Negative Impact Of Lawns To Our Biodiversity
Put that lazy Lawn to Use !
This subject is near and dear (?) to most of Americans. It’s lawns, grass, turf. We want to convince you that there is a better alternative to lawns that benefits not only you but your surrounding ecosystem. Besides, who can deny that they would rather do something other than mow on their days off?
Scroll down a bit to read about the history of Lawn, its problems and how to replace it!
Why do we have Lawns?
Many lawn grasses are not native to our continent, and when the European colonists stepped on the American continent pasture grasses or perennial lawns were nowhere to be seen. The native grasses like wild rye and marsh grasses were soon decimated by the imported European livestock and replaced by clover and European cool growing grasses.
By the 1640s a lawn seed market existed in the US and by 17th century foreign grasses like Kentucky bluegrass (native to Europe) and Bermuda grass (native to Africa) had already established in the continent.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that lawns started to appear in Europe, specifically France and England. Around this time the immigrants brought gardens first to the US, and a few wealthy Americans returning from their trips to Europe were influenced by what they saw. Thomas Jefferson ‘s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon are examples of this era.
Lawn was introduced to working class American’s in the 19th century. Before the Civil War very few Americans had Lawns, and the word "lawn" itself wasn't common knowledge until this time.
Lawnmowers were invented in the 1860’s, before which grass used to be cut with the aid of cows, sheep, or scythes. Using this latter method, a lawn would be cut perhaps 4 or 5 times during a growing season. This was a time before herbicides, pushed mowers, sprinklers, lawn fertilizers and modern lawn grass cultivars. Without these modern inventions lawn upkeep as we know it today would be impossible because of its dependency on our ability to take care of it.
(From The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession By Virginia Jenkins)
PROBLEMS WITH LAWNS
Did you know that turfgrass or lawn is the largest irrigated agricultural crop in the US? A NASA-led study in 2005 found that lawns take more land than corn, wheat, and fruit orchards combined . There is an estimated 40 to 50 million acres of lawn in the United States of which 40% is residential lawns.
They require high maintenancE
Lawn needs to be mowed, watered and fertilized frequently, and at a cost. During peak growth in summer some Lawns require mowing twice a week if high tidiness level is desired. During drought periods lawn might need irrigation to keep the lawn from going dormant. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 67 million pounds of pesticides are applied to Lawns annually.
Fertilizers are usually recommended to keep a lawn spotless and lush. These fertilizers can run-off into local watersheds with disastrous effects to local water quality and aquatic life. By reducing your area of Lawn you’d save that time and money doing something you’d probably rather do!
They cause a lot air pollution
According to the EPA a new gasoline lawn mower emits the same amount air pollution in one hour of operation as driving a new car for 45 miles. An old 2001 study showed that one hour spent mowing with an older gas-powered mower pollutes as much as driving an older car 100 miles.
The reason for this is that the catalytic converter has been a required component on all cars since 1975 but lawn mowers don’t have catalytic converters because they are not required or regulated. For those with little knowledge in car mechanics: “A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction." Also, gas-powered tools in the garden produce about 5% of all total air pollution in the US.
High water usage
Each day Americans use 7.9 billion gallons of drinkable water to irrigate areas that are mainly comprised of turfgrass.
This fact combined with the large areas of impervious surfaces cause water to run off to streams and sewers instead of the ground to recharge the water table. This combination contributes to our already historically low groundwater situation across much of the country, but especially in the west.
Little wildlife value
The popular turf grasses evolved mostly in Asia and Europe, making them exotic! Our native US insects did not evolve with this grass and it is of little use to many desirable insects, especially if that's the only plant there is (a monoculture) . Long story short – a lawn will not support many of our native insects.
When an area does not have sufficient insects (quantity and diversity), it affects the food web by leaving other wildlife like birds, frogs, toads, bats and spiders (to mention a few) without a supper! Once the base of the pyramid is taken away, other wildlife will find it difficult to survive in that “desertified” -sterile area.
If a habitat has 2-3 native species instead of being totally monoculture it contributes 25-30% more by providing more food and energy to an ecosystem, and it appears the more natives you add the better it gets! Diversity does increase the stability of an ecosystem.
Inappropriate location
We try to force lawn to grow in places where it does not want to grow. Lawn may not grow well in the shade under trees, or in the driest parts of the yard. Grass in ditches or on slopes are difficult and dangerous to mow.
They are boring
Wild nature is full of colors, textures, movement and life, but lawn hardly comprises any of these unless you’re talking about rambunctious children playing on your yard! First of all, Lawn doesn’t bloom or have flowers, thus it doesn’t provide nectar or pollen to anyone. This means that bees and butterflies won’t find your green yard attractive and simply won’t come for a visit.
As summer comes to a close many plants will have beautiful fall foliage, but not lawn! The typical lawn offers little year-round aesthetic interest.
What you can do to improve your yard:
Start by observing how you use your existing yard space and what areas are necessary to retain as Lawn. Some areas you may want to keep as lawn include: a children’s’ playground, game areas, pathways, open view or gathering/dining spaces. Where are these areas located in your yard?
After you have narrowed down the places where you want to leave grass, you can recognize which areas can be turned into a sustainable landscape. If your yard is big it might be a good idea to start small by converting a side yard or a corner to a planting bed.
Different kind of wildlife beneficial areas you could create:
Water garden or pond to provide water and food source for wildlife.
Rock garden or garden border made of wood or rock provides shelter and basking area for our cold-blooded native wildlife.
Organic vegetable garden that provides food for you and your family and creates a habitat and nectar/pollen source for insects especially if you plant wildflowers in the garden.
Wildflower bed or meadow.
How Get rid of the Lawn
There are many cheap and herbicide-free ways to do this, but they all take some time to be completed so plan if you want to be planting soon.
Option 1: Dig it out with a shovel or power tools. Try to remove as little soil as you can by keeping the spade at a low angle. If you want to install something alongside the future plants that requires moving a lot of soil a bobcat is a more suitable option.
Pro: The beds get done quickly.
Con: Physical work. Bobcat leaves tracks and compacts soil.
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Option 2: Suffocate it. Water the desired area of lawn you want to eradicate. Add a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard and 6-10 inches of mulch. This should deprive the lawn of the light and oxygen in 2-4-6 months
Pro: Requires little work.
Con: More materials are needed and some time
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Option 3: Use black or clear plastic to solarize the lawn. This will take less time but is more efficient during hotter and sunnier months of the year. You don’t need a huge piece of plastic if you solarize small sections at a time. This can take 6-12 weeks but if you’re not in a rush it can be left there for much longer.
Pro: Kills weeds and seeds easily. Installing of the plastic is quick and easy.
Con: This option requires patience and a willingness to bear with the sight of plastic in your yard.
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Option 4: Sheet composting. Basically, a thick layer of cardboard is added on the lawn, on top of which you add layers of compostable materials. You can use trimmings from the garden, grass clippings, leaves and shredded newspaper.
Pro: You’ll create good soil base when the bed/area is ready.
Con: Requires planning and patience of at least 6 months before you start planting.
(This article was originally published in our newsletter on September 16th 2021)
