Ali Clift urges 'soil-first' lawn care at Cape Elizabeth library workshop

Ali Clift, education outreach coordinator for the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District, told a Tuesday evening audience at a library workshop that the foundation for a healthy lawn is healthy soil and that many common lawn products can harm nearby waterbodies.

"What goes in goes out," Clift said, describing how runoff from roofs, driveways and compacted soil carries fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste and road salt into storm drains and then directly to ponds, streams and the ocean. She cited Trout Brook in Cape Elizabeth as a nearby stream that the state Department of Environmental Protection has recognized as impaired for low dissolved oxygen.

Clift walked participants through practical, low‑cost steps homeowners can take: raise mower heights (set blades to about 3 inches and mow when grass reaches roughly 4½ inches), leave clippings to return nutrients, aerate by pulling 3‑inch plugs, and top‑dress aeration holes with a thin layer of compost (about three‑eighths of an inch). "If you have a good foundation, then it's gonna be much easier for you to get grass or whatever else you wanna grow in that soil to grow," she said.

She warned against broad‑spectrum pesticides and overapplication of fertilizers, saying insecticides and other products that wash into coastal waters can kill non‑target animals. "They don't care if they're in land or in water," she said of pesticides. On fertilizers, she noted nitrogen and phosphorus drive algal blooms and oxygen loss; she recommended following soil‑test recommendations rather than blanket spreading.

Clift recommended a University of Maine soil test (she said the standard test costs about $18) for homeowners unsure what their soils need and advised sending samples when ground conditions are dry. She emphasized that nitrogen measurement in mailed samples is unreliable because nitrogen levels change quickly, so soil tests focus on pH, organic matter and phosphorus for management decisions.

Attendees asked about coastal conditions, compost sources, and pest control. For shorefront or sloped yards she advised keeping at least a 25‑foot setback when applying nutrient‑rich compost and timing applications to avoid rain. On grubs, she described options including preventing adult beetles and using species‑specific nematodes (which often need reapplication and refrigeration), and she cautioned that milky spore is less reliable in northern climates.

The session closed with practical tips on watering (about 1–1½ inches per week, preferably early mornings), overseeding timing (spring or mid‑August/September rather than hot midsummer), and alternatives to turf — such as micro clover, pollinator plantings or rain gardens — for homeowners who prioritize habitat or reduced maintenance. Clift made handouts and a follow‑up class available and offered a free one‑hour consultation from her office for residents seeking property‑specific advice.

The library hosted the hybrid program with an online PDF of materials and a survey for participants; Clift encouraged attendees to email her with follow‑up questions.