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The role of knowledge in residential lawn management

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Abstract

Researchers have long argued that environmental knowledge is a necessary component for improving individual environmental behavior. We take up this discussion in the context of homeowner lawn management. Using survey data from a 2011 yard care study conducted in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, we explore the level of knowledge homeowners possess in regards to their lawn, and how this knowledge relates to best management practices as well as the awareness of linkages between the lawn and the local ecosystem. We conceptualize knowledge at an instrumental/technical level and showed that many homeowners were lacking in specific instrumental knowledge of their lawn management. However, individuals with more knowledge of their lawn management were more likely to manage their lawns in a manner consistent with recommended best practices and also were more aware of the local water ecosystem. Essentially, many homeowners had limited knowledge, suggesting that increasing knowledge may help improve best lawn practices, but it alone will not transform homeowners into the highly effective lawn managers.

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Notes

  1. We acknowledge that an equally important piece of instrumental knowledge, in regards to lawns, is pest and disease management. Unfortunately, we did not have survey items that allowed us to test knowledge in this area.

  2. See Appendix I for the knowledge questions, along with the question for all other items used in this analysis.

  3. See Appendix II for the questions associated with these concepts.

  4. Soil testing is offered by a variety of businesses as part of the lawn service. The University of Minnesota Soil Testing Lab provides soil tests at $17 per sample for lawn and gardens. Extension faculty members believed homeowner awareness about soil testing is very low, based on their work over the years.

  5. We chose Lino Lakes and Highland Park for this study based on the following criteria (as described in Dahmus and Nelson, 2014): (1) geographic location along an urban to suburban gradient within Ramsey and Anoka Counties to compare yard choices at two different housing densities, (2) the absence of a major interactive lawn care program for homeowners to minimize external programming influences during the study period, (3) local access to a body of water, and 4) minimal contact with researchers on a related study about homeowner behavior and urban ecosystems (Nelson et al., 2008) in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metropolitan area. In comparing demographics of the samples between the two sites, we observed the following: years owned home (19 for Highland Park and 16 for Lino Lakes), percent of households with children (28 % for Highland Park and 44 % for Lino Lakes), percent white (98 % for both), average age of respondent (55 for Highland Park and 50 for Lino Lakes), percent with a 4 year degree or greater (82 % for Highland Park and 58 % for Lino Lakes).

  6. A 24 % response rate may seem low but recent research has shown a step decline in survey response rates (http://www.people-press.org/2012/05/15/assessing-the-representativeness-of-public-opinion-surveys/) and ours is not far off from what others have noted (Kaplowitz et al., 2004).

  7. We looked at the actual responses to the open ended questions and all but a few responses appeared reasonable, within the ranges recommended in turf management literature. We discuss this further below.

  8. Most answers in the “other” category consisted of “no storm drain” or a local holding pond.

  9. For presentation purposes, knowledge has been condensed from a 6 point ordinal variable to a 3 point variable: scores of 0/1 = “lower knowledge”, 2/3 = “medium knowledge”, and 5/6 = “higher knowledge”.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (Award Number 0908998).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Political Science, University of Saint Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave. JRC 432, St Paul, MN, 55105, USA

    Nicholas F. Martini

  2. Department of Forest Resources & Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave N., St Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Kristen C. Nelson

Authors
  1. Nicholas F. Martini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicholas F. Martini.

Appendices

Appendix I: Knowledge items

The following questions were used to measure individual knowledge of lawn management behavior.

  1. Q1

    What type of grass do you have? Please check all that apply.

    1. 1.

      Kentucky Bluegrass

    2. 2.

      Fine Fescue

    3. 3.

      Rye grass

    4. 4.

      High traffic mix

    5. 5.

      Shade tolerant mix

    6. 6.

      Other _______________________

    7. 7.

      None

    8. 8.

      Don’t know

  2. Q2

    At what height is your household’s mower blade set? Please check one.

    1. 1.

      Less than 2 in.

    2. 2.

      2 in. to less than 2 ½ inches

    3. 3.

      2 ½ inches to 3 in.

    4. 4.

      More than 3 in.

    5. 5.

      Don’t know

  3. Q3

    What type of fertilizer did your household use? Please check all that apply.

    1. 1.

      Synthetic lawn fertilizer

    2. 2.

      Synthetic garden fertilizer

    3. 3.

      Natural organic fertilizer

    4. 4.

      Phosphorus-free fertilizer

    5. 5.

      Quick-release fertilizer

    6. 6.

      Slow-release fertilizer

    7. 7.

      Other __________________________________

    8. 8.

      Don’t know

  4. Q4

    On your fertilizer bag(s), there are three numbers that represent the ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in your fertilizer. What were the three numbers on the fertilizer bag(s) your household used?

  5. Q5

    Approximately how much fertilizer did your household use in lbs? (Open ended).

Appendix II: Additional Survey Items

  1. Q1

    Since you have lived in this house, has anyone in your household tested your soil? Please check all that apply.

    1. 1.

      Yes, for nutrients

    2. 2.

      Yes, for lead

    3. 3.

      Yes, other _________________

    4. 4.

      No

    5. 5.

      Don’t know

  2. Q2

    Which, if any, of the following practices does your household normally follow when you fertilize your lawn? Please check all that apply.

    1. 1.

      Maintain a non-fertilized area near driveways and sidewalks

    2. 2.

      Sweep up fertilizer from driveways and sidewalks

    3. 3.

      None of the above

  3. Q3

    Did your household leave lawn clippings on your yard as nutrients? Please check one.

    1. 1.

      Yes

    2. 2.

      No

      If yes - Did this replace a fertilizer application? Please check one.

      1. 1.

        Yes

      2. 2.

        No

  4. Q4

    How does your household usually determine when to stop watering your lawn? Please check one.

    1. 1.

      When it looks like my lawn had enough water

    2. 2.

      For a standard amount of time

    3. 3.

      Use a probe to determine soil moisture

    4. 4.

      Use a water gauge to determine amount

    5. 5.

      Other

  5. Q5

    What time of day does your household usually water your lawn? Please check one.

    1. 1.

      Whenever convenient

    2. 2.

      Morning

    3. 3.

      Afternoon

    4. 4.

      Evening/night

  6. Q6

    Where does the water from your street’s storm drains go? Please check one.

    1. 1.

      To a water treatment facility

    2. 2.

      To my nearby lake, stream or river

    3. 3.

      Other

    4. 4.

      Don’t know

  7. Q7

    What watershed do you live in?

    1. 1.

      _________________ (open ended)

    2. 2.

      Don’t Know

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Martini, N.F., Nelson, K.C. The role of knowledge in residential lawn management. Urban Ecosyst 18, 1031–1047 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0415-7

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