Unlike trees that store carbon dioxide until they are cut down, turf grass stores it in the soil, so mowing has no effect, Qian said. Her research has also shown that removing, mulching and recycling grass clippings can reduce fertilizer needs by as much as 60 percent. Of interest to contractors: Simply leaving the clippings after mowing will also produce some benefit.

Another benefit of a golf course or other turf planting is its built-in solution to the storm water runoff that bedevils every new subdivision, Qian said. The golf course or park can absorb most of the storm water runoff produced by the suburban “hardscape”—roofs, driveways and sidewalks. As the water is absorbed, the car-related contaminants are filtered out by the soil and thus kept out of the ground water.

In some instances, the storm water runoff is recycled and used to irrigate the golf course.

How about the pesticides that they use to keep all that grass looking so good, someone might ask.

Pesticides are used, but professionals use them in far smaller quantities than your next-door neighbor tends to spray.

Most professionals follow an integrated pest management program that is holistic in approach, explained Ron Calhoun, a turf grass weed specialist at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Widespread use of pesticides for weed control is regarded as expensive and ineffective. A far less costly approach, which also produces better long-term results, looks for the underlying condition that allowed the weeds to get a toehold and then eliminates it.

Source: Washington Post