Edina goes green part III: A survey of consumer lawn care knowledge and practices

Homeowners in Edina, Minn., were surveyed in conjunction with a low-input lawn care community education 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 environmental attitude toward lawn inputs. The responses from before the program, compared with those afterward, show overall that homeowners lawn care did not change significantly 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 dippings on the lawn, <6% knew how much fertilizer is needed yearly for a medium maintenance lawn. Participants indicated a 10% weed tolerance was acceptable, but 25% was not; and disagreed with the statement 'pesticides are not harmful to the environment'.