I just read in the Kiplinger Letter a clip about efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. They say there will be regulations put in place in 2010. One of the issues is pollutants from ground water run off. Earth & Turf Products has been talking about this for some time now. The building contractors have taken too much of the topsoil out of subdivisions when they build them and then put back the remaining topsoil poorly resulting in home owners trying to grow grass on subsoil which does not work well. In addition the soil is not very permeable due to lack of organic matter and good macro pore spaces. Because of this lack of permeability when lawn care companies come in and spray chemicals on the lawns to kill weeds or insects and a rain comes along guess where the chemicals go? They go with the rain water runoff into the local stream which flows into a larger stream or river and on down to the good old Chesapeake Bay. No wonder the Bay is polluted and all kinds of bacteria are present in the water.
Hopefully we will begin to see the light, I guess after regulations are forced on us, to do the correct things with our soils to reduce the runoff and pollution.
Aerating and topdressing with good quality compost each year for three years can positively impact the soil, increase permeability and reduce runoff, plus help bring beneficial insects back into the lawn. This with other organic practices will improve your soil which in turn will improve you lawn and help save the Bay.
