Lawn Care

Today, lawns cover a huge area in places such as Australia and the USA. Recently, a NASA-sponsored studyestimated the area that is covered by lawns is about 128,000 square kilometers - that's nearly 32 million acres! This makes them the largest irrigated crop in the entire United States - more than three times that of irrigated corn.

Lawn care is big business. Estimates of the amount of money spent on professional lawn care services do vary, however one survey has put the total at around USD$28.9 billion in 2002, which equates to about USD$1,200 per household, when spread across the 24.7 million households who use these services.

A Study has recently shown that:

• 67 million pounds of pesticides are applied to roughly 30 million acres of lawns in the U.S. each year.
• The #1 most water intensive crop in the United States is lawn grass. The average lawn is doused with 10,000 gallons of water each year (in addition to rainfall).
• Synthetic fertilizers run off into streets and local waterways, choking aquatic life and polluting our water.
• The EPA estimates that a mower emits as much pollution in one hour as a car emits in driving 20 miles.
• Numerous studies have linked common household herbicides and pesticides to asthma, cancer, reduced fertility and neurological harm to fetuses, infants and children.
(- organicconsumers.org)

V Jenkins, notes in her book The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession (1994), that the current rage for a chemically dependent lawn arose after the end of World War II, and she argues that "American front lawns are a symbol of man's control of, or superiority over, his environment." Around 50-70 % of U.S. residential water is actually used for landscaping purposes and most of this is used just to water lawns.

Together with trees, lawns have a vital role in the fight against urban heat islanding. Lawns provide oxygen conversion, together with the filtering of air particulatesand aiding erosion control. Lawns also aid air and surface cooling required to offset miles of new asphalt, cement, and rooftops. When compared to just plain bare dirt, lawns may be 20 degrees F cooler on a hot day, and even up to 40 F degrees cooler than surrounding cement surfaces.

Lawn care maintenance, construction and their management of various kinds are the sole focus of much of modern horticulture techniques industry today. The overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilisers have played havoc with our water supply for a long time, and if we are to continue our obsession with lawns, then we must find a way to bring this into a better balance.

Some Organic Lawn Tips:
• Relax: Don't be afraid to let your average lawn height be higher than the local putting green. Taller grass has deeper roots, which requires less watering.
• Seed: You get what you pay for. If you need to seed bare spots in your lawn, be aware that cheaper grass seeds tend to have more weed contamination than higher-end products.
• Weed: Use a dandelion digging fork instead of purchasing dangerous pesticides.
• Mulch: Grass clippings can provide the majority of nutrients needed by a lawn.
• Fertilize: For yards that require fertilization, most garden centers now carry organic fertilizers that are better for your lawn and the environment.
• Mow: Use electric, rechargeable or push mowers. Mow grass when it's dry and make sure the blade is sharp to reduce damage to grass.
(- organicconsumers.org)