Turfgrass Warriors,
There are many positive aspects of growing quality turfgrass. Not just the aesthetics or bragging rights….although that can be fun. Many of those positive aspects are related to the environment. Some aspects are even more directly related to our quality of life and our health.
Our Congress has a rather low approval rating. The US Congress approval rating hasn’t been above 20% in several years. The approval rating was at an all time low of 9% in November of 2013. Starting out 2014, it is now about 13%. But, congress has managed to get something right. A recent farm bill noted, “Tree plantings and groundcovers, such as low-growing, dense perennial turfgrass sod in urban areas and communities, can aid in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, mitigating the ‘heat-island effect’ and reducing energy consumption, thus contributing to efforts to reduce global warming trends.” Hooah!
Now, just a few words on the “heat Island effect”. The US EPA describes this effect as: built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas, sometimes referred to as “heat islands”. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8 to 5.4 Degrees F warmer than its surroundings. In the evening, the difference can be as high as 22 Degrees F. Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, like air conditioning costs; air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions (more on this later), heat-related illnesses, mortality, and water quality.
Many communities are taking action to reduce urban heat islands using four main strategies: 1) increasing tree and vegetative cover, 2) installing green roofs (also called "rooftop gardens" or "eco-roofs"), 3) installing cool—mainly reflective—roofs, and 4) using cool pavements. Turfgrass clearly fits into strategy 1. Turfgrass maybe even fits into strategy 2 as well. But, do me a favor, before you start laying sod on the roof of your house; please consult a structural engineer.
Troops, your turfgrass can conduct many missions. Turfgrass helps purify the air we breathe, plays a major role in carbon dioxide/oxygen conversion and helps control soil erosion. Your turf can aid in water purification and water conservation. Turf can also increase soil fertility and control temperature.
One of my favorite American figures in US history, President Theodore Roosevelt, once said, “Grass is what saves and holds the water that keeps life good and going.... It keeps the falling rain from flushing away. Blades of grass take water from the air and transpire it into the ground. That works the other way around too. Because grass blades help put water back into the air so that rain can fall again.” What a guy. He’d have my vote.
Imagine a world without turfgrass. Ever have a picnic on asphalt? Try to teach your child to walk on gravel? I’ve played rugby on some lousy fields. Imagine playing rugby in a dust bowl? I played once on artificial turf. Bad idea. I’m going to run through the benefits of turfgrass and provide you with some very interesting data. Next time someone hazes you about your lawn, tell them some of this information.
Oxygen Generation – The “greenhouse effect” is related to climate change. The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from our planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric “greenhouse gases”, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface and the lower atmosphere, it results in an elevation of the average surface temperature above what it would be in the absence of the greenhouse gases. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, the Earth's surface would average about 59 Degrees F below the present average of 57 Degrees F. So, the theory is, the Earth’s temperatures will rise as these gases increase. The results are melting ice caps, rising seas, marine species extinction, loss of potable water availability, poor food security, shifts in food production areas and changing weather patterns.
The second and third order effects could be unfavorable changes in human health, displacement of certain people, with critical changes to infrastructure and territorial integrity. Not to mention the availability of suitable water and proper farmland becoming a national security risk and perhaps the source of future conflicts.
A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released on March 31, 2014, says the effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the oceans.
Turfgrass Warriors, our turfgrass can be on the forefront of this war against climate change. Our turfgrass needs carbon dioxide to survive. It replaces carbon dioxide with oxygen. Turfgrass is such an efficient carbon dioxide converter that a 50 foot by 50 foot plot of turf can meet the oxygen needs for a family of four. The air is cleansed by the process of Photosynthesis. This process produces compounds used for plant growth while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. All the trees and turf along our country’s interstate system produce enough oxygen to support 22 million people.
Air Purification – In a thick lawn, there are at least 6 turfgrass plants in each square inch, 850 in a square foot and about 8 million in an average lawn of 10,000 square feet. A single grass plant can have 387miles of roots, so, an average size lawn can have some 3 billion miles of roots. With this extensive and intertwined root system, turfgrass is estimated to trap 12 million tons of dust and dirt from the air annually. Smoke can also be trapped. An acre of turf can absorb hundreds of pounds of sulfur dioxide during a year and can reduce ozone, hydrogen fluoride and perolacetyl nitrate. Perolacetyl nitrate is some real bad stuff in smog. It is more stable than ozone and can dissolve more readily in water than ozone. It can also be transported in the atmosphere a real long distance. Our turf can filter all of these things.
