Fertilizers Can Kill Water Ecosystems: Here’s How Dallas, TX Artificial Grass Stops That

Growing a lawn without fertilizers is hard. They boost the soil with nutrients that the grass absorbs to grow and stay healthy. It’s  not all good news, though. They can harm the environment and even destroy ecosystems. The easiest way to avoid this is to stop using fertilizer completely. Don’t worry,though,  that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your dream lawn. You can still achieve it with Dallas, TX artificial grass.

What’s in Fertilizers That Are Bad for Water Bodies?

Most fertilizers contain ammonia, a compound that has nitrogen that plants can’t absorb from the ground. They also contain phosphorus, which helps grow seeds, develop roots, and mature plants.

Nitrogen and phosphorus can do the same for aquatic plants in ponds and lakes, but too much of them can be devastating. They can cause problems that can ruin water ecosystems by supporting the growth of harmful algae. This is called nutrient pollution.

How Do Fertilizer Chemicals Get to Bodies of Water?

Plants only take around half of the nitrogen in fertilizers. The rest either breaks down in the soil or gets washed away when it rains.

The chemicals in the soil can seep deep and reach underground bodies of water like groundwater or aquifers.

Meanwhile, fertilizer runoff can flow to drains and sewer systems, eventually reaching rivers, lakes, or even the ocean.

How Do Fertilizers Kill Water Ecosystems?

Fertilizer runoff can cause toxic algae blooms, which are harmful to both aquatic life and people. This happens due to eutrophication.

Eutrophication occurs when there is an excess of nutrients in an ecosystem. The nutrients cause algae to bloom and grow rapidly, which starves out other organisms. This often also leads to the release of toxins that can be harmful to humans who come into contact with it.

Fertilizer runoff can accelerate the growth of not only algae but aquatic plants as well.These plants eventually die and sink to the bottom of their place, where they slowly rot. The process consumes the oxygen in the water, which can be dangerous if they’re somewhere landlocked, like a pond or lake.

The decomposition will eventually turn the surrounding areas into a dead zone. A dead zone is an area underwater that has extremely low or nonexistent oxygen levels to the point that it can’t sustain life.The dead zone can grow bigger over time, which can weaken fishes and plants. If nothing is done, it will eventually kill the ecosystem.

How Does Dallas, TX Artificial Grass Prevent Fertilizer Runoffs?

Artificial grass is not alive. It doesn’t have any roots that draw water and nutrients from the soil to sustain it. So you don’t have to worry about feeding it with fertilizer. And if there’s no fertilizer in your lawn, its runoffs when it rains won’t contain any chemicals that can harm the environment.

Bonus: Benefits of Going Fertilizer-Free

Going fertilizer-free can do so much more than just stop toxic runoffs. It also comes with these advantages:

Doesn’t Produce Greenhouse Gases

Another problem with fertilizers is that they generate greenhouse gasses after people use them.

The grass doesn’t always absorb all the nitrogen in the fertilizer. What doesn’t get taken up by the plants breaks down in the soil and produces nitrous oxide when it decomposes.

That’s right: you could be contributing to global warming just by fertilizing your lawn!

But if you go fertilizer-free, you don’t have to worry about any of this. You can rest assured that your lawn is not at risk of contributing to global warming. After all, artificial grass putting greens in Dallas never needs fertilizers in the first place.

Prevents Weed Infestations

Weeds love fertile soil. They steal the nutrients meant for the grass, growing quickly and taking up the space meant for the turf. You can pull them out or kill them with weedicide, but it’s usually only a matter of time before they sprout again.

But in an artificial lawn, there are no nutrients in the soil for weeds to absorb. Moreover, synthetic turf is so tough, weeds can’t break through it. So they can’t spread on it.

Help Protect the Environment With Dallas, TX Artificial Turf

Here at Dallas Artificial Grass Experts, we have a wide range of premium artificial grass for different applications, like golf and landscaping.

We can also help you design and install your turf. Our team will walk you through the costs and process before getting started. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Contact us online or call us at 469-224-5879 today.