HOMEOWNERS RECOGNIZE VALUE OF EXPERIENCED LAWN CARE SERVICE
Lawns provide benefits to the environment. There is an anti lawn movement being created by special interest groups across Canada. Many organizations concerned about fertilizer inputs and other plant health care practices have done their best to change the perception that Canadians have about their lawns and other recreational turfgrass areas.
The truth is that the attempts by these groups to vilify lawns, golf courses and other turf areas in general in an effort to convince people to switch to alternative landscapes could actually be harmful to the environment. Before you begin to dig up your lawn and pave it over or switch to an alternative landscape, you should consider some of the benefits provided by lawns.
The benefits of healthy turfgrass areas are similar to the benefits of trees and have been well documented by Dr. James Beard of Texas A&M, and other turf researchers across North America.
Some of the benefits associated with healthy turfgrass include:
- Healthy turf areas are prolific oxygen producers and help to sequester carbon dioxide. Grass and other plants convert carbon dioxide into clean oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. Thick healthy turf verses thin, dormant or weed infested turf is more efficient and effective in providing this benefit.
- Healthy turf helps to filter and improve air quality. Healthy turf traps and absorbs dust and pollutants from the air helping us to breathe a little easier.
- Healthy turfgrass further helps to clean water that enters the ground. The dense root mass and thatch layer (a thin layer of living and decomposing organic matter between the soil surface and the grass plants) and foliage acts as a natural filter helping to purify water. Water that passes through healthy turf is generally much cleaner than before it enters.
- Healthy turfgrass also helps to moderate air and surface temperature on a hot summer day by as much as 5 degrees C. Turf provides tremendous cooling effect through evapotranspiration or water loss through the leaves helping to moderate temperatures and reduce air conditioning needs significantly in urban environments.
- Turfgrass areas can also help to absorb and reduce noise by as much as 20-30%.
- Healthy turf provides a safe and comfortable playing surface for sports and leisure activities.
- Well kept turf reduces nuisance pests such as snakes, mice, moles and rats.
- Lawns that are well kept generally do not have as many weeds that can contribute to allergies such as ragweed.
- Healthy turfgrass areas are deeply rooted and help to stabilize soil, thus providing effective soil erosion control.
The benefits associated with healthy turf enhance our quality of life and far out weigh the benefits of weak, neglected weed infested turf or alternative landscapes.
There is a misperception in society that lawns are monocultures and that we should do more to promote more diverse landscapes. Lawns are not monocultures. They are usually made up of 2 - 3 species (i.e., Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues) of turfgrass which incorporate different varieties or cultivars within the species. Even lawns that are sodded with 100% Kentucky bluegrass, generally contain three to four different varieties of bluegrass selected for their tolerances to environmental conditions and stress and their ability to grow under adverse conditions.
Although it is a matter of choice whether you prefer the aesthetics of a lawn or an alternative ground cover or landscape (i.e., rocks or pavement), the choice should not be made on the misconception that lawns are bad for the environment. In fact, the opposite is true in that lawns provide tremendous benefits to our environment.
Article written by Darcy Olds, Bayer Environment Sciences
Turf Talk Volume 1 Issue 6 Fall/Winter 2007
Friday, January 29, 2010
HOMEOWNERS RECOGNIZE VALUE OF EXPERIENCED LAWN CARE SERVICE
Monday, October 26, 2009
Why Follow the Crowd?
Friday, October 23, 2009
Carbon foot prints
From Lawn & Landscape (see the full article here) Trees + Turf = Carbon Storage Homeowner Help
Plants grow by removing carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis and incorporating the carbon into above and below ground tissues. In the eastern and northwestern regions of the U.S., trees often are a major component of the urban landscape and the most obvious potential reservoirs for carbon storage. It has been estimated by the journal Oecologia that healthy trees store about 3,200 pounds of carbon per acre annually, or about 7.4 pounds per 100 square feet of space.
It has just recently been recognized that turfgrasses also play an important role in carbon sequestration. In many urban settings, turfgrasses are the major part of the landscape, particularly when recreation areas are considered. It is estimated that turfgrasses occupy about 165,000 square kilometers in the continental U.S, according to the Agronomy Journal and Environmental Management. Healthy turfgrass can store almost 800 pounds of carbon per acre below ground in soil each year, the Agronomy Journal also reports, which equates to almost 1.85 pounds per 100 square feet of lawn or about one-quarter the rate for trees.
