Healthy Virginia Lawns


Virginia Cooperative Extension, a partner agency of Loudoun Soil & Water, has a great opportunity to make your lawn more environmentally friendly with the Healthy Virginia Lawn Program.  

Yes, you can have a healthier, greener lawn while also improving the Chesapeake Bay watershed and reducing pollutants.

Most of us habitually trek to the store each spring or when our grass looks like it’s declining, scan the bagged products on the shelf and select what we hope will result in a lusher, greener lawn. Results rarely meet our expectations and create the unfortunate side effect of excessive fertilizer (nitrogen and phosphorus) running off or leaching into nearby streams and rivers. Algae blooms, fueled by these excess nutrients, consume oxygen in the water, block sunlight, suffocate aquatic life and prevent underwater plants from photosynthesizing.

There is a better way. Healthy Virginia Lawns (HVL) volunteers visit your property, complete a site analysis of your yard, measure the area of turfgrass and collect a representative soil sample.  The sample is mailed to Virginia Tech where it is tested and a comprehensive analysis produced.

The HVL team interprets this report and provides a detailed Nutrient Management Plan for your lawn which is sent via email.  The plan clearly states the nutrient applications your lawn does, and does not, need and includes a detailed schedule on when to apply recommended nutrients for best results. By following your customized plan, you save time and money buying and applying only the applications your turfgrass needs while helping to build a healthier Chesapeake Bay watershed.

What clients are saying:

“Thank you for the detailed report on our lawn that will help us maintain it in a responsible way.”

“This is an excellent program and is making a large impact on sustainable lawn maintenance, certainly from my personal experience. We appreciate all the dedicated individuals supporting this initiative and the great work you do.”

Visit www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org/programs/healthy-virginia-lawnsto learn more!

Resources

Learn from the experts and keep our watershed clean from pollutants.

Keeping Brambleton Beautiful: a video about best practices

Best Practices video

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the details about Loudoun’s Healthy Virginia Lawns program in a printable PDF

HVL brochure 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Based Lawn Care Publications

Lawn Resources from Cooperative Extension