Grass recyclin
helps cut waste

BACK WHEN [ was a kid, it wa
common practice just to throw vit
your grass clippings with the rest
of the trash, Out of sight, out of
mind.

By Bob Traciriski
Contributing Writer

These days, however, our
municipalities are mandated to
reduce our solid waste. They are
taking action now because the
landfills are filling up fast.

So what can we do to help? Of
course, we've al] heard of recy-
ling. But what about
grasscycling?

Think of it as a natural process
of decay and renewal,

Grass clippings can be left on
the lawn, if they're short clip-
pings. By mowing your yard often
enough that you cut only one-third
of the grass blade in any one
mowing, the clippings will be
short enough to break down easi-
ly. Or you can mulch grass clip-
pings to guarantee that they're
chopped into tiny bits for best
results.

As hard as it may be to believe,
grass is 85% water. Short clip-
pings will decompose quickly and
return about 20% of the nitrogen
to the soil. Experts say that a sea-
son's worth of clippings is equal
to about onc application of a com-
mercial fertilizer.

Here are some simple tips te
help reduce and make use of land-
scape waste:

Nurses were

From page 17

home, should be found for emer-
gency medical aid.

Three nurses had rented a house
on 15th Street, near St. Andrews
Avenue in North Vancouver, and
they indicated to city and district
councils that they were prepared to
undertake the care of indigent
patients,

So it was that Mina and Jenny
Dawson, and another sister,
Margaret Stephenson, opened their
doors and admitted their first
patients on May 15, 1908.

They advertised in The Express,
the local paper, that they were
accepting patients, and the rates
were $17.50 to $20 per week; ward
patients, $1 a day.

The three sisters received glow-

@ Rerurn clippings to the uct

whenever possible,

University research shows that
clippings don't add to thatch,
Thatch is mostly dead grass roots
caused by improper mowing,
watering and fertilizing. fn fact,
recent research shows that the
bacterial action of decaying clip-
pings can retard the development
of fungus diseases — the most
common kind of lawn distress.

Mow when turf is drv.

Remember the one-third rule.
Remove no more than one-third of
the grass blade at any one mow-
ing. But don’t mow the grass too
short. Mow on the high side of the
recommended range for your vari-
ety of turf,

Be sure the mower blades are
sharp.

Use good turf management as a
first defense against turf pests.
Use pesticides only when good
management, which includes
proper fertilizing, watering and
mowing, will not salve turf pest
preolems.

Grass recycling is a simple and
effective way to conserve tandfill
capacity. It saves ime, work and
money and results in a greener,
healthier lawn.

Bob Tracinski is consumer
information manager for the John
Deere lawn and grounds care
division and a certified master
gardener.

‘capable’

ing comments in the press on their
hospital and on how they ran it. A
reporter for the newspaper stated
that the Duwson sisters were very
capable, “professionally trained”
nurses.

“One was a maternity nurse,
graduated from Queen Charlotie’s
Hospital, in London, England. The
other two had graduated from the
Hull Infirmary in England. One was
also a registered nurse ...

North Vancouver's second hos-
pital, run by the Dawson sisters as,
well, was built in 1910 on 12th
Street near Lonsdale Avenue. It was
demolished in 1983.

I would like to acknowledge The
Story of Lions Gate Hospital by
Sally Carswell, and the Heritage
Inventory, for information used in
this article.

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