Environmental Benefits from Your Lawn
You have surely heard of the environmental benefits of planting trees. Well, your lawn is right in there too, working hard to improve our enviroment. It's all part of a wonderful cycle of interdependence between the plant and animal kingdoms. Man and animals produce waste products which plants must have to thrive and plants produce waste products which man and animals need. Let's take a look at some of the benefits a healthy lawn provide for you:
- Grasses provide a cooling effect which reduces our need for air conditioning in the summer. Grass reduces surface temperatures 30 to 40 degrees as compared to bare soil.
- Grass takes carbon dioxide which it needs to survive, out of the air and replaces it with oxygen which we need. A patch of grass just 50 feet by 50 feet generates enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four.
- Grass clippings which are left on the lawn decay and release valuable nutrients which improve the soil. The contribute to a greener, healthier lawn.
- The extensive system of leaves and roots in grass plants enable them to trap about 12 million tons of dust and dirt from the air annually. Just one acre of grass will absorb hundreds of pounds of sulfer dioxide from burning fossile fuels each year.
- Rain traps pollutants in the air and deposits them in the thatch layer of lawns. There they are broken down rapidly by millions of microbes which live there naturally.
- Studies at Penn State have shown that water runoff as well as water which drained through the soil just two days after a chemical application was usually cleaner than government standards for drinking water.
- Up to 90% of the weight of a grass plant is in the root system. This makes grass very efficient at preventing erosion, and in removing soil particles from silty water.
It's great to know how the forces of nature work to keep our world clean and beautiful and healthful. The plant world and the animal kingdom depend on one another. The time and effort you put into keeping your lawn and landscape thriving payback in several ways: in cooling and cleaning the environment, in adding value to your home, and in creating an inviting useful living space for you and your family.
A BEAUTIFUL LAWN AND LANDSCAPE ADD VALUE TO YOUR HOME
A recent Gallup Survey reported that a beautiful well-maintained lawn and landscape add 15 percent to a home's value according to buyers. Realtors also note that the first impression of the outside or "curb view" of a property is very important. Appraisers also report that a well-maintained lawn and landscape adds to the value of the home.
THE WORLD'S SECOND BEST FILTER
When it rains on pavement, most of the water goes down the drain. When it rains on lawns and gardens, rain is held in the soil until it can filter down to the water table for everyone's use.
Some ground covers do a better job at filtering than others. Healthy grass, for instance, is six times as effective as a wheat field, and four times as good as a hay field. Only a forest does a better job. Healthy turf makes a worthy contribution in filtering our ground water!