The Pollen-trapping Power Of A Lawn
By Tom Ogren, Fri Dec 9th
The Pollen-Trapping Power of a Lawn
Thomas Leo Ogren
Think twice before you give up your lawn.
Lawns are often blamed for causing allergies but the right lawnis actually a powerful allergy suppressor. The best lawn grasseseither do not bloom at all or will not bloom (and producepollen) if they are regularly mowed. What is little understoodor appreciated is that a thick lawn is a very effective pollentrap. Pollen blows about and when it lands on smooth surfaces(cars, cement, roofs, decks, large leaves) it doesn't often staythere for long. The next good breeze to come along picks thepollen up and gets it back into the air.
However, consider what happens when airborne pollen lands on awell-maintained lawn. The lawn is composed of millions of long,slim leaves and the pollen grains fall down between theseleaves. When it rains or when the lawn is sprinkled, the pollengrains are pushed further downward, down to the ground level.There the pollen is trapped and remains. An average sized lawnat an ordinary house will trap and remove hundreds of millionsof grains of pollen each season. A strong growing lawn will trapand remove far more pollen than it will ever produce itself.
To be fair here, a few types of lawns, such as ordinary commonBermuda grass lawns, can be large producers of allergenicpollen. However, common Bermuda produces much more pollen whenit is stressed. When a Bermuda grass lawn is kept wellfertilized, regularly mowed, and well watered, even it willproduce little pollen.
By the way, there are many wonderful new kinds of Bermuda grassthat don't ever produce any pollen. There are also types ofother grasses that are separate-sexed, and with these the femalelawns are also pollen-free. The bottom line here is this: a goodlawn is a thing of beauty; it adds considerably to the qualityof the landscape and to the actual property value. A healthylawn is the safest place for our children to play and where theylike to play the most. Our dogs and cats also appreciate a nicelawn. A lawn is an excellent area for trapping rainwater fromstorms. Rain that falls on a lawn will soak in, not run off tothe gutters.
A lush green lawn has powerful cooling qualities and will cutour cooling costs in the heat of the summer. A well-kept lawnwill not produce pollen and it will trap millions of grains ofallergenic pollen from nearby trees and shrubs. A good lawn is amarvelous thing!
Certain types of lawn mowers may kick up pollen that does landon a lawn. A rear-bagging mower will trap and bag pollen alongwith the grass clippings. A well-maintained
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