It’s so easy to take turf for granted amid the flowering shrubs, blooming dogwoods and intricate fountains featured in professional landscapes. But turf provides some impressive benefits that equal, and in some cases surpass, its aesthetically pleasing look when green, full and healthy.
This article describes some of these turfgrass benefits that lawn care customers should understand.
REDUCING NOISE. Research has shown that turf, as well as other ornamentals, has the ability to reduce noise by up to 30 percent. Its ability to absorb sound surpasses padded indoor carpeting, and sounds that bypass lawn and garden areas are generally softened in their quality.
One study conducted to demonstrate the sound absorbing quality of turf compared freeway noise after passing over embankments of turf vs. bare ground, and the turf embankment reduced the noise level by eight to 10 decibels.
Adding Real Value |
Professional lawn and landscape care may be considered a luxury by some, but the truth is that a well manicured landscape provides outstanding value to homeowners in the form of greater percieved property value. A Gallup survey reported that 62 percent of all homeowners in the United States believe that an investment in lawn care and landscaping is as good or better than other types of improvements. A well maintained landscape will add 15 percent to a home’s value, and the investment recovery rate for landscape improvement is 100 percent to 200 percent of the actual cost. - Paul Schrimpf |
TEMPERATURE CONTROL. Turf is a superior cooler of air temperatures in the heat of the summer. On an average size street of eight houses, the front lawns have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning, compared to the average home central air conditioning unit, which has a three- to four-ton capacity. On an average summer day, an acre of turf will release about 2,400 gallons of water through evaporation and transpiration, which effectively eliminates half of the heat that reaches the turf.
This temperature control feature of turf makes it pleasant to use for recreational activities, even on hot days. It also serves to keep homes cooler overall.
ALLERGIES. Well-maintained turf reduces the proliferation of weeds that release pollen and aggravate people’s allergies. Turf is usually mowed at a height too low for the plants to go to seed, so turf is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.
Keeping it Healthy |
While professional care is an important factor in the maintenance of a healthy lawn, there are some things that customers should do to the lawn to ensure they are getting the best value for their lawn care dollar. The Professional Lawn Care Association of America recommends the following lawn maintenance practices to help maintain healthy grass: SOIL SAMPLING. Turf must have the proper amounts and proportions of nutrients, as well as the correct pH level, in the soil in order to thrive. Ask your lawn care professional about having your soil sampled and analyzed by a testing laboratory to ensure your soil is in balance and fertile. GRASS SELECTION. When reseeding or seeding bare spots in the lawn, don’t be tempted to purchase seed from the economy bin. There are wide variances in the quality of turf seed in the market, and you usually get what you pay for when you choose based on price. Always buy name brand seed that grows well in your region and that will stand up the amount of wear it will receive. MOWING. PLCAA recommends mowing at the highest recommended height and mowing often. Never remove more than 1/3 of the blade each time you mow - mowing too close stresses the turf and opens it up to potential weed, disease and insect problems. WATERING. The rule for irrigating turfgrass is to water deeply and infrequently. The turf should be watered to a depth of 4 to 6 inches, which promotes healthy root growth and minimal waste. Frequent, light watering keeps the leaf blades wet and may promote disease problems. |
PURIFYING WATER. The turf-soil profile provides an ideal environment for the degradation of contaminants and the cleansing of rainwater. As water runs through the thatch layer, soil and root layers, these contaminants are held and degraded by soil microbes that are highly active in the soil profile. Materials that these microbes degrade include pollutants and chemicals, including turf pesticides.
Turf-soil profile is also a highly efficient user of applied fertilizers. Grass plants absorb fast release nitrogen fertilizer quickly, and the soil-thatch layer holds the remaining product effectively for later use by turf. Very little leaches through the soil profile.
AIR CLEANER. Turf has the capacity to absorb some of the world’s most insidious pollutants, including carbon dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide and assimilate them into its leaf blades. And, like other plants, turf turns carbon dioxide into oxygen. The rate at which it creates oxygen is impressive - a 25-square-foot area of turf generates enough oxygen to supply one person for a day, while the grass and trees along the country’s interstate system produce enough oxygen to supply 22 million people daily.
Don’t take your turf for granted - its benefits are enormous, and it deserves the best care you can provide.
Information for this article was excerpted from the publication, Lawn and Sports Turf Benefits, by Eliot and Beverly Roberts.
The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.
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