We found two “A”-rated lawn care companies on the List that are also part of the Live Green Live Smart partnership in Minnesota: Top Notch Treecare caters to trees and wetland restoration. Gustafson Design, Inc. specializes in site planning and landscaping, including natural and native landscaping. Owner Dale Gustafson has 45 years of experience in the lawn care industry and great insight on what it takes to have a truly green lawn. He encourages all of his clients to get by with the least amount of usage (heavy traffic, kids playing, etc) and treat more areas in native plants, like prairie or low-maintenance grasses. “A lot of people want green grass that their kids can play in without the use of chemical treatments, but those two things are not generally compatible. The old fashioned lush green yard isn't sustainable if you don't maintain it with some degree of chemicals,” he explains. “You have to learn to appreciate the beauty of a natural setting. If you don't see beauty in native plants or grasses, which don’t require a lot of fertilizer or water and maintain and build the soil, you're going to have a problem.” If fertilizer isn’t an option for your lawn, the following steps will produce a reasonable turf, as long as it’s not being used too actively: • Keep your lawn mower very sharp and mow frequently – more than once a week. A sharp mower makes a clean cut and keeps the grass healthier. “Look at the blade a couple days after you mow. Odds are it’s split, and that's hard on the grass,” he says. • Only cut off a little bit of grass, never more than one-third, and leave it on the lawn with a mulching mower to recycle the nutrients. • Consider a mechanical push mower, which is less stressful on the grass because it cuts like a pair of scissors. It will also allow you to maintain frequent mowing schedule without gas consumption. • When it gets hot and dry, don't mow. Also, Angie’s List displays green icons next to every service company that uses green work practices and products inside and outside the home.
