Go Easy on De-Icing Salt in Winter

Nine Mile Creek's website has good information on snow/ice removal best practices, as does the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency site.

Pick Up After Your Dog

Pet waste left in the environment does not simply disappear. Rainfall and spring snowmelt wash dog poop off lawns and sidewalks directly into the nearest body of water. Waste left on the ice sinks right into lakes, creeks and wetlands. Once in our water, the bacteria and parasites found in pet waste pose a threat to the health of people and wildlife. For the love of all things aquatic ... please pick up after your dog.

Learn All You Can About Using Fertilizer

Quick Facts about Fertilizing Lawns

Reduce Stormwater Runoff

• Direct downspouts toward your lawn, trees, shrubs or other vegetation, rather than down your driveway This slows the water and allows it to be absorbed into the soil. Avoid redirecting runoff towards adjacent properties or your home.
• Keep paved surfaces clean and maintain vehicles to prevent contaminants from washing into the street. Avoid applying fertilizers and herbicides to your lawn just before it rains.
• Roadways often serve as collection points for runoff, and any material that washes into the street is passed downstream. Rather than blowing grass clippings and leaves into the street, direct them back onto your lawn or bag them for composting.
• Adopt a drain. (And pledge to keep it clean.)
• Invest in a rain barrel. (Or three)

Plant a Rain Garden

Learn how on this excellent webpage courtesy of the University of Minnesota.

Many flowering plants depend on pollinators such as ants, bats, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, moths, wasps and bees to transfer pollen for fruit reproduction.

These vital creatures help maintain healthy ecosystems and even pollinate crops. Abundant populations of pollinators improve the quality and size of fruits and increase crop production. Many native and non-native plants rely on specific types of pollinators in order to reproduce or bear harvestable fruit.

In turn, pollinators rely on native plants for reproduction, shelter and food. So get planting!

The University of Minnesota webpage is a perfect place to start.

If you have a yard that generates green waste, you probably have the right ingredients and enough room to set up your own compost bin.

Composting is easy, cheap, cuts down your garbage by hundreds of pounds each year and creates an incredibly effective mixture to improve your soil.

Remember! Don't place your compost area next to a wetland, pond, lake or creek - the nutrients that run off can promote growth of aquatic weeds and algae.

For great composting info, visit Living Green.

Keep watering trees through the fall season

Once trees become stressed, they are more susceptible to a number of secondary pests and diseases. However, watering your trees into the autumn, until the ground freezes, will increase tree vigor and reduce the risk of winter damage.

In order to keep the first eight to 12 inches of soil moist (but not over-saturated), follow these guidelines:

New Trees

(one to four years in your landscape)

• Water by rain or hose two times a week for the first growing season.
• Use 1.5 to 2.5 gallons per inch diameter each time you water.
• For the next two to three years, supply water at least once a week.
• Water the root area with a radius of three to six feet around a tree’s stem, depending on the size of the tree.
• Put a layer of wood mulch around the tree base. Check out this page for the correct mulching method.

Established Trees

(five to 150-plus years in your landscape)

• Supply water at least once a week.
• Use 1.5 to 2.5 gallons per inch diameter each time you water.
• Water around the critical radius of the rooting zone, defined as the diameter of the tree trunk times 1.5 feet.
• Water around the tree’s entire root zone, not just the area next to the trunk.
• Mulch.