The Science Behind Holganix:

Entry 26: Good News About Your Lawn!

This is an extra-special shout out to all of you home owners out there. You can be proud of your green lawn this year. Having a green lawn can have many benefits. Not only does it look beautiful, but also it is good for you, your family and the environment. Here’s why!

1. With up to 90% of the weight of a grass plant in its roots, it makes a very efficient erosion prevention device, also removing soil particles from silty water.
2. Turfgrasses trap an estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released annually into the U.S. atmosphere.
3. Turfgrass helps purify water-entering underground aquifers — its root mass and soil microbes act as a filter to capture and break down many types of pollutants.
4. Playing fields covered with dense turf have proven safer, as demonstrated by a simple egg drop test. When a dozen raw eggs dropped from a height of 11 feet onto a 2-inch-thick piece of dense turf, none broke; two-thirds of them broke on thin turf from that height; and from just 18-inches up, all broke on an all-weather track!
5. A Gallup Survey reported 62% of all U.S. homeowners felt investment in lawns and landscaping was good or better than other home improvements. The investment recovery rate is 100-200% for landscape improvement, compared to a deck or patio that will recover 40-70%. Proper and well-maintained landscaping adds 15% to a home’s value, according to buyers.
6. Healthy dense lawns absorb rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field. Sodded lawns can absorb 10 to 12 times more water than seeded lawns, even after 2 years of growth, thus preventing runoff and erosion.
7. Grass areas quickly affect people’s moods by creating feelings of serenity, privacy, thoughtfulness or happiness, and its yearly cycles of growth and color change lift human spirits and link urban inhabitants with their countryside heritage.
8. Recovery rates among hospitalized patients are often quicker when their rooms view a landscaped area than patients with non-landscaped views. Where vegetation grows, child mortality, suicide and energy consumption are less than in places where there are no plants.
9. A turf area just 50 feet by 50 feet absorbs carbon dioxide, ozone and other atmospheric pollutants and releases enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four. The grass and trees along the U.S. interstate highway system release enough oxygen to support 22 million people.

Your lawn and landscape can make all the difference to the environment and your family! So take pride in your lawn this year and celebrate the hard work of you investment.