Erosion Control – Up to 90% of the total weight of turfgrass is in its roots. The root system I described earlier can also reduce erosion and control harmful runoff. Studies have shown that turfgrass reduces runoff 10 times better than other crops or groundcovers. A given turfgrass area can reduce nitrogen runoff 190 times better and phosphorous runoff 54 times better than those other crops or groundcovers.
Temperature Modification – All plants play a role in climate control. But, our turfgrass is the best. Each blade of grass is like a mini evaporative cooler. An acre of turfgrass, in the summer, will lose about 2,400 gallons of water through transpiration and evaporation which can dissipate approximately 50% of the accumulated solar heat for the same area. Studies at Texas A&M have demonstrated that turfgrass will reduce surface temperatures by 30 to 40 Degrees F in comparison to bare soil; and by 50 to 70 Degrees F in comparison to synthetic turf. The front lawns of just 8 average houses can provide the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning.
Water Conservation and Purification – Our turfgrass can purify water entering underground aquifers because of that root mass I mentioned earlier. And, soil microbes that like turfgrass also act as a filter to capture and break down many pollutants. Healthy turf locks in nitrogen and phosphorous and prevents these elements from leaching into the ground water. Leaching and runoff of nitrogen and phosphorous (along with runoff of soil sediment) mess with sub aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay and therefore, mess with my Blue Crabs and Oysters. I like my Blue Crabs and Oysters. I like to eat them. I do not want them to go away. Got it?
Soil Fertility – See my blog post about soil. Soil is composed of sand, silt and clay. Our turfgrass roots grow in between and among these soil particles or aggregates of these soil particles. Turf exchanges nutrients with the soil and absorbs water from the soil. All of this improves soil consistency. Some of the best soils in the world are where grasslands used to be.
I’ve told you to leave your grass clippings. Well, another reason for that is grass clippings are 90% water by weight. When they are left on the lawn they dehydrate quickly. They are also high in protein and are rapidly decomposed by bacteria and fungi. Grass clippings contain about 4% nitrogen, 2%potassium and 0.5% phosphorous. As I’ve been saying – grass clippings can equal up to 3 applications of fertilizer – WITH NO ADDITONAL COST OR WORK! Make sure the clippings are chewed up fairly small – get a mulching mower or a mulching attachment to your mower. It is environmentally responsible!
All of the helpers we have in soil ecology; bacteria, fungi, actinomyces and protozoa, make the turfgrass root zone their home. More than 930 billion of these little guys can live in a single pound of root zone. The carbon dioxide removed from the air by your turfgrass feeds these guys. The results are soils with much more humus. Remember my blog post on soil? Soil horizon O? (Oscar; not zero.) Okay, so it means soils with more organic matter. Here’s another thought – 100 pounds of dead organisms (like listed above) equates to a 10-5-2 fertilizer being applied.
Quality of Life – A beautiful lawn is in our DNA. Anthropologists have discovered evidence of a large savanna grassland in Africa where some of our prehistoric ancestors came from. Archeologists suggest that the Chinese had lawns more than 5,000 years ago. Even the Mayans and the Aztecs cultivated lawns.
A recent Gallup poll reported that 62% of Americans believed an investment in lawns (and landscaping) was as good as or equal to other home improvements. The investment recovery rate is 100 to 200 percent for landscaping as opposed to 40 to 70 percent for a deck or patio. Many home buyers who were polled believed proper and well maintained landscaping adds 15% to a home’s value.
In studies conducted by the University of Michigan, access to a nearby natural area (like a lawn) was related to an increased sense of satisfaction and general well being. People who actively use their lawns have higher life satisfaction and lower stress levels. Recovery rates for patients increase when their rooms overlook a nice landscaped area. Where there is a nice lawn and landscape, there is less child mortality, less suicide and less energy consumption.
Safe sports are becoming more and more of a concern. I can tell you, grass cushions a player’s fall better than artificial turf. Grass will also “give” when an athlete needs his or her cleats to slip so as to not tear or rip any ligaments in a leg. Have you ever had a “turf burn” from artificial turf? OUCH!
When a dozen raw eggs are dropped from a height of 11 feet onto a substantial, 2 inch thick, turf playing field, none broke. When the eggs were dropped from the same distance on to an artificial turf or on an all weather running track, all of them broke.
Artificial turf also requires replacement every 8 to 10 years.
I already talked about grass and its cooling capability. Artificial turf may reach temperatures of 158 Degrees F when healthy turf, at the same location, would be around 88 Degrees F.
