Chemical treatment of lawns is beneficial if used properly: Ohio Lawn Care executive

Guest columnist Mark Bennett writes in favor of conventional lawn care methods. He is executive director of the Ohio Lawn Care Association.

The Ohio Lawn Care Association is a collective group of hundreds of professional lawn care operators from across the state. Every day, OLCAs members treat turfgrass in a number of settings including golf courses, parks, commercial and residential lawns. Strong, healthy turfgrass is a critical piece in helping our environment.

The Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Science has found that turfgrasses play an important role in preventing soil erosion, controlling dust and improving water runoff by holding the soil in place. Healthy turf has the ability to absorb and conserve water, filter water and prevent run-off, which is why turf is often used on slopes, roadsides and around parking lots.

Since turf is a perennial and stable ground cover, it slows storm water runoff reducing soil erosion potential and also improves the likelihood of the water infiltrating down through the soil, which improves groundwater recharge. Run-off and erosion of soil is considered to be one of the primary causes of nutrient contamination in our water systems.

How much extra energy would be used to cool a home if it werent for turfgrass? Again, the OSU Department of Horticulture and Crop Science has found that lawns are, on average, 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 20 degrees cooler than bare soil in summer. Turfs cooling effects are also easy to feel. The EPA states the annual mean air temperature of a city with more than 1 million people can be 1.8 to 5.4 degrees warmer than its surroundings, and in the evening the difference can be as high as 22 degrees. This phenomenon, also known as the heat island effect, can increase summertime peak energy.

Dr. Marty Petrovic, of the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, has stated that judicious use of pesticides and fertilizers are needed for more than a cosmetic reason to keep a lawn dense and healthy. Products that enhance turfgrass health, including fertilizers and materials that control lawn pests are safe and effective when applied according to the material label directions. The application safety of lawn care materials is further enhanced when applied by lawn care professionals that follow application best practices, including:

Maintaining a 3-foot buffer strip of untreated turfgrass that abuts streams, ponds, or lakes.

Applying the right material, at the right rate, at the right time, for the right purpose.

The primary material applied to residential and commercial lawns is fertilizer, most of which is now phosphorous-free. Newer lawn care materials are becoming more readily available that have extremely low use rates and/or have extremely low toxicity rendering them nearly non-toxic.

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Chemical treatment of lawns is beneficial if used properly: Ohio Lawn Care executive