From the ground up: Address the carbon dioxide factor in garden

Your carbon footprint or CO2 output is important. As a gardener, do you contribute to the problem or solve the problem? The answer depends on how you garden and what you plant.

Carbon dioxide is a colorless odorless gas put into the atmosphere by animal and human respiration, the combustion of materials with carbon in them like coal, wood and petroleum products, and it's also a byproduct of decomposition by bacteria and fungi.

Carbon dioxide is a double-edged sword for gardeners. CO2 traps other gases in the atmosphere, creating a blanket over earth that has been suspect for climate change and severe weather patterns. CO2 is being absorbed into oceans and lakes forming carbonic acid, making our water more acidic. As gardeners we love it because photosynthesis uses CO2 and water to produce sugars in our plants, increasing growth, which produces oxygen.

Not every plant has a positive effect on the amount of carbon dioxide released into or absorbed from the atmosphere.

A large manicured lawn may contain thousands of plants, but lawns may be a carbon sink, meaning they add more CO2 into the atmosphere than they absorb. Mowing lawns uses petroleum products. Watering lawns consumes a resource that puts CO2 into the atmosphere at the water plant from pumps and transportation. Fertilizing the lawn uses chemicals that can be petroleum based.

Consider making your lawn smaller. Create natural areas or wildlife areas in your yard. Plant a garden that is better for the environment than a lawn.

For every pound of fruit or vegetable you grow you save two pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere. If you don't have lots of space, consider planting containers with vegetables.

One tree will absorb 20 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. A well designed landscape with strategically placed trees can save up to 40 percent of heating and cooling costs. Plant native, long lived, trees. Only actively growing trees absorb CO2. When a tree dies and decomposes, the trapped gases return to the atmosphere. A few well maintained trees in your yard absorbs carbon dioxide.

l Judy Stevens is a Linn County Master Gardener