Lawn and Turfgrass Facts & Stats
These turfgrass statistics may surprise you:
- In a well maintained, thick 10,000 square foot (929 square meter) lawn there will be 6 turf plants per square inch (25.4 millimeters), 850 turf plants per square foot (30.45 square meters) for a total of 8.5 million turf plants.
- Grass plants are 75 to 80% water, by weight.
- Up to 90% of the weight of a grass plant is in its roots.
- Clippings contain nutrients useable to the grass, when left on the lawn.
- A lawn, 50 by 50 feet (15.24 by 15.24 meters) (2,500 square feet) (232 square meters) releases enough oxygen for a family of four, while absorbing carbon dioxide, ozone, hydrogen fluoride, and peroxyacetyl nitrate.
- A dense, healthy lawn prevents run-off, absorbing rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field.
- Turfgrass helps control pollution, trapping much of an estimated 12 million tons (10.9 million metric tons) of dust and dirt released annually into the US atmosphere.
- The front lawns of eight average houses have the cooling effect of about 70 tons (68 metric tons) of air conditioning, while the average home-size central air has only a 3 to 4 ton capacity (2.7 to 3.9 metric tons).
- As part of a well-designed and maintained landscape, turfgrass increases a home’s property value by 15 to 20 %.
- Safety-sightlines discourage intruders and heighten visibility.
- Absorbs noise and reduces glare.