Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
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40 Landscape and Irrigation August 2014 www.landscapeirrigation.com W hen approaching a business, institution or residence, nothing is more inviting than a lush, rolling lawn. In recent years, however, a movement away from turf has resulted in an abundance of hardscaping and xeriscaping. These alterna- tive landscaping options have their benefits and are perceived as lower cost and maintenance, but their environmental, financial and aesthetic advantages are often comparable, or even inferior, to those offered by natural turf. For landscape professionals, the economic benefit of turf is clear. Lawns require regular maintenance, and can provide a steady income stream. Even when mowing is not as frequent in cooler months, these can be critical times for repairing, dethatching, fertilizing or winterizing turf to ensure a verdant canvas in spring. While growing a lawn care component of a business can create a new or stronger profit center, landscapers may meet resistance thanks to numerous misconceptions among con- sumers. To inform property owners about capturing added value afforded by natural lawns, lawn care professionals must be able to educate them about the real costs, care and ben- efits. First, like other landscaping options, natural turf requires some expenses upfront for installation. It does offer some compelling economic benefits, particularly for homeowners seeking to get the most from their real estate investment. Unlike adding decks or patios to a home, which may allow homeowners to recover 40 to 70 percent of their associated cost, good landscaping with a well-cared-for lawn can recover all the costs and more, with estimates of up to a 200 percent return. Attractive landscaping improves curb appeal and helps get buyers in the door. For larger complexes, such as condo- miniums or apartments, the state of the grounds can also play a pivotal role in the decision-making process. Second, there is a perception that lawns require copious amounts of water to keep green, stressing a precious natural resource, not to mention a maintenance budget. Lawns typi- cally need watering only once or twice per week, but many homeowners do much more and are guilty of overwatering. Whether installing a lawn at a home or at an office complex, work with property owners to select the right type of irriga- tion system for the grounds. Consider the particular climate, as adding features like a rain sensor may pay dividends in places like the Pacific Northwest, where Mother Nature can help pick up the tab. Be sure to program controllers, as well, to ensure watering occurs during the cooler hours of the day and that larger drops fall close to the ground to reduce the amount of evaporation. Additionally, some consumers may have tried natural turf at some point and found it to be difficult to tend in their environment. The fault may not have been with their main- tenance skills, but with the variety of grass selected, as turf is naturally self-repairing. Before recommending or installing a lawn, landscape professionals should have a good understand- ing of the climate, site conditions and lawn use patterns. Such information can help narrow the selection of turf variety. Choosing an appropriate grass for the location and needs will increase the chances that the grass will grow highly resistant and be able to cope with adverse conditions such as drought, frost or even significant foot traffic. With the popularity of xeriscaping, the idea has been propagated that native plants are best for the environment and for controlling erosion. Natural turf, however, makes excellent ground cover. It's inexpensive and highly efficient. Lawns have extensive root systems, which help to bind soil. In addition, a thick, grassy space virtually eliminates runoff as it absorbs rainfall. Under the right conditions, a healthy and natural lawn will also inhibit the growth of weeds while enriching the soil by generating organic matter, which gets broken down further by worms and micro-organisms. Finally, it has been suggested that lawns stress the environ- ment. In fact, expansive lawns help cool the environment. By Bryan Ostlund The Benefits of Natural Turf Landscape and Turf Maintenance How to communicate the advantages of natural grass to your clients Photo provided by Grass Seed USA