The "honey-do" yard list can get pretty long sometimes.



But what you don't do is often just as important as what you do do — maybe more so. Doing unnecessary jobs can even get you into deep doo-doo, for that matter.



Ponder these items for your "honey-don't" list:



Stop bagging the grass clippings: Bagging clips removes a great source of nutrients while adding to the waste stream.



Cut high enough and often enough that you don't produce clumps, then let those clips break down in place. And, no, grass clips don't cause thatch.



No spraying everything just in case: You're polluting, wasting money and killing off the good bugs along with pest bugs.



Identify plant problems and treat only when and where necessary. Most problems are fairly specific, temporary and cosmetic ... they don't spread to kill everything in the yard if you don't act.



Stop over-fertilizing: Many people overdo it with fertilizer, which also wastes money, pollutes and can be counter-productive to plant health.



Only potted plants benefit from regular fertilizer applications.



An annual spring organic or slow-release fertilizer is enough for most perennials, shrubs and evergreens, while trees usually are fine on their own.



Even lawns don't have to have four or five feedings per year — especially not repeated doses of phosphorus, which is a big problem when it runs off into waterways. Also never fertilize a lawn in summer when it's brown or heading into dormancy from drought.



Less frequent watering: Again, pots usually need water daily but not in-ground plants. Even young annual flowers in beds prefer a deep watering every three or four days to light waterings every day or two. Established trees and shrubs and most established perennial flowers can go weeks without water. Water deeply when you do — enough to dampen the root zone, not just the mulch.



Skip staking routinely: If you're planting a big tree with a little rootball (not a good idea anyway) or planting in a windy area, then, yes, stake. But only for the first year.



Otherwise, skip it. Tree roots actually establish faster when allowed some "play" in the breeze. Just watch that your new tree doesn't start to lean soon after planting. Straighten it and then stake if it does.



Don't remove every fallen leaf: Leaves are a gardener's friend. They insulate plants in winter and break down into wonderful, nutritious organic matter.



Only remove what threatens to mat down the lawn or evergreen groundcovers. Mulch over the rest in spring. And if you feel you must remove them, at least compost them.



Less mulch: Some wood or bark mulch over your beds is good for weed control and moisture retention. Too much is bad.



More than 2 or 3 inches around woody plants and more than 1 or 2 inches around flowers can suffocate roots and hinder summer rain from reaching the soil. Especially harmful is packing mulch up against stems and trunks, which encourages rot.



Don't keep adding more and more mulch if you already have enough. Just cultivate the existing mulch — and pull it a few inches away from those trunks.



Judicious pruning: Do you really need those perfectly manicured balls and boxes? Constant healing and replacement of lost growth is energy-sapping for plants.



Consider lighter, looser and/or less frequent pruning instead of unrelenting, merciless shearings.



Also knock off all pruning by late summer as the landscape heads into dormancy. That's when people are most tempted to whack (after a season's worth of growth), but it's the least healthiest time for plants.



Late-season pruning is also when you'll cut the flower buds off of spring-blooming shrubs.



Less tilling: This can be counter-productive by chopping up earthworms and disrupting air spaces among the soil particles — particularly if clayish soil is tilled when wet.



Loosening the soil makes sense at bed-building time when you're adding organic matter, but after that, just mulch lightly and try not to walk on plant beds any more than necessary.

