The lawn is an important part of the home landscape. It provides beauty and a place for recreation around the home. Apart from aesthetics, a maintained lawn cools the air in summer and reduces erosion.
Lawns reduce noise and improve air quality by trapping dust and pollutants.
Lawns will also reduce surface runoff and leaching of fertilizer and pesticides. Increasingly, the public has been concerned about the use of pesticides around the home landscape. IPM helps to maintain an attractive lawn while minimizing pesticide and fertilizer use. IPM does not exclude pesticide use but can reduce or, in some cases, eliminate it. Homeowners, however, should have a realistic approach to maintaining a lawn with the use of no pesticides.