Care of The Green
Signs to be posted when The Green is being sprayed
2:23 p.m., Nov. 7, 2012--This fall, there has been an increased interest in the lawn care treatment of The Green.
The University of Delaware has not sprayed herbicides on the central Green this fall. The last time anything was applied to the central Green was a spot spray in early August. Since then, all of the treatments, which were spot treatments only, took place in the fenced off areas between The Green and the core campus buildings. At this point in the year, the lawn spraying operation has concluded and will not resume until spring.
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In response to students’ concerns expressed in The Review, the University will begin using local signage when spraying resumes in the spring. While signage is not required by law, student safety is a key priority for the University of Delaware, so UD Grounds Services will take the additional step by posting signage when chemicals are sprayed, along with the date of the application.
The University tries to use green products and performs sustainable cultural practices in maintaining the campus landscape as much as possible. Milorganite, an organic fertilizer endorsed and recommended by SafeLawns.Org, is applied to The Green several times per year. In addition, UD’s Grounds Services staff members use recycling decks on their mowers to return clippings to the soil, thereby reducing the amount of fertilizer needed to be applied to The Green.
UD Grounds Services reports that two products were used on campus this season to spot spray individual weeds: Basagran TO and Powerzone. According to UD’s Department of Health and Environmental Services, these chemicals are both registered for use with the Environmental Protection Agency and are commonly used in this type of setting. They are recognized in the industry as safe when applied as directed, and UD’s Grounds Services personnel are trained and certified to apply herbicides further ensuring safety of those on campus. The University’s use of these products is very limited in nature and done on a spot or as-needed basis and, thus, does not affect general use of the area.