Environmental Benefits of Healthy Lawns Often Overlooked
MARYSVILLE, Ohio, May 11, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Across America, nearly 20 million acres of lawns have sprung back to life, providing a soft landing for kids at play, a blanket for families to picnic and a cushion for bare feet to roam.
Yet the greatest benefit of healthy grass -- what it means to the environment -- is one that is nearly always overlooked. Indeed, turf is about much more than aesthetics. For most of suburban America, it's the foundation of the neighborhood's ecosystem.
"As a society we tend to take the benefits of grass for granted," said Jim Beard Ph.D., one of America's leading turf experts and the chief scientist at the International Sports Turf Institute. "Because it's around us every day, people don't think about the fact that a healthy turf generates oxygen for improved air quality and controls runoff and erosion. Most homeowners don't realize noise and air pollution are reduced in most suburban areas because the grass ecosystem serves as a natural filter for the environment.
"The scientific evidence clearly shows that a healthy suburban lawn is good for the environment."
Specifically, Beard and other scientists say a healthy lawn provides the following environmental benefits:
* Cooling. Lawns have substantial cooling effect via evaporation.
* Clean air: Grass not only creates oxygen but improves the quality of
the environment by removing pollutants and other particles from the
atmosphere.
* Decomposes organic pollutants: Turf organisms are active in the
decomposition of organic waste and hydrocarbons, which leads to soil
improvement.
* Lessens global warming: Grass can absorb and sequester carbon dioxide
greenhouse gases.
* Noise filter. Grass and other ornamentals help absorb sound,
potentially reducing noise pollution in some areas by 20-30 percent.
Perhaps the benefits of turf are largely unnoticed since the suburban lawn as we know it today is a relatively new phenomenon. At the turn of the 20th century, lawns -- where they existed -- were the product of sweepings from haymow and were filled with weeds that were difficult, if not impossible, to control. But in 1907, an Ohio-based entrepreneur named O.M. Scott began offering grass seed by mail that was relatively weed-free for its time. It wasn't until the 1920s that Scott began selling grass seed in retail stores.
O.M. Scott's small-town operation eventually became The Scotts Company, which is still based within a few miles of its origins in Marysville, Ohio. The company, now 136 years old, has grown to become the world's largest marketer of branded products for consumer lawn and gardens.
Throughout its history, the company has continued to innovate and has developed grasses that are easier to grow, more resistant to disease, tolerant of drought and virtually free of weeds. Scotts' other innovations include the first controlled release lawn fertilizer, first pest control product for lawns and the first lawn spreader.
"It's true that most homeowners are making large investments in their lawns because they take pride in the beauty associated with them," said Dr. Karl Danneberger, a professor of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University. "But it's important for homeowners to know that the beauty they're creating actually is helping to support the environment."
Turf scientists say one of the best ways to achieve these benefits is to maintain healthy turf, which means feeding it on a regular basis with a fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. While some people believe these fertilizers are likely to run off a lawn and cause pollution, the scientists say the opposite is true.
"Like human beings, there are vital nutrients that grass needs to be as healthy as possible," said Dr. Beard, who is also professor emeritus at Texas A&M University. "And just like people, if grass is well-fed, it becomes healthier and stronger. Multiple studies have shown that healthy turf acts as a sponge, actually reducing runoff not causing it."
Feeding a lawn is not a complicated process. However, it's important that homeowners apply the product correctly, which means using it in the proper amounts, sweeping excess particles from the driveway or patio back onto the lawn and avoiding putting products on streets, where they can be inadvertently washed into storm drains.
"Responsible use of products not only will help create healthy turf, but it's also a sure way that all homeowners can help to protect the environment," said Chris Schmenk, director of Environmental Stewardship at The Scotts Company. "We certainly don't want to see the environmental benefits of healthy lawns diminished by improper use of our products -- or any lawn care product."
Schmenk urges homeowners to read and follow label instructions for both the use and storage of fertilizers and other lawn and garden products. Homeowners who are confused about which product to buy or how to properly use lawn care products can call the company's toll-free helpline at 800-543-8873 or by visiting the company's web site, www.scotts.com .
SOURCE The Scotts Company
Jim King of Scotts, +1-937-578-5622, or [email protected]
http://www.scotts.com