Trees, shrubs and grass can reduce undesirable noise by 20 to 30 percent.
Rodents, snakes, skunks and other small critters are less likely to inhabit a mowed turf area, which keeps them away from your house.
A well maintained lawn can act as a fire-fighting buffer and will not sustain fire like woody vegetation may.
And, finally, turfgrass can reduce glare and light reflection around the home.
I think that about “covers” this topic. (No pun intended.) What has been under our noses, or under our feet, all these years actually has some very good benefits. It benefits us and our planet.
Tuomey Turfgrass Consulting, LLC, is a proud sponsor of Ducks Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. DU's basic mission is habitat conservation. DU conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. Thus far, the total acreage conserved in North America (a/o 01 JAN 13) is: 13,004,228.
On the 3rd of October, 2013, Tuomey Turfgrass Consulting was one of the sponsors of the annual "Smoker" hosted by the Alexandria, VA, Chapter of DU. We sponsored the raw bar. The event was a superb success and a great deal of fun. Support DU! Its for the Ducks...and future generations! Here are some pictures:
Tuomey Turfgrass continues to support the fine work done by DU. On Friday, 09 MAY 14, Tuomey Turfgrass was once again the sponsor of the raw bar at the Alexandria Virginia Chapter Annual Auction and Dinner. A good time was had by all. Below are some of the folks who attended. There is a good picture of the team at the Tuomey Turfgrass table. Get ready for the next event, the annual fall "Smoker" on Thursday, 02 OCT 14! These events are VERY popular. The event back in May sold out in less than 72 hours. Get your tickets early! Start checking http://www.ducks.org/events
at least a month out from the event.
Or, try this...
In this blog post, I’ll be discussing PESTICIDES. I’ve referred to pesticides at various times throughout this blog. But, I’ve never really gotten in depth on the topic. Using pesticides is widespread in the landscaping and agriculture worlds. Without pesticides, our landscapes and crops would be seriously damaged or at least in a great deal of trouble. The incorrect use of pesticides can be harmful to people, plants, animals and the environment. If you are going to use a pesticide, as a turfgrass warrior, you need to know some of the characteristics, precautions and procedures regarding pesticides. There are professionals out there; use them if you can. Just going to the garden center and applying a bunch of stuff off the shelf can be dangerous and harmful. Here’s some background information on pesticides.
Any life form that interferes with the comfort, health or productivity of people is considered a pest. Pests are either weeds, insects (or insect-like), disease causing pathogens or vertebrates. (Like moles – you can read what I said about moles in the blog topic “Lawns we are working on…”) The first step in proper pest control is proper identification. Misidentification is the number one cause of mission failure.
There are really three strategies for pest control. They are: prevention, suppression and eradication. Prevention is used when the occurrence of a pest can be predicted – usually based on seasonal activity or climate based activity or some other cycle. Suppression is when the pest is already present and you want to minimize or mitigate its effects. Eradication means total annihilation of the enemy….I mean pest. Remember the end of the movie Caddy Shack? I think Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) was going for eradication. Eliminating the pest is usually not feasible or economically practical. But, in a high quality stand of turf (Like Bushwood Country Club), eradication may be the only acceptable objective.
There are six methods of pest management: host resistance, biological control, cultural control, mechanical control, sanitation and chemical control. Host resistance is the plant’s natural or in bred ability to fight the pest. Biological control uses the pests natural enemies, like a parasite or predator. Cultural control takes in to account your management practices like mowing or irrigation. Mechanical control uses machines or traps to control the pest. A bug zapper in your backyard is an example of mechanical control. Sanitation involves the removal of resources needed by the pest for survival. Reading your seed bags and using weed-free seed or washing equipment between sites are examples of sanitation practices. Chemical control is what we all think of when we think of pesticides. Sometimes it is the last resort, but chemical control may be the only way to accomplish the mission.
FIFRA – the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act – defines a pesticides as, “…any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any insects, rodents, nematodes, fungi, or weeds, or any other forms of life declared to be pests, and any substance or mixture of substances intended for the use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.” The pesticide can be natural or manmade. They are usually classified by function – like; guess what a rodenticide kills? Correct; rodents.
Pesticides are formulated a few different ways. The ACTIVE INGREDIENT (AI) in the formula is the chemical that kills the pest. Most are diluted in some way to make them safer to handle. The material used to dilute the formula is called INERT or INACTIVE INGREDIENT. Although it is usually water, the inert ingredient may be some solvent or wetting agent. Both active and inactive ingredients together are called the PESTICIDE FORMULATION.
