Healthy lawn’s reputation unfair

As we approach the key season for turf renovation and maintenance, let me remind you why we have lawns in the first place. Believe it – when used properly, turf is environmentally friendly.

Picture in your mind two hills, one covered in grass and the other bare soil. Can you imagine the difference in a rainstorm? The bare hill would wash out, but the grass-covered hill would lose little, if any, soil. Sediment from soil erosion is one of the most common pollutants of surface water in Kansas.

If the hill were covered with trees, shrubs or flowers, their roots would hold the soil in place, but only turf would filter the water as it runs down the hill. The thatch layer (surface roots, stems and runners between the grass blades and soil) binds pesticides and pollutants and prevents them from entering storm drains and ditches that lead to our water supply. Turf roots also support microbial organisms that help break down the pollutants rapidly.

Healthy turf controls weeds better than other plants and mulch. That might be a little hard to believe if your lawn is inundated with crabgrass right now, but if you are like me, the flowerbeds are just as weedy. I have been pulling the crabgrass from the mulched areas, but I would much rather mow it like I do in my lawn.

The benefits of grass to the environment can certainly be canceled out by unnecessary pesticides and excessive fertilization. Get the facts about what your lawn needs instead of just doing what your neighbor is doing or giving in to propaganda.

Kansas State University has several publications with research-based information about lawn maintenance practices. Information is available at www.ksuturf.com, or by calling the Douglas County Extension Office at 843-7058.

Other benefits of turfgrass, from Rodney St. John, Kansas State turfgrass extension specialist:

¢ A 50-by-50-foot section of turf releases enough oxygen for a family of four and absorbs carbon dioxide.

¢ One acre of turf produces more oxygen than 1 acre of rainforest.

¢ Healthy turf can absorb rainfall six times more efficiently than a wheat field.

¢ The front lawns of eight average houses have the same cooling effect as 24 home central air conditioning units.

¢ Grasses planted along a road side will decrease noise levels by 40 percent compared to hard surfaces.

¢ Snakes, mice, rats, mosquitoes and chiggers prefer tall grass and vegetation, so keeping your lawn mowed will reduce the numbers of these pests.

My favorite thing about turf is one that researchers fail to mention. It’s the way grass feels under bare feet or while lying under a shade tree in the first warm days of spring. I like its clean smell, its freshness and its cushion.

For questions about turf maintenance or other garden issues, call a Master Gardener at 843-7058 or e-mail dgemg@sunflower.com.