Impact of Landscaping on Soil Carbon

Basics

• This page aims to explore the impact of various Landscaping methods, and Soil Organic Matter
  • This can be both a cost saving aspect (at least in Highly Managed Lawns going for a uniform green grass type look, even if fertilizer is required etc
    • May matter less in a Low Management Ground Cover Only Lawn
  • Furthermore there is the Climate Change aspect of Land Use Change / Carbon Sequestration in Soil etc
• Various other variables/externalities will be discussed on other pages listed in the “Internal Links” section

Hypotheses

Chop and Drop Hypothesis

• Similar to the Permaculture concept of “ Chop and Drop “ , the use of quick growing biomass, and assuming a Mulching Lawnmower rather than a Bagging Lawnmower is used etc, this will create a layer of mulch / thatch that will decompose into Compost essentially, growing SOM

Burnup Hypothesis

• Due to the fine shredding of a mulching lawnmower (and to a lesser extent string trimmer, although if used to essentially scythe/chop down TALL growth, this is less valid), and the non-buried nature of a mulch/thatch layer, it will undergo rapid Aerobic Digestion and short of Ash Content minerals and such will largely have the Organic Fraction “burnt off”
• To what degree Erosion via Wind is also encouraged via mowing also ties into this argument

Experimental Design

• It would be pretty simple…short of having land
• Set up Test Plots
• Have one area basically be “wild”
• Have another area be wild, but occasionally mowed down to a certain height
• Have another area that is a grass mix and left wild
• Have another area that is a grass mix but mowed occasionally
• Have a final area that is a grass mix but HEAVILY mowed at a low deck height
• THEN after a year or more, do a Soil Sample Test and see what you learn
  • Ideally “rinse and repeat”

Internal Links

• Impact of Landscaping on Micro/Nano-Plastic Pollution
  • Essentially does the use of a (Non-Biodegradable at least) String Trimmer impact Soil Microplastics at all/to what extent?
    • Given that (plastic) string is going…somewhere…via mechanical reduction (short of the occasional larger segment that can be picked up+disposed of properly)…where is that plastic dust going+what impacts does it potentially have
• Impact of Landscaping on Biodiversity
  • Ie Time Between Mowing Intervals and Local Biodiversity
• Impact of Landscaping on Evapotranspiration
  • Does more frequent mowing dry the soil out, or does longer grass/grass like mix of plants for ground cover “dry” the soil out more via increased evapotranspiration?
  • Also long term impacts of the microclimate made via a lawn/irrigated lawn etc