally
between 2.5 to 3.5 inches. This
length will encourage root growth and
shade out weeds.
- Use a mulching blade to promote healthy
lawn growth by recycling nitrogen nutrients
back to the grass.
Fertilize
Correctly, or Not at All
Many people
fertilize their grass without
really knowing whether the fertilizer
is
needed. The first step in determining
whether you need to fertilize is to test
your soil. A soil test will tell you
how much
(if any) phosphorus (P) and
potassium
(K) fertilizer
your
lawn
needs.
Contact your local Cornell
Cooperative Extension
office or the Cornell
Nutrient Analysis Laboratory for
more information on obtaining a soil
analysis kit and having your soil analyzed.
If tests indicate that
no P or K is needed, use nitrogen fertilizer
sources that contain little or no
P and K. Also, limit fertilizing to once
a year in the fall and use organic fertilizers.
For more information about
lawn fertilizing, visit the Cornell
University Department of Horticulture
Lawn Care web site.
Water Less
Most lawns require 1 inch of
water per week. Sandy soil lawns require
1 to 2 inches. Instead of watering daily
(which actually
discourages deep root growth), use a
rain gauge to measure weekly rainfall
and if you haven't had
enough
rain for a week, apply an inch of water.
You can measure your watering level by
placing a shallow container under the
sprinkler system.
Make sure you are not applying water
faster than the ground can soak it up.
To prevent water loss due to evaporation,
water in the early morning. Bluegrass
lawns will go dormant during the dry
part of summer, but will revive when
it rains again.
Limit Pesticide Use
Avoid using chemical pesticides whenever possible. If
you do need to use them the following practices will minimize the
potential of contamination of the lake from pesticides:
- Identify what is causing the problem and decide whether
using pesticides will be effective. For instance, lawn problems
can be caused by insects, diseases, fungi or dog urine. Pesticides
are only effective against insects.
- Consider trying
biological controls and pest-resistant
plant varieties such as "endophyte
enhanced" grass seed varieties.
- If you do decide to use a chemical to control the pest, apply
the chemical only to the problem area.
- Apply the pesticide only when it will be most effective. Avoid
applying it on windy days, or when the ground is frozen or saturated.
- Follow the manufacturers instructions
very carefully. REMEMBER - more is
not better!!
For more information
about using pesticides effectively, visit
the Cornell University Department of Horticulture
Managing
Lawn Insects web page.
Top
Plant Trees, Shrubs and Vines
To reduce your mowing time even further and to make your
property even more wildlife enticing, consider planting a variety
of trees, shrubs and vines. These plants work great in areas where
grass grows poorly, such as on marginal soils, steep banks, dry areas
and in shade. Trees and shrubs also offer the benefits of providing shade in
the summer, windbreaks all year round, and great homes for wildlife.
If you decide to purchase plants, make
a strong effort to buy only
native plants.
Native plants are generally defined
as plants that existed in this area before
European
colonization. Many of the plants
you see in your yard today are non-natives.
The most obvious example is purple
loosestrife. The problem with non-native
plants is that natural controls are often
absent causing rapid loss of native species.
When native species are overrun by a non-native plant, the non-native plant is then
considered
invasive.
For more information about selecting
plants for your Lake Ontario shoreline
property visit
the Recommended
Lake Ontario Shoreline Plants page.
Top
Clean Up Pet Wastes
Pet wastes contain several types
of pollutants that contribute to
water quality problems, both in Lake
Ontario and in the surrounding
surface and groundwater. Pollutants
in pet waste include nutrients, pathogens
and ammonia. When pet waste ends
up in Lake Ontario
or the surrounding water, it decomposes,
using up oxygen and releasing pollutants.
This lack of oxygen and increase
in ammonia
is especially enhanced by the warm
waters of summer and can lead to
the death of fish and other aquatic
organisms. Eventually
thick growths of algae and
other aquatic weeds occur, making areas
unattractive or unusable for swimming,
boating or fishing.
Pet wastes can also
contain disease-causing bacteria and
viruses affecting humans and wildlife.
Beaches can be closed,
wells contaminated and wildlife harmed.
Recently, scientists at the University of
California - Davis have linked the death
of sea otters in the
Pacific
Ocean
along
the
United State's West Coast to the presence
of the parasite Toxoplasma found
in cat feces. See
May 6, 2003 press
release.
Preventing pet-associated problems is easy by
following these two steps:
- Pick
up after your
pets, both in the yard
and when you are walking
them. You
can dispose of the waste
by flushing it down the
toilet, putting it in
the trash (this may be
against the law in your
area), or burying
it in your yard. If you
decide to bury it, make
sure the hole is at
least five inches deep
and away from
vegetable gardens,
lakes, streams, wetlands,
wells or ditches. Underground
pet waste digestors are
available for purchase.
They work like little
septic systems. DO NOT
put pet wastes in your
compost pile. The temperature will not
get hot enough to kill
the pathogens.
- Dispose of kitty litter properly. Scoop the waste out
and flush it down the toilet. Unused kitty litter can be bagged,
sealed and placed in the trash. Do not dump the entire contents
of the litter box down the toilet. This will lead to plumbing
problems and fill up your septic tank or sewer system with indigestible
material.
