Maine Lawn Care Fun Facts

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1. Did you know? Lawns are very efficient oxygen producers. They are about three times more effective than trees. And, their season to produce oxygen is much longer. Even a smaller sized lawn (50 ft. x 50 ft.) releases enough oxygen daily  to meet the needs of a family of four for 24 hours and absorbs carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride and other toxins.

2. The average homeowner spends round 4 hours per week caring for their lawn. In a climate like Maine that translates into roughly 150 hours a year!

3. There are approximately 50 million acres of grass in the United States. Approximately 21 million of those acres are in our front and back yards!

4. With a well-designed and properly maintained landscape, turf grass can increase the property value of a home by 15% to 20%!

5. 22 million homeowners hire a professional lawn care service for their lawn care needs.

6. About 65% of all water used in American households goes to watering lawns. (In summer, that’s about 238 gallons per person per day.)

7. Thick lawns and thick pastures are less conducive to weed growth. Poor grass care leads to problems. Many weeds are considered invasive, can attract problem insects, and are hard to control once established. Allowing invasive weeds in dominate harms the environment and is costly to remove.

8. Performing good turf maintenance practices benefits us in many ways. A good covering of grass helps protect soil from erosion by holding it together through a complex network of roots. A good stand of grass slows the flow of water, giving it time to be absorbed and helping to recharge the water table. It also shades the soil and slows evaporation.

9. We commonly think of grass as only what’s in our yard, but wheat grass and barley are also types of grass. Breweries and bakers alike use the grains from these types of grass to produce some of our favorite products. 

10. What’s older than grass? Not much according to scientists that found one species of grass of sea grass that dates back to 200,000 years ago. Researches know this species from the Mediterranean Sea to be one of the oldest organisms in the world, at least of the ones discovered so far!