Training for Lawn care porfessionals? - Ask Extension
I was wondering if the Extenions program has training for lawn care professioals. I notice a lot of lawn care proiiders do not understand the importa...
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Training for Lawn care porfessionals? #922581
Asked December 01, 2025, 8:16 PM EST
I was wondering if the Extenions program has training for lawn care professioals. