Celebrate Earth Day at home by sprucing up your own green space! Part of contributing to our environment is properly taking care of our lawns, outdoor spaces and community playgrounds and parks for the enjoyment of our families and communities. Debug the Myths has a few suggestions on how to recognize the meaning of Earth Day in your own back (or front) lawn.
1) Properly water, fertilize and care for your lawn. Well-maintained turfgrass can help reduce soil erosion and better trap rainwater to reduce run-off. The grasses hold soil in place to prevent it from being washed into lakes, rivers, and streams, and, according to the Lawn Care Institute, turfgrasses trap an estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released annually into the atmosphere.
2) Take care of your lawn and the green spaces in your community. Studies by the Human Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign indicate that green spaces are gathering places that create close-knit communities and improve well-being. It’s important to keep these areas usable and enjoyable. Overgrown weeds can pose risk to children and adults as more than one-half of the U.S. population is allergic to noxious weeds like poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.
3) Learn more about how to read the pesticide and fertilizer product labels. When using these products, the label is the law. This ensures protection of the environment, people and pets and ensures the product’s effectiveness. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the pesticide label process to verify that all required information is included. The EPA requires rigorous testing of these products for 8 to 10 years before they’re released to consumers, ensuring their safety and benefits when you use them properly. For more information about proper selection and use of lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides print off and take a copy of Choose Right/Use Right with you the home center or lawn and garden retailer.
How are you celebrating Earth Day? And what are your questions about how to care for your lawn and landscape? Our experts are here to help!
