Grass isn't always greener in this weather

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Sept 2, 2002 | by John Elvin

We're at the time of year when many home-owners look out at what they had hoped would be, maybe this once, a sea of green grass--only to survey a field of burnt brown. On top of that, many areas mandate water rationing during the hottest spells of summer. Researchers note that the task of creating and maintaining a beautiful lawn is bound to be frustrating in many parts of this country because the climate just isn't suited to the task. You don't naturally find grassy plains in a desert climate, so to produce that effect artificially is going to be an expensive battle.

Of course, the lawn-care industry isn't about to let up on trying to convince us that the battle can be won. A picture may be worth a thousand words. But when it's one of those pretty lawn photos in an advertisement, it's also very possibly worth a thousand dollars out of the pocket of each home-owner it inspires to seed, weed and maintain his little patch for another season.

For a few there's a payoff in monetary terms. Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and Briggs & Stratton, one of the big lawn-care-product manufacturers, put up $10,000 prize money in their "All-American Lawn Contest" each year. Briggs & Stratton also picks the "Top 10 Lawns" from public settings. You might think that little attention would be paid to hype of this sort, but you'd be wrong. The winners often are commercial establishments or institutions that make much of the designation in news releases and advertising.

Last year, when the Arizona Capitol lawn won ranking in the Top 10, the Arizona Republic newspaper touted it in a lengthy article. The 4.5-acre site benefits from the attention of a state work crew of 17, who have other grounds-keeping responsibilities as well. Also, four or five inmates from the Department of Corrections are assigned to lawn-care duties each day.

So, now we're getting a little closer to the secret of lawn-care success. First, go down to the local lockup and borrow a couple of inmates.