April is National Lawn Care Month and while grass is often taken for granted, the value of healthy lawns cannot be overstated.
You can share the benefits of turfgrass with your community by accessing our toolkit, which includes social media graphics, infographics and messages.
A common complaint against lawns is that they are a monoculture that doesn’t support biodiversity. Yet the soil underneath lawns teems with life, featuring as many as 52 different arthropod families, 28 genera of nematodes, plus a complex network of microorganisms.
Healthy lawns have numerous benefits, from environmental to social impacts.
Produces Oxygen and Traps Carbon Dioxide
Turfgrass is excellent at improving air quality as it captures dust particles as well as carbon dioxide. Like all plants, it produces oxygen. According to The Lawn Institute, one 5,000-square-foot grass lawn can produce enough oxygen daily to support 14 to 34 people.
In fact, lawns can produce more oxygen than mature trees per acre. An acre of grass produces enough oxygen for 64 people a day, according to the Maryland Agricultural Statistics Service, while an acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people a day, according to the Growing Air Foundation.
Some may want to rip out their lawns, but areas that have turfgrass removed become a carbon source, rather than a sink, meaning the carbon sequestered in the soil by the turfgrass roots becomes lost to the atmosphere.
“Being sustainable doesn’t have to be the removal or restraint of something,” says Jennifer Jorge, president of King Green, based in Gainesville, Georgia. “Sustainability can be adding the appropriate things so longevity can occur.”
Reduces Heat Island Effect
Well-cared-for lawns can also reduce surface temperatures by 30° to 40° compared with bare soil, and 50° to 70° cooler than streets and driveways. This can also help keep homes cooler on hot days.
Eight healthy front lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning, which is enough for 16 average homes. This is because each blade of grass acts as an evaporative cooler as it engages in transpiration. Transpiration helps reduce temperatures in urban areas by dissipating high levels of radiation.
Slows Soil Erosion and Prevents Runoff
Turfgrass also helps protect soil from wind and water erosion. It is estimated it takes a minimum of 500 years to regenerate 25 millimeters of fertile soil. The fibrous root system helps stabilize nonrenewable soil resources on both flat and sloped surfaces.
Healthy turf has the ability to absorb, conserve and filter water, preventing runoff as well. It serves as a filter that reduces sediment from entering streams and rivers. The dense leaves, thatch, mat and roots of a turfgrass system provide an excellent groundcover that significantly reduces soil erosion and water runoff when compared to other landscape plants or bare soil.
According to the Lawn Institute, natural grass has been shown to reduce runoff and soil losses from erosion by 6 to 18 times greater than bare soil.
Controls Weeds
The very best way to control weeds is with a healthy stand of vigorously growing turfgrass.
Plants compete with one another for resources like nutrients, water, light and space. When one plant has a competitive advantage over another, the stronger plant will squeeze the weaker plant out and dominate the area. Hardy lawns can prevent allergy-related weeds from thriving.
When lawns are well-maintained, it is much harder for weeds to become established as the turfgrass canopy crowds them out. Bare soil can quickly be overtaken by opportunistic weeds.
Boosts Curb Appeal
Thriving lawns not only provide numerous environmental benefits, they can also boost a property’s value. It’s estimated that a well-maintained lawn increases a home’s value by 10-15%, according to The Lawn Institute. Additionally, 79% of Americans say that a lawn is an important feature when renting or buying a home, according to a NALP consumer survey.
A 2023 survey from the National Association of Realtors reported that there is a 217% return on investment for standard lawn care services.
Serves as a Source of Joy and Improves Mental Health
Lawns also boost individuals’ quality of life. Having access to green spaces provides areas for active recreation and passive enjoyment of nature. Numerous studies show that spending time in the yard or a park reduces stress levels, boosts Vitamin D levels, and can help with anxiety and depression.
It has been found that community members are more likely to use common areas if grass and trees are present, promoting social interactions and community ties.
A 2023 survey from the National Association of Realtors reported that when homeowners had a healthy lawn cared for by the pros, they gave the project a 9.4 out of 10 Joy Score.
A healthy lawn absorbs sound, reducing noise levels by 30 to 40 percent, further enhancing a home’s enjoyment.
“Our yard provides an escape from our daily lives,” Jorge says. “Whether it’s homework, screens, projects or to-do lists, they disappear, if only for a short while, so we can enjoy our outside area together. My hope is that by providing a well-maintained yard, King Green can provide this escape to all of our customers.”
