Lawn/Turf including Golf courses

Many resources on this topic are included in SNAP's program page under Organic Land Care Training for Municipal Officials...and Organic Gardening Class/ Tips,. Alterntives/Weeds, IPM.

Also see  bylaws/general, safety

Lawns and Landscapes (Beyond Pesticides)

BACKGROUNDER: Busting the myths about cosmetic pesticide bans (EcoJustice)  worth repeating every year at this time when cosmetic pesticide use starts in earnest.Well-researched 10 point backgrounder. Full of links.

Golf, Pesticides, and Organic Practices (Beyond Pesticides, 'Agricultural chemicals are heavily used on golf courses, with four to seven times greater than the recommended doses meant for any agricultural farms (Feldman, 2020; Golf ventures, 2019).' (Additional burden of cancers due to environmental carcinogens in Newfoundland and Labrador: a spatial analysis  (Rahman et al, Environmental Health Review, 13 November 2020)  For ultraviolet rays , arsenic, disinfection by-products , and agricultural chemicals, the RR (95% CI) were 1.5 (1.4–1.6), 1.25 (1.03–1.51), 1.8 (1.67–1.94), and 1.49 (1.3–1.7), respectively. )

Did Ontario Golf Courses reduce pesticide use with Integrated Pest Management? (Prevent Cancer Now, November 2020) 'Fast forward 10 years: Prevent Cancer Now asked the Ontario Government and the IPM Council of Canada whether or not pesticide use had decreased on Ontario golf courses. Neither could answer. As a result Prevent Cancer Now examined reports from 16 higher-end Ontario golf courses to determine whether use of pesticides had declined. Key findings of the study include:

• overall, use of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides increased between 2010 and 2017 (see bar chart above);
• three fungicides, three herbicides and all insecticides used on the studied Ontario golf courses have been identified as “highly hazardous” by international authorities (e.g., World Health Organization, European Union and US EPA);
• a small number of courses fared better than others, applying one fifth the amount of pesticides (measured as equivalent hectares treated) compared with high users (see line graph below);'

SNAP Comment: For all practical purposes, the answer is mostly NO. Why? Likely because of who the IPM Council or Canada is (industry associations and groups committed to having IPM as standard) and their widely used faulty definition of IPM used. An appropriate definition of IPM prioritizes non-toxic methods first rather than considering chemical pesticides as a same level option.

High Income, Peer-Pressure Correlated with Chemical-Intensive Yard Care Practices   (Beyond Pesticides, December 3, 2019)    ' Lawns cover 63,000 sq ft in the United States, four times as much land as corn, making them the largest crop in the country. So while decisions over whether to irrigate, fertilize, or spray pesticides are made at the household level, even minor changes in practices could have major impacts on the environment... Higher income individuals are 23% more likely to irrigate their property, 26% more likely to fertilize, and 16% more likely to apply pesticides.'  Also discusses alternatives. 

The Great American Lawn: How the Dream was Manufactured. (New York Times) 7:10 minutes video

Lawns on golf courses Dad and the Dandelion (CBC The Nature of Things ,March 2, 2017)  including link to the full episode. trailer  

Resource:  https://osborneorganics.com/ for systems approach to natural turf management: the expert

example of Pesticide Free Park (Beyond Pesticides's 36th National Pesticide Forum, 2018)

Chip Osborne: "Help! I Don't Know What's in my Lawn 1 hour video presentation.  One of the best presentations I have seen on grass! It compares the current pesticide/fertilizer approach to the successful and cheaper alternative approach  developed by Chip. Lots of examples. Basics: correct the deficiencies and feed the soil, not the plants.

Restoring Lawns without Chemicals (Journal of Pesticide Reform/ Fall 2000 • Vol. 20, NO. 3)

Organic Fertilizer Fact Sheet (NOFA Organic Land Care). Specific to granular applications. 

Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards (NOFA Organic Land Care), individuals can learn how to start making a difference in their own yards, lawns and gardens. Pdf version is available online and booklet is also available in store. 

Safelawns.org was a site launched by Paul Tukey who also wrote The Organic Lawn Care Manual, an excellent reference about organic lawn care from seeding to all aspects of maintenance. It is available in Saskatchewan book stores. An excellent DVD on the same topic and othr resources are available through the web site. It no longer exists.

Organic Land Management Practical Tools and Techniques video (2014 Beyond Pesticide Forum, 16 May 1014) Colleen Lockovitch, program manager, Oregon Tilth Accredited Land Care (Covallis, OR) ( first 1/3),  Mulysa Melco, landscape designer and horticulturist, (Resilience Design, Portland) discussing neighgourhood efforts to go pesticide-free (middle 1/3) and Chip Osborne, founder and president, Osborne Organics, Marblehead MA discussing organic lawn care in the last 1/3

Society for Organic Landscape (SOUL) (British Columbia) Lots of on-line classes. e-publications on Organic Land Care,. Under resources/epublications, you can also find sections on Pesticides, GMOs, Xenobiotics, Sudden Oak Death, newsletters and facebook page. 

Great Book for weed Identification and control

Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening Controlling Weeds, Rodale Press, 1995First part deals in general approaches for controlling weeds in different siturations. It is followed by a very well illustrated index of weeds, their preferences and preferred control. I found every weed I encountered in SK illustrated.     Several SK libraries carry the book.

Alternative Landscaping

Rama,. Laureen. Eco-Yards  Simple Steps to earth-friendly landscapes.2009. Beauty Way Creations. Laureen is a landscapers who successfully uses mostly low maintenance native plants.