HeraldNet: Are lawns bad for the environment?



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Mudrakers

July 2, 2007

Are lawns bad for the environment?

Posted at 10:18 am by Debra Smith

A national professional “landcare” organization sent me a list of tips for conserving water and this statement: a healthy lawn is good for the environment.

Is it?

Turf grass does take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and the roots can filter water.

Lawns also suck up an incredible amount of water and the run off from fertilizers and pesticides gets into ground water supplies.

If you really want to save water, get rid of the lawn and replace it with native plants, shrubs, trees or an ecolawn, which don’t need to be watered, mowed or chemically-enhanced.

That solution, by the way, was nowhere on the tip list.

The reality is most people don't have the know-how or money or both to replace their lawns. There is value, too, in a green space for the kids or pets to run.

Everyone can reduce the size of the yard and stop using “weed and feed” products, most of which ends up running off the lawn. Apply a fertilizer exactly as recommended (more is not better) and spot spray or pull weeds. Water infrequently and deeply to promote healthier turf.

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