Recently I read an article that was posted on the California Landscape Contractors Association page at LinkedIn from the San Jose Mercury News regarding Bay Area communities possibly restricting lawn sizes. This has led to lively discussion and in fact has now blossomed into two separate conversations on this topic.
It seems that grass (or lawn turf if you prefer), in many cases, gets a bad rap and has become the environmentalist's equivalent of Quasimodo when in reality everything about a healthy lawn boils down to overall care. It matters not whether it's the front yard patch of lawn or the monstrous expanse of lawn turf at the local park green-scape maintenance is key to a healthy lawn.
For example, we recently experienced five straight days of heavy rain in Southern California from cyclical phenomenon known as El Nino yet how many folks paid enough attention to the weather report and shut off their irrigation systems? From the reaction I have seen from other designers and landscapers some did not.
That said however how many folks that have a lawn and pay good money to water it, even in the rain, have it professionally aerated and properly fed twice a year? I'm guessing relatively few. How many have the auto irrigation system set to water less days but properly timed for longer watering intervals? I'm guessing relatively fewer. How many have an automatic rain sensor? I'm guessing even fewer. How many even know the type of lawn they have in their yard? Even fewer still.
Ah, but how many consistently mow the lawn too short? Um, I'm going to guess most!
Questions like these illustrate that in all reality the problem is not the lawn but how it is watered, maintained and cared for that’s the real issue. And I'm certain that turf grass managers of all types will most likely tell you this is not just an issue with private homeowners but municipalities and recreation districts worldwide.
Before governments make any drastic decisions regarding private homeowners and their lawn issues revolving around proper maintenance and care should be discussed. The American Lawn Care Industry reminds us that a 50'x50' area of typical backyard lawn turf produces enough oxygen for a family of four for a year. This is important to keep in mind when discussing the environmental impact of having a well maintained lawn. The ALCI goes on to state that a properly maintained and cared for lawn offers many environmental benefits among which are the benefits of the cooling effects of lawn turf around homes and neighborhoods. Just eight average healthy front yard lawns have the same cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning - enough for 16 average homes!
Then there are the unseen benefits of pollution control. Dust and smoke particles from the atmosphere are trapped by blades of grass. Just like other plants lawns also convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. Lawns also help with overall water quality. A dense, healthy lawn turf slows down and filters runoff, removes contaminants and prevents soil and the contaminants from running off into drainage systems as well.
It seems to me in our efforts to worship at the alter of the cult of "Mother Earth" and almost deify the issue of "global warming" that we have failed to see the forest through the trees when it comes to understanding the importance of lawn turf.
In order to achieve a healthy lawn proper and consistent maintenance and watering are vital. I would suggest that one of the best and certainly one of the most underutilized aspects of proper lawn care involves professional aeration. Just like golf courses do as part of there regular maintenance programs the average residential lawn will benefit greatly from aeration. Aeration cores about 2 inches of soil from the lawn which relieves build-up compaction. This also allows water and oxygen to reach the root level of the lawn. This is very advantageous to a healthy lawn. It also makes fertilizing the lawn extremely effective and it minimizes runoff.
Yet the overall cost a residential aeration service is relatively inexpensive and even downright reasonable when one considers the overall benefits to the lawn of a twice yearly aeration and fertilizing program. In time the lawn will thrive and be much more healthy with regular aeration. This type of information regarding lawn care and maintenance needs to be at the forefront of our thoughts regarding the sustainability of lawn turf.
For example what is cost/benefit trade-off for both the homeowner and the environment in removing a particular amount of lawn turf and replacing it with other forms of ground cover and whether that ground cover is organic or not? I feel questions like these need to be answered by governments and municipalities before any specific approach regarding lawn turf can be recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment