Healthy lawn management includes accurate pesticide records (5-31-10)

With adequate cultural practices of fertility, watering, mowing and pest management our warm-season lawns should be at their peak of performance over the next couple of months.

Pest management is often neglected until the lawn is in serious trouble. Scouting for insects and diseases should be a part of your weekly lawn activities just as mowing. You should also keep accurate records of pesticide applications to your home lawn?

There are many benefits to thorough record keeping of the pesticides we apply to our home lawns:

Effectiveness – use your records to analyze your pest management program. What works and what doesn’t.

Resolve pesticide failures – recorded information will help determine causes of poor product performance due to timing, rates, environmental conditions, etc.

Improve purchasing abilities – records will help in purchasing correct amounts for following years. You’ll save money and eliminate excess pesticide disposal problems.

Determine carryover injury – records are necessary to evaluate the what, when, where, and how much was applied.

Document your legal use – accurate records are your best defense if you are accused of an improper application that causes drift or personal injury.

Provides medical emergency information – if an accident does occur, records can provide medical personnel treatment information.

Published May 31, 2010

Dr. Wayne Wells is an Extension Professor and Turfgrass Specialist. His mailing address is Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mail Stop 9555, Mississippi State, MS 39762. wwells@ext.msstate.edu