Lawns & Global Warming

THE BENEFITS OF LAWNS
While we often think of grass as just a pretty natural carpet, growing grass
can actually be beneficial to the environment:

• According to NASA’s Ames Research Center, U.S. lawns collectively absorb
about 12 billion pounds of carbon every year, helping to keep greenhouse gas
emissions from harming the atmosphere.

• Lawns act as a filter to help purify rainwater as it returns underground.
They also act as an anchor for topsoil to help prevent erosion.


THE CONCERNS ABOUT LAWNS
Unfortunately, most Americans grow and maintain their lawns in ways that can
harm the environment, in part because petrochemicals are the foundation of
most lawn care. Conventional lawn care gobbles up fossil fuels, exacerbates
global warming, hogs water, and dumps pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
into waterways, adversely affecting our natural world.

The impacts to the planet and to the health of our families, pets and the
insects, birds and other critters that share our ecosystem are no longer
acceptable. Consider these facts:

• In the U.S., approximately 2.2 billion gallons of fossil fuels are used on
lawn care each year, making grass a major contributor to global warming.
• The typical American lawn, about one-third of an acre, requires 10,000
gallons of water a year. But in dry areas, that can increase to more than
100,000 gallons annually. And the amount of fuel needed to pump the water
is at least equal to the fuel used in mowing. In some cities, as much as
two-thirds of urban freshwater is used to water lawns.
• To create synthetic nitrogen for fertilizers, natural gas must be heated
to up to 1,200 degrees. The amount of natural gas required to make about
200 bags of lawn fertilizer would heat an average-sized home for a year.
Each 40-pound bag of fertilizer contains fossil fuels equivalent to almost 3
gallons of gas.
• A report from the Seattle Public Utilities finds that up to 64% of the
chemicals applied to lawns can run off into waterways. These chemicals in
lakes and streams can kill fish, birds and waterfowl and damage the food web
that supports all wildlife.
• Independent scientific studies have shown that the popular chemical
pesticide Roundup is toxic to earthworms, beneficial insects, birds and
mammals. Plus, Roundup destroys the vegetation on which animals depend for
food and shelter.
• Pesticides and fertilizers turn our lawns into increasingly needy
“junkies.” In the long run, grass needs more and more chemicals to maintain
itself since its natural ecosystem has been destroyed. It is a vicious and
unsustainable circle.

Check out this website for more info:

Source: http://www.safelawns.org

 

OSimpson you post a lot of good stuff like this.

I see you are below your name you are
Habitat Team Chair
.

I also read somewhere habitat is looking for some people right now. Send me a PM as maybe there is something I can do for you all at habitat.


Habitat is one of my favorite organizations of all time and I am extremely proud of what you all have done and are doing.

Lee j

 

Lee, are you confusing this with Habitat for Humanity? I think this refers to wildlife habitat

 

Silence they are both phenomenal

 

Nice cover

 

What's everyones thoughts on Zoysia? I've seen people that just love it and then there are people that say it's a weed. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get my yard looking good and seeding, dethatching, watering, fertilizing, nothing has worked.

 

My resource is US Fish and Wildlife Services. They have "Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping"
National Wildlife Federation and some other organizations that I met through my "Habitat Steward" training respects this publication. Below is what I found about Zoysia.

We are just going to get rid of most of the grass in our property by covering it with cardbord and mulching it on top. 2-3 months later I will start planting native plants.

Good Luck.
About Zoysia:
UPDATED FERTILIZER SPECIFICATIONS AND RATES FOR ESTABLISHMENT
Plant nutrients should be applied based upon established requirements of the plant to be grown,
season of growth, and intended use, as specified in the 1992 Virginia Erosion and Sediment
Control Handbook (Std & Spec 3.31, 3.32, 3.33, and 3.34). The timing and rate of fertilizer
application depends on the type of grass. There are basically two types of grasses, warm and cool
season grasses. Warm season grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia) are those that go dormant in the winter.
Cool season grasses (Fescue, Bluegrass) are those that stay green year round.
1. Recommended Season for Applying Nitrogen Fertilizers
The earliest spring application of nitrogen for cool season grasses is six weeks prior to the last
average frost date (for example, February 6 for Virginia Beach and March 1 for Roanoke). The
latest fall application of nitrogen for cool season grasses is six weeks after the first average frost
date (for example, December 29 for Virginia Beach and December 1 for Roanoke).
The earliest spring application of nitrogen for warm season grasses is the last average frost date
for the region (for example, March 20 for Virginia Beach and April 15 for Roanoke). The latest
fall application of nitrogen for warm season grasses is 30 days prior to the average first frost
date for the region (for example, October 15 for Virginia Beach and September 20 for Roanoke).
2. Per Application Rates
Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer requirements should be determined by a soil test.
Never apply more than one (1) pound of water soluble nitrogen per 1,000 square feet within a 30
day period. The following table itemizes the fertilization rate revisions to standards and
specifications 3.31 Temporary Seeding, 3.32 Permanent Seeding, 3.33 Sodding, and 3.34
Bermudagrass & Zoysiagrass Establishment.