!! Commercial Landscaping
Preview ! commercial-landscaping Emerson Lawn Mower Manuals - Lawn Mower Manuals – The Best Lawn Mower Manuals Collection
User Manual: !! Emerson Lawn Mower Manuals - Lawn Mower Manuals – The Best Lawn Mower Manuals Collection
Open the PDF directly: View PDF 
.
Page Count: 2
Solutions to Water Pollution for the
COMMERCIAL
LANDSCAPING
& LAWN CARE
INDUSTRY
ABOUT THIS BROCHURE…
This brochure is one of a series of brochures dedicated to
raising awareness of pollution prevention to protect water
quality. The following landscaping practices will help
minimize water pollution while providing your customers
a healthy and attractive lawn and landscape.
PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPING ASSOCIATIONS
Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA) (www.ggia.org)
Georgia Turfgrass Association (GTA) (www.turfgrass.org)
Metro Atlanta Landscape & Turf Association (MALTA)
(www.malta-inc.org)
Professional Lawn Care Association of America (www.plcaa.org)
Southern Nursery Association (SNA) (www.sna.org)
PUBLICATIONS
2002 GA Pest Control Manual (www.ent.uga.edu/pest2002/)
Grasscycling (http://georgia.earth911.org/usa/master.asp?s=lib&a=
organics/mow/grasscycling.asp)
UGA Cooperative Extension Service publications
(www.ces.uga.edu/pubs/pubsubj.html)
UGA’s Environmentally Friendly Landscaping Practices
(www.ces.uga.edu/Agriculture/horticulture/H-00-060.htm)
UGA’s Xeriscaping Guide (www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/B1073.htm)
Special thanks to
Rose Mary Seymour, Ph.D., P.E. of the University of Georgia, College of
Agricultural and Environmental Science, Biological and Agricultural
Engineering, Griffin Campus.
Clean Water Campaign
40 Courtland Street,NE
Atlanta,Georgia 30303
Design and Installation
• Design a landscape that reduces runoff and
encourages natural infiltration of rain.
- Minimize impervious areas.
- Do not allow bare soil areas in the landscape.
- Incorporate existing native vegetation into the landscape
design when possible and select plants best adapted to
the local climate, soils and growing conditions.
- Choose turf grass that is heat and drought tolerant.
• Protect streams and waterways and reduce erosion by leaving an
undisturbed vegetative buffer along stream banks.
• Do not plant hard-to-mow areas such as steep slopes in turf
grass. Use ground covers, trees, shrubs or other perennials to
reduce plant maintenance.
• Schedule grading and excavation projects during dry weather.
• Mulch or seed areas that lie idle after land disturbing activities.
• Prior to hydro seeding, cover all storm drains to ensure the
material does not get washed into streams, rivers and lakes.
Applying Pesticides
• Read the pesticide label BEFORE you purchase,
handle or apply it. The label provides safe usage and storage
information. It is dangerous and illegal to not use as directed.
• Obtain a Georgia Pesticide Applicators License. For more infor-
mation go to www.agr.state.ga.us/.
• Apply only the amount of fertilizer that the
turf or plant requires.
• Provide soil-sampling services to your customers to assure proper
fertilizer and lime applications. Local Cooperative Extension
Service offices can provide information on soil sampling pro-
cedures and where to get soil analysis services in your area.
• Do not apply fertilizer if heavy rain is predicted.
• Avoid fertilizing during periods of limited rainfall. Fertilizers are
chemical salts and can dehydrate drought-stressed plant roots.
• Use slow-release forms of nitrogen, such as urea formaldehyde,
IBDU or sulfur-coated urea.
Consumer Education
Integrated Pest Management
• Tell your client the benefits of grass
clipping recycling. Lawn clippings left on
the ground can provide nutrients and
lower the amount of fertilizer required.
• After each service visit, leave a ticket telling the customer
what pests were detected, any other problems and recom-
mendations for management. Explain in detail the corrective
actions taken to ensure approval of the management
practices used.
• Maintain membership(s) in a professional landscaping
organization(s) to stay current on maintenance methods and
the newest plant varieties available. Become a certified
professional and advertise this fact to your customers.
Applying Fertilizer
• Properly maintained turf grass improves
soil structure, stabilizes topsoil and reduces
erosion and runoff.
• Avoid mowing more than 1/3 of the grass length. This may
warrant more frequent mowing or changing the mower height
in certain seasons. Use a mulching mower when possible.
• Don’t blow, sweep or dump grass clippings or leaves into
the street, down storm drains or drainage ditches.
• Compost plant clippings, leaves, excess grass clippings and
other plant material, or bag them for curbside pickup.
• Recycle grass clippings. Clippings can provide up to 30
percent of the total fertilizer needs.
• Mulching leaves into the turf with a mulching mower can
also be beneficial.
• Reuse compost in your landscape maintenance. The use of
compost improves soil texture and structure, moisture
retention and adds valuable nutrients.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a practice used by leading
professional landscape companies, integrates a regular monitoring
program with correct diagnosis of pest problems. It promotes
the use of cultural, biological and mechanical means of con-
trolling pests. And, it advocates intervention with pesticides only
when necessary to avoid serious damage.
• The key to a successful IPM program is frequent inspection and
accurate diagnosis of pests.
• Consult your local county Cooperative Extension Service office
for assistance in identifying pests or selecting the best man-
agement option.
• Cultural control methods include proper planting methods, plant
selection and maintenance practices such as using pest-resistant
plant varieties.
• Mechanical control consists of practices like trapping or destroying
pests by hand, pruning infested plant parts and mulching to
prevent weed growth.
• Calibrate fertilizer spreaders and application equipment to
ensure proper rates are applied.
• Around waterways, use a deflector shield with spreaders. Avoid
throwing granules in water and leave a three-foot buffer of
unfertilized turf.
• Minimize the amount of fertilizer applied to non-target areas by
closing the spreader when passing over paved surfaces.
• If fertilizer is spilled or lands on paved surfaces, sweep it up and
apply it to the lawn.
• A light irrigation immediately after fertilizer application will
move the nutrients into the soil so they won’t wash off in the
next storm.
Management of Grass Clippings
• Biological control methods are already in place in nature
in the form of predator-prey relationships. Certain flowering
plants and wildlife enhancements can attract insect-eating
predators that can naturally control pest problems.
ABOUT THIS BROCHURE
Did you know that some of your landscaping and/or lawn
care practices may not be as “green” as you think? Lawns and
landscaped areas have the potential to be sources of water
pollutants such as nutrients, pesticides and organic materials.
For more information about water pollution visit
www.cleanwatercampaign.com
