YARD WASTE TIPS

Compost it:

• 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.

Don’t pile yard waste near or on the shoreline:

• 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.

Rain runoff, also known as stormwater, can carry gas, oil, and other pollutants from your driveway, soil from exposed or disturbed areas and excess fertilizers from your yard directly into the Bay. Stormwater can also create or worsen shoreline erosion. To reduce the impact of stormwater:

1. Reduce the pollutants that might be carried by runoff.
2. Redirect and minimize the amount of runoff.

Minimize the use of impervious surfaces:

• 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.

Minimize bare and exposed soil:

• 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.

Make your yard a sponge:

• 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.

If you hire a landscape maintenance service, ensure that the landscape service provider follows the tips outlined in each of the Tip sections. Ask your landscaper to use organic fertilizers and alternative pest control strategies.

Pruitt Chiropractic
88 East Main Road
Middletown
(401) 847.8889
www.pruittchiropractic.com