Hi, 

A 1-2 inch mowing height is rather short even for turf grass. The recommended height is to mow at 3-4 inches or the highest mower setting to help deter weed growth and for optimal grass health. Also, taller grass will produce deeper roots and improve water infiltration, as the roots produce air pockets, thus increasing soil porosity.

Our native plant specialist and ecosystem ecologist both recommend that the first step be to let what is there grow to see what native plants are existing. You could either let the whole area grow or do a "no-mow" test strip. Often, there are a lot of good species! You could then selectively remove invasives. If you discover there is a dense weed seedbed, they may need to practice some weed suppression before re-seeding with native seed and/or plugs. Working small areas allows for some hand-weeding and better control of what gets established and what goes. If you want to transition to natives, a densely seeded native cool-season cover crop like Virginia Wild Rye, in combination with other desirable native grasses, after initial weed control, can help with ongoing weed suppression. The new MD Native Plant Guide (Piedmont Region) is a great resource for selecting commercially available native plants.

No-mow areas would require a once-a-year mowing in late winter (late February or early March). Once a meadow habitat is established, you could focus on only mowing 1/3 of the total area each year on rotation to preserve wildlife habitat for overwintering species. 

Native sedge beds and native grasses can offer excellent erosion control benefits. If you want to consider other ground cover and shrubs, here is a useful resource featuring plants native to our area that provide excellent erosion control benefits: https://mgnv.org/plants/best-bets/controlling-erosion/

When seeding/planting a new erosion-prone area, putting down a double layer of coir (coconut fiber) fabric can help prevent erosion. Make sure to secure it with wooden stakes or landscape staples around the edges.

If you are tackling this project yourself, we would strongly suggest working on converting small areas at a time so the project does not become overwhelming. If you are seeking to hire a landscape professional, you could search for one on the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals' webpage for those trained in these practices.

The Maryland Living Landscapes Metric is another great resource for more tips and resources for residents seeking to implement ecological landscaping practices. 

If you are part of an HOA, neighborhood, or local business, you may also want to seek out rebates or grant opportunities from your local county or city environmental departments. If they do not have any, they may know of other statewide programs that could be helpful!

Emily