Lawn Care: Maggie Wolf gives advice about it and debunks some myths

Maggie Wolf gives advice about myths of lawn care like "early spring applications of a complete fertilizer is critical for a vigorous lawn." And "All lawns need pre-emergent herbicide treatments." And many other myths about lawn care.

Americans seem lawn-obsessed. According to a National Gardening Association survey, homeowners spent $44.7 billion on professional lawn and landscape services in 2006. In 2007, consumers spent $35 billion on lawn and garden products.

Lawns add value to our homes, providing an important part of landscape design, safe play surfaces for sports or children's games and natural cooling of the immediate area. But many homeowners could save hundreds of dollars, put fewer pesticides into our environment and wash less pollution downstream if they would satisfy only the true needs of their lawns, rather than marketing myths. Here are a few common lawn myths debunked:

Read about the myths of lawn care in Maggie's column in today's Salt Lake Tribune.

MAGGIE WOLF is a horticulture agent for Utah State University Extension in Salt Lake County. You can e-mail questions to her at maggie.wolf@usu.edu.

Learn more about caring for lawns in the Utah State University Extension publication "Basic Turfgrass Care," available at your county USU Extension office and online at http://extension.usu.edu/files/gardpubs/hg517.pdf

Reading on Walden Bookstore.