Healthy Landscaping

How “Green” is Your Grass?

Having healthy landscaping is more that just green grass and lush foliage, it is a commitment to the health of your employees, customers, and our entire community. Adopting beneficial landscaping practices prevents water pollution, promotes conservation, and it saves time and money spent on excessive maintenance.
Recycling your grass clippings – or “grasscycling” – means that you leave your grass clippings on top of your lawn after you mow. When done correctly, those clippings will rapidly decompose and naturally fertilize your lawn.

Why Grasscycling is Good?

  • Grasscycling naturally fertilizes your lawn, because the grass clippings -and the nutrients they contain -remain on your lawn. As the clippings naturally break down, those nutrients are released back into the soil to nourish your grass. No additional fertilizer needed!
  • Grasscycling saves time, effort and possibly money. No need to collect, bag and transfer grass clippings into your yard waste cart or even transport them to a composting facility.
  • Grasscycling saves water. Grass clippings left on the lawn keep act like a protective cover to your lawn, keeping moisture in the soil and preventing sun damage.
  • Grasscycling reduces waste, because it keeps grass clippings out of the landfill.

How to Grasscycle Correctly

You can grasscycle with any mower. Push-mowers and electric mowers are better for the environment.

  • Take the bag off of your mower. Make sure that your mower has a safety flap to cover the chute. If you are unsure check your owner’s manual.
  • Mow your lawn when the grass is dry to prevent grass clippings from clumping.
  • Mow frequently to keep grass clippings short so they decompose more quickly. If grass is long, mow in a circle so clippings get chopped up several times.

Minimize Turf

Even if you practice grasscycling, maintaining grass consumes time, energy, and resources. Consider leaving natural habitats in tact or utilizing meadows or other naturally low maintenance plantings.

Switch to Natives

Landscape your workplace with native plants. They require much less use of pesticides and fertilizer, because they developed with your specific location in mind. It also creates a great habitat for beneficial native species of birds and butterflies.

Hire a Green Gardener

If like many business, you contract out your landscaping services, hire a Green Gardener. The Monterey Bay Green Gardener Program trains and certifies local gardeners in ecological landscaping, and they can help you find services in your area.

Atlas Organics

At Atlas Organics, we recycle yard trimmings and food scraps and keep it out of landfills, then turn it into a valuable soil amendment to promote sustainable agriculture and landscaping. We provide a quality soil amendment product for landscapers, farmers, nurseries and home growers

Recycled Landscape Materials for Sale (Atlas)

The materials collected in the green carts or dumpsters throughout the Salinas Valley are recycled into products for use in your yard and garden.

Need wood chips or compost for your garden?

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