Keeping plants in a healthy state is essential for carbon storage to occur, though. Photosynthesis and growth are the carbon generators. To operate at high efficiencies, they require plants to have minimal problems with diseases and have adequate fertility. With turfgrass, for example, maximal productivity has been linked with regular mowing and leaving clippings in place, reports J. Environ Quality. At the same time, it’s important to manage fungal diseases and insect pests because they can negatively impact the potential of turfgrass to sequester carbon. While less is currently known about the ability of horticultural landscape plants to store carbon, one can safely assume they too will contribute to the carbon storage pool but must be kept in a healthy condition.
Healthy, growing landscape plants can offset some of the carbon being generated by individual homeowners. Here is a hypothetical example: A typical gas-powered automobile driven 12,500 miles annually might be expected to release about 2,500 pounds of carbon a year, according to Environmental Protection Agency Emission Facts. A half-acre residence with roughly 50 percent covered in trees could store about 800 pounds of carbon a year. If the remainder of the landscape were turfgrass, it would store another 200 pounds. So, this hypothetical homeowner could offset 1,000 pounds of carbon – 40 percent of their automobile footprint – just by maintaining a healthy landscape.
A common question being posed about green spaces is whether the release of carbon dioxide during maintenance will negate the carbon storage advantages gained with landscapes. With turfgrasses, for example, would gas-powered mowers generate substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and compromise below ground carbon storage? Estimates of carbon use by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute indicate about 50 pounds of carbon dioxide would be released with frequent mowing over the span of a year. That is a quarter of the carbon being stored in the turfgrass, and a fifth of the total 1,000 pounds of carbon sequestered in the hypothetical lawn cited previously. Bottom line, the system stays positive on balance.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Easy Lawn Care
Getting your lawn care looked after by the professionals at Turf King is easy. The King of Green will send technicians out to your lawn. Your lawn will be fed with high quality, fortified organic fertilizer. It takes the same amount of time to fertilize your lawn, whether we apply a mediocre lawn fertilizer or whether we apply Turf King's custom blend. Since the labour cost is the same, we prefer to put on the best fertilizer. Your lawn will be fed for up to 16 weeks.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New/Old Weed Control for Ontario
adfTuesday, June 23, 2009
Leaner green lawns
If you're looking for ways to tighten your budget, make landscaping and lawn care a DIY project.
If you
have a lawn/tree/shrub that needs some Tender Loving Care- get The KING OF
GREEN:
Thursday, April 16, 2009
April is National Lawn Care Month
April is National Lawn Care Month
• A healthy lawn is of utmost importance to our environment. A 50–foot by 50–foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four.
• Lawns cool the atmosphere. Eight healthy front lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning, which is enough for 16 average homes.
• Grass converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, a process that helps clear the air.
• Dense, healthy grass slows water runoff, removing contaminants and trap-ping soil. Fresh, filtered water returns to the underground water supply.
http://www.landcarenetwork.org/cms/home.html
The Benefits of a Well–Maintained Lawn and Landscape.
A well–maintained lawn and landscape can be environmentally–friendly and provide substantial ecological and community benefits in the following ways. ▬- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a valuable green space in the urban environment.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a cleanser of dust and other air of pollutants.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a contributor in solving so–called climate change.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a cushion that minimizes injuries if someone falls.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a filter for pollutants originating from rain water.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a habitat for thousands of species of birds and other wildlife.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a heat–dissipater for cooling the atmosphere, just like an air conditioner.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as an offsetter of carbon emissions.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a preventer of soil and water run–off.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a recharger of moisture in the atmosphere.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a recreational site for children and adults alike.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a reducer of noise and sun glare.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a regulator of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can act as a stabilizer for preventing soil erosion and flooding.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can be used to reclaim and restore environmentally–damaged sites, such as landfills.
- A well–maintained lawn and landscape can significantly contribute to property value improvement.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation
FACT: The Ontario turfgrass industry maintained 390,000 acres of turfgrass in 2007 while generating $2.6 Billion in revenue to the economy. The industry also provided 33,000 full time jobs while spending an additional $1.75 Billion on operating and equipment expenditures.
The Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation has released a detailed report of the economic size of the Ontario turfgrass industry. This comissioned study measures the scale and the breadth of the industry both in physical terms (acreage, employment) as well as in economic terms (gross revenue, expenditures on operating and equipment). The Ontario turgrass industry consists of diverse segments, such as golf courses, municipal parks, sod farms, lawn care companies and sports fields. Surveyed industry professionals and selected turfgrass industry segments, along with other data sources, provided an in depth analysis of the value of Ontario turfgrass industry. The results of this study emphasize the importance of the turfgrass industry to the economy of Ontario.
Click on the following link for a brief summary Highlights of Economic Profile of the Ontario Turfgrass Industry.pdf For a copy of the full report, click on Economic Profile of Ontario Turfgrass Industry.pdf
