YONKERS, NY — The weather is warming up and lawn owners are hitting the turf once again in hopes to create the perfect lawn. According to the latest lawn care poll by Consumer Reports National Research Center, nearly half (43%) of adults plan to spend more time in their outdoor space this year compared to last year, and only five percent plan to spend less. Consumer Reports’ second-annual lawn poll is part of a special section on lawn-care advice, bargain-yard makeovers, lawn equipment ratings, and mower and tractor maintenance in the May issue of the magazine.
Additional poll results showed that more than a third of adults (35%) plan to put more of an effort into their outdoor space this year compared to last year. Of those, 59% say the extra effort is for entertaining guests and 33% say they want their outdoor space to look better or just as good as their neighbor’s yard.
“We found that homeowners should be prepared to dedicate an average of 6.5 hours per week working outdoors during growing season,” said Peter Sawchuk, project leader at Consumer Reports. “Knowing the best tips and purchasing the right gear and products is half the battle; putting the effort in will ensure the best lawn on the block.”
There are yard owners who are not looking to ‘do-it-themselves’ this year. Over a third (36%) plan to use a professional lawn service this year. The most common services they plan to use this year are lawn and landscape maintenance (22%), fertilizing (18%), trees/shrub care (17%) and seasonal clean-up (17%).
Among the other poll findings:
• 75% of homeowners who mow are men
• 74% of renters are responsible for mowing
• 52% use sprays or traps to rid their yards of outdoor pests
• 47% use or plan to use rainwater for watering to be more “green”
• 40% get rid of outdoor pests with use of home or organic remedies
• 32% have never changed the air filter in their gas mower
• 27% have never sharpened the blades on the lawn mower used most often
• 23% have been injured while using a tractor or riding mower
• 16% have rock gardens
• 9% shoot outdoor pests
