New Pamphlets Outline Ways to Maintain Healthy Lawns

Nova Scotia's Environment Department has published two new brochures outlining ways people can maintain healthy lawns without relying on pesticides.

"Our department is responding to concerns over the cosmetic use of pesticides in lawns and landscapes," said Environment Minister Michel Samson. "These educational guides are part of a broader pollution prevention program, where the focus is on avoiding or eliminating pollution at the source rather than dealing with it after it has been created."

Both brochures provide practical information based on an integrated approach to pest management. "Such an approach starts with keeping lawns healthy to prevent pests from becoming a problem," said Lynda Rankin, a pollution prevention specialist with the department.

If pests do become a problem, they can be controlled using a variety of methods. "With an integrated approach, pesticides are used as the last line of defence to control weed and insect problems, and treatments are only applied to the affected areas of the lawn," she said.

The department also encourages the use of compost in topsoil and as a top-dressing on lawn every fall. "Compost is nature's harvest. Not only does it reduce our waste, but it is a natural way to grow stronger, healthier lawns," said Barry Friesen, a solid waste resource manager with the Environment Department.

One guide --titled A Pollution Prevention Homeowner's Guide to Preventing Pest Damage in Home Lawns --offers practical and easy-to-follow tips for keeping lawns healthy and preventing pest problems.

The other --A Pollution Prevention Homeowner's Guide to Hiring a Lawn Care Company --explains the terms commonly used by lawn-care companies. It also suggests questions that a consumer can ask to help select a lawn-care service that uses integrated approaches to pest management.

Copies of these brochures are available at the Department of Environment's regional or district offices provincewide. Information will also be made available on the Environment Department's web site, www.gov.ns.ca/envi/dept/rmep/pollut.htm .