Homeowners in Edina, Minn., were surveyed in conjunction with a low-input lawn care community educa- tion project. Surveys were sent at the start and finish of the yearlong project, and asked questions pertaining to the respondent's lawn care knowledge, practices, and environ- mental attitude toward lawn inputs. The responses from before the program, compared with those afterward, show overall that homeowners lawn care did not change signifi- cantly by the end of the educational campaign. Responses are useful, however, in targeting future educational efforts. For example, while >80% of respondents were aware of the benefits of leaving mowed clippings on the lawn, <6% knew how much fertilizer is needed yearly for a medium mainte- nance lawn. Participants indicated a 10% weed tolerance was acceptable, but 25% was not; and disagreed with the state- ment "pesticides are not harmful to the environment.”
Six hundred homeowners, equally divided among rural, suburban, and urban areas in Minnesota responded to a 1999 phone survey on their lawn size, maintenance practices, and the perceived environmental impact of their lawns. The average lawn size was estimated to be 0.62 acres (0.25 ha), with an estimated 872,660 total acres (353,427 ha) in home lawns in Minnesota. Annual spending on lawn care per home was about $200, with an estimated $150 million spent annually in Minnesota. Participants reported low maintenance practices and pesticide use. A majority thought fertilizers and pesticides were harmful to the environment and public health. Respondents felt strongly that the government has a right to regulate fertilizers and pesticides in public park and lawn areas, but were divided with regard to the appropriateness of regulation on private property. Many (78.9%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that their lawn was harmful to the environment. Most (60%) felt their lawn could have an effect on the environment and 71% felt they personally could make a difference in the environment by how they maintained their lawn.
fallow for two months. It was then seeded with perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) in the fall of 2007. The area was maintained as a home lawn, mowed weekly at a height of 3.8 cm using a reel mower. Clippings were not collected. Irrigation was
The objectives of the project were to design and implement an educational campaign on low-input lawn care, measure its effectiveness, and use the information gained to develop a model education plan that other communities could use. Residents of Edina, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, initiated the project by expressing an interest in reducing the amounts of chemical inputs (fertilizers and pesticides) used on residential lawns. The program's educational goal focused on teaching Edina's residents about proper timing and rate of application of all lawn inputs, as well as cultural techniques for producing a healthy lawn. The educational campaign consisted of informational articles published in Edina's quarterly community magazine; the establishment of 19 demonstration sites in which volunteer homeowners worked with Master Gardener mentors learning low-input lawn care techniques; a WWW page where information about lawn care and the project itself was posted; and a public seminar conducted by a turf specialist. Two surveys (May 1996 and April 1997) were distributed, each to a random sample of 800 Edina residents. The surveys measured lawn care knowledge and current practices, attitudes concerning pesticide use and the environment, as well as the effectiveness of this educational program. Recommendations for other community educational programs will be presented.
A yearlong community education project was conducted in Edina, Minn., to teach residents about low-input lawn care techniques. Informational articles, a World Wide Web (Web) page, public seminar, and demonstration sites were the four major strategies employed by the project. Each of these teaching methods had a specific objective for influencing the lawn care knowledge and practices of Edina residents. Feedback from surveys at the completion of the project showed that printed articles had the highest familiarity. Based on these results, recommendations are given for other communities to implement low-input lawn care education programs.
A computerized information delivery system (AgTiIPS) was developed to deliver lawn, garden, and horticultural information to the public. AgTiIPS was based on voice-mail technology, which allows the public to access about 100 messages through a tone-producing telephone. AgTiIPS has been functioning in a Wyoming community of 47,000 since July 1990, and has delivered more than 700 messages in 1.5 years. Economic analyses for setting up voice-mail systems were conducted and the role of voice-mail in delivering lawn, garden, and horticultural information was discussed.
In 1991, a suburban city in Minnesota found its lawn and nuisance weed ordinance the center of controversy as a citizen sought to develop a naturalized landscape that contrasted greatly with her neighbors' mowed lawns. This decision case study presents that situation as faced by the city policymakers and, when presented in a class setting, provides an opportunity to explore real options in a real issue of today. The case objectives are to prepare policymakers to deal with similar issues, and to broaden the outlook of students based in plant and environmental sciences to include the social factors of people-plant interactions. Group problem-solving skills also can be enhanced by this exercise. The abridged teaching note provides guidance for classroom and extension use.
Public concern over the impacts of pesticides and fertilizers on ground water quality has been increasing. Health impacts from ingestion of these chemicals in ground water vary considerably. Recent estimates of the volume of pesticides used in the U.S. indicate that home and garden uses account for about six to eight percent of total pesticides used. To obtain information on types and application rates of home garden chemical use, a telephone survey of Virginia homeowners was undertaken in the summer of 1988. Information was obtained on: 1) size of respondents' lawns and gardens; 2) use of a professional service to manage the lawn or garden, 3) what chemicals were applied and frequency; 4) sources of information used in making chemical use decisions; 5) use of product label instructions and difficulty in interpreting instructions; and 6) perceived threat to water quality, human health, or ground water from properly used home and garden chemicals.
In response to a mail survey of the landscape maintenance and lawn care (LM-LC) industry in metropolitan Atlanta, we learned that 76% of respondents fertilized lawns and turf and 68% fertilized ornamental beds. Less than one-fourth of those who provided fertilization services offered an organic fertility option; for those who reported an organic option, an average of 25% of their residential customers used such a service. Complete fertilizers (N-P2O5-K2O), ammonium nitrate, urea, and N solutions were the products applied by most respondents. Average amounts of N per application were ≈1.5 lb/1000 ft2 on lawns and 1.1 lb/1000 ft2 on ornamentals. Of firms that provide fertilization services, 88% use a predetermined application schedule, whereas 88% use visual observation and 69% use soil testing to guide fertilizer management. Only 5% reported using tissue analysis as a fertilizer management strategy. Nitrogen fertilizers were applied most frequently in the spring, with nearly equal amounts applied in summer and fall. Phosphorus was applied most commonly in the fall or spring. Relatively few firms reported applying significant amounts of either N or P in winter. Most respondents indicated that they received adequate information about fertilizers, but few received information about organic fertilization. Commercial sales representatives and trade magazines were cited most often as sources of information; university specialists were the least-cited formal source of information concerning fertilization. We have suggested some research and educational issues to be addressed based on these results.
To conserve space in the Lincoln city landfill, a program for composting urban yard waste was initiated in 1992. Analysis of the first year's compost showed pesticide residues, including chlordane, DDT, DDE, and pendimethalin. We are investigating the concerns of the City Health officials regarding the risk of returning the compost to an urban environment, including use as a soil amendment for garden crops. To determine background levels of the contaminants, a survey was conducted of foundation, lawn, and garden soils of Lincoln properties. Sampling was based on the age of the house: 1 to 24, 25 to 49, 50 to 74, and 75 to 100+ years with three samples taken from each foundation, lawn, and garden. Higher residues were found in the soils of the 25 to 100+ houses than were found in the compost. No pesticide residues were found in the soil from the 1- to 24-year-old houses, with the exception of foundation samples. Chlordane (523 ppb) and heptachlor (44 ppb) were detected in these samples. Greenhouse garden crop studies showed no adverse growth of tomato, petunia, marigold, or sweet corn. Root crops are being analyzed for bioaccumulation.