Desirous of the velvety pile of a luxury grade lawn? As well as being pleasing to the eye and relaxing, there are many benefits lawns bring to help the ecosystem too. Wonderfully aesthetic and incredibly beneficial to your local environment, come with us as we explore 20 remarkable facts about lawns we bet you didn’t know before!
1. The verdancy of your lawn depends upon the species of grass, the amount of fertilisation, the time of year, climate, aspect and rainfall/hydration levels.
2. In a well-cared for, luxurious 10,000m2 lawn there can be as many as 8.5 million plants.
3. Feeding and raking in spring and autumn will keep lawns thick & healthy, as well as restore lost nutrient reserves in the soil.
4. Lawns help purify water as it soaks through the ground by filtering, absorbing and breaking down pollutants through the root mass and action of microbes present.
5. Ornamental lawns are, as the name suggests, more a thing of beauty to be admired rather than used. They won’t stand up well to heavy traffic or children at play, so if your lawn is likely to double as a football pitch or garden party venue then opt for a grass seed or turf made up of a mix of Bents, Fescues and a healthy dose of Perennial Ryegrass or Meadow grass.
6. An acre of turf produces more oxygen than an acre of rainforest and can produce enough to sustain 64 people per day.
7. For a real showpiece lawn, consider aerating turf with an aerator or fork at intervals every few years. It relieves compaction, improves drainage and stimulates growth. Badly compacted lawns will benefit from annual aeration until they’re looking lustrous again.
8. At this time of year, it’s best to raise the cutting level on your mower as grass growth starts to slow. This leaves a longer leaf on your turf, allowing the plants to maximise their use of lower sunlight levels.
9. Feeling the heat? Make for your lawn. Turf has a cooling effect, so the temperature over a lawn on a hot day can be 10-14 degrees cooler than paved areas.
10. Lawns absorb noise – which may help if you live near a high-traffic area.
11. They also reduce glare.
12. The net carbon intake of a well-managed lawn is 5-7 times higher than the carbon which is released when mowed.
13. Left to naturally decompose, lawn clippings can add beneficial nutrients and lead to the lawn. Clippings from a healthy 90m2 lawn can contain the equivalent nutritional benefits of three lawn fertiliser applications.
14. Turf prevents soil erosion by knitting together otherwise loose earth.
15. The lawns of eight average houses can cool around 68 metric tons of air conditioning.
16. Did you know that an acre of turf can absorb hundreds of pounds of fossil fuel air pollutants?
17. A lawn the size of an average standard garage releases enough oxygen for a family of four, while absorbing carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride and peroxyacetyl nitrate.
18. A dense, healthy lawn absorbs rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field, which can help prevent run-off and flooding.
19. Lawns trap dust and dirt preventing them from being released into the atmosphere.
20. And finally, dress your lawn for success! An annual application of top dressing (a mix of good quality soil and humus) in early autumn helps to fill minor hollows and build up ideal soil over the years.
Does your lawn need a little TLC or maybe you’re looking for a new luxury grade lawn? Our attentive garden maintenance team of top horticulturalists offer an additional lawn care programme allowing garden owners to sit back and enjoy gorgeous green pastures.
Let us take the strain out of keeping your garden glorious. Talk to the team to find out how we can help.