Liquid formulations are Emulsifiable Concentrates (EC), Wettable Powders (WP), Flowables (FL), Soluble Powders (SP), Soluble Liquids (SL) and Ultra-Low-Volume (ULV) Formulations. ECs are not soluble in water but they are oil-soluble. The active ingredient is dissolved in an oil based solvent. When added to water they become milky or an emulsion forms. (An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible; nonmixable or unblendable.) These are very effective because they contain high concentrations of active ingredients. But, they are easily absorbed through the skin (dermal adsorption) of people or animals. WP combines the active ingredient with a dry carrier like mineral clay or talc. They look like dust or baking flour. WP will not dissolve in water. That’s why you got to keep shaking or stirring (agitating) the tank. Be careful not to inhale the powder. A new development is dissolvable bags that are dropped directly into the tank. WP can easily clog filters and nozzles. FL is a finely ground solid that is mixed with a liquid and an emulsifier to make a suspension (A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture containing solid particles. A dispersion of solid particles in a liquid.) So, FL needs regular agitation as well. FL are easier to handle and do not clog as easily. SPs are similar to WP except they completely dissolve in water. No agitation needed. Since most pesticides do not dissolve in water, there aren’t that many available in this formulation. ULV contains 80 to 100 percent of the AI. In some cases, they are distributed and sold “as is” – without solvents - or very little – or you do not have to add anything. ULV needs special equipment and is not really an option for the average homeowner. ULV can be very dangerous to your health without that equipment.
Then you have dry formulations. These are: Dusts (D), Granules (G), Baits and Fumigants. D are finely ground pesticides combined with carriers like chalk, talc,or clay. They are usually ready to use. But, the AI is usually between 0.5 to 10 percent. Dusts are applied dry so they are very prone to drift and inhalation. G also consists of an AI and a carrier – usually clay, vermiculite (which is like a 2:1 clay), corn cobs, fertilizer granules, etc. This is the formulation with which most homeowners are familiar. We usually spread G with seeders and spreaders. GrubEx is a granular pesticide. The AI for G is @ 1 to 15%. The granule usually needs to be activated by moisture.
Baits are usually mixed with some sort of desirable food for the pest and placed in areas where the pest will easily find it. Baits are great for fire ants and mole crickets. Fumigants are poisonous gases. They start in solid or liquid form but enter a gaseous state after application. These gases can get in to very small spaces. I briefly mentioned fumigants in my “WEEDS” blog post. Fumigants are usually put under some sort of tarp. I said in my blog post, “You want to try to put a huge tarp over your entire lawn and pump a carcinogen and a reproductive toxin under it?” Yeah; fumigants are tough to control, they can drift and can be very harmful to humans, animals and other plants. Fumigants are not a tool for the average turfgrass warrior.
Before you use a pesticide, you WILL (That’s an order.) read the label. Of course, my troops always follow the directions. But, you need to know what’s on the label with this stuff. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requires all pesticides to have an EPA approved label. The label is a legal document that provides information and data regarding the laws and regulations. Users may be held legally liable if the pesticide is used incorrectly or anything bad happens.
Here’s what you will find on a pesticide label:
Brand Name
Chemical name
Common name
Formulation – remember the descriptions AND the acronyms I used earlier; EC, WP, etc.
Ingredients
Contents
Manufacturer
Registration and Establishment Numbers – very important in case of poisoning or other liability claims.
Signal Words – like CAUTION, DANGER, WARNING
Precautionary Statements – hazards to people and animals, hazards to the environment and hazards that involve physical or chemical properties – like something could catch fire or explode.
Statement of practical treatment – first aid
Pesticide Classification – classified by the EPA as “general use” or “restricted use.” General use pesticides can be bought and applied by any turfgrass warrior. Restricted use pesticides may only be bought and applied by turfgrass warriors (like me) with a special permit or license. If the label does not say restricted use – it is for general use.
Directions for use – READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS! This is not advice. This is not a recommendation. This is the law; violators are subject to criminal prosecution!
Misuse statement – stresses the need to follow the directions.
Re-entry statement – When can someone go back into the treated area without protective equipment?
Directions for storage and disposal – good safety information.
Manufacturer’s warranty
I say again (Turfgrass warriors never say REPEAT! – That means fire again at the same data!) – do not take this lightly. Whether it is a pesticide, a fertilizer or a bag of grass seed - READ THE LABELS and COMPLY! We need to live to fight another day. Good copy?