Water lawn only when needed, and water in the early morning. Keep lawn mower blades sharpened. Dull blades tear grass and increase potential for disease and insect damage. Topdress with either compost material, manure or black soil and then overseed with a hardy variety of grass seed in the early fall or early spring. Pesticides are products designed to kill unwanted pests or weeds.
Pesticide is a broad term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides.
They are, by creation, toxic chemicals which are not benign. 5.2 million to 8 million pounds of pesticides are used on lawns and golf courses in the Great Lakes Basin annually. Lawns and gardens receive heavier doses of pesticides per acre than any other land are in the United States, including agricultural land. 13 of the 18 most commonly used lawn pesticides have been found in ground water or surface water in the Great Lakes Basin. A National Cancer Institute Study indicated that Children are six times more likely to get childhood leukemia when pesticides are used in the home and garden.