Having a beautiful lawn is something homeowners take pride in here in the North Shore. Everyone wants that “perfect” lawn for family and friends to enjoy and for their neighbors to envy.
Maintaining a healthy lawn not only has it looking its best, but it benefits the environment you live in. Unfortunately, when it comes to caring for your lawn there are things that can hurt the environment if not cared for properly.
Too Much Fertilizer Hurts The Environment
Many fertilizers are phosphorus based; phosphorus is a naturally occurring nutrient found in the soil that is essential for your lawn’s health.
Using a regulated amount of fertilizer is not the problem, it is using an excess amount that can be harmful. If your soil already has enough phosphorus and nitrogen, any amount that is added after, will not seep into the grass. Instead, it will be washed away with rainfall or when watering your grass.
This is harmful because it then ends up in the streams and lakes through the sewer drain, which algae will feed off. Too many algae can end up hurting marine life, and any surrounding freshwater environment.
So how do you prevent this? The overall solution is to know the nutrients that are in your soil and what it requires before any products are added. This is why it’s important to know the correct time frame in between product applications when doing it yourself.
Water Runoff
During a hard rain you can experience run offs, especially if you have an area in your lawn that isn’t covered by much lawn. During a hard rainfall, soil, mulch, and gravel can wash away creating things like channels, divots, and holes.
The runoff water can get into storm drains and sewers, clogging them, causing overflow into streets and homes. It can eventually make its way into ponds, creeks, and lakes, polluting these bodies of water with the excess of products.
Keeping a healthy lawn can help prevent runoffs. It slows down the flow of the water on the lawn long enough where the water can go back into the ground rather than running off causing flood damage.
Better Air Quality
Like all healthy plants, having a healthy lawn improves the air quality around you, it is extremely useful for creating oxygen. Your grass and plants take in carbon dioxide, which then help to produce the oxygen we breathe in every day.
Although oxygen is good for the overall health and growth, trapping carbon dioxide is key. Too much can lead to high air temperatures and other environmental problems.
When you have a healthy lawn, the grass helps to catch allergens, dust, and other airborne particles that cover the surface. It breaks down these pollutants while removing carbon dioxide from the air and trapping dust particles so that you aren’t breathing them in.
Healthy Grass Reduces Air Temperature
Believe it or not, your lawn, trees, and shrubs, all work together to help reduce air temperatures. When grass is heated by the sun, it cools itself off through transpiration. Transpiration is a fancy name for lowering your grass temperatures through evaporation, that’s why they are usually a few degrees lower than the areas above the lawn.
Having a healthy lawn surrounded by grass and trees, helps keep it cool. That is why on a hot summer day your lawn will still feel cooler on your bare feet.
You don't have to choose between helping the environment or having a lawn you can be proud of. Trust licensed professionals to keep your lawn healthy without leaving a carbon footprint.
If you're looking for more information on environmental benefits of lawn care or are simply ready to speak with someone about your lawn care needs, go to www.GrassmasterPlus.com or call 978-769-3595 for a free quote today!