How Natural Lawns Conserve and Filtrate Water

When deciding between natural grass and artificial turf, one of the most common concerns homeowners have is selecting a lawn that is environmentally sustainable. While aesthetics are certainly an important consideration, your lawn’s impact on the environment should be a top priority to think about. 

In addition to your lawn’s effect on air quality and soil structure, an important topic to consider is water preservation and quality.

In this article, we’ll explain in further detail how natural lawns conserve and filtrate water to promote a healthier planet.

Why are Natural Lawns Important for Conserving and Filtrating Water?

Many homeowners have the misconception that natural grass requires numerous gallons of water on a day-to-day basis, thus having a negative impact on the environment. 

While it’s true that irrigation is essential for a healthy lawn, most lawns require about 1 inch per week. In fact, overwatering can cause damage to lawns and result in dead grass patches or disease outbreaks.

One of the greatest benefits of natural grass, however, is its unique ability to purify acidic rainwater. Caused by air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, acid rain is a growing concern for our planet. 

Fortunately, natural turfgrass is able to filter this rainwater through the microbes in the soil. By purifying the groundwater, natural turf improves the water quality before it enters rivers and lakes.

In addition to filtering groundwater, natural grass prevents soil erosion and runoff, which also helps conserve water. This, in turn, can help your lawn retain more moisture, consequently reducing the need for frequent watering.

Pictured above: A diagram demonstrating how pollutants in acid rain are recycled.

How to Conserve Water with Proper Lawn Management

Because overwatering is a common issue, it’s important to monitor how much water is being applied to their lawn. The following list includes other steps you can take to promote a healthy lawn and water conservation.

• Plant grass appropriate for your location. Oftentimes, homeowners plant turf not suited for their climate. As a result, the lawn requires more resources including water, maintenance and nutrients. For this reason, it is crucial to select the best grass species for your location to ensure water conservation. 
• Select grass with drought resistance. Similar to selecting grass for your location, it’s important to plant grass that is drought resistant.
• Provide deep, infrequent waterings. While it may seem beneficial to water your lawn frequently, lawns thrive best on deep, infrequent waterings. This irrigation method not only conserves water but also prevents soil erosion since it supports deep root growth. 

Find your grass type’s ideal amount of water with our care guides. If you aren’t sure how to measure how much water your lawn is receiving, conduct an easy irrigation audit—who knows, it may even help you save money.

We hope this article helped you as you decide on which kind of landscape you’re selecting. While artificial turf may have its benefits, natural turf is known to be a more environmentally sustainable option for home lawns. 

Water conservation and quality are just two of the many benefits that make natural grass an excellent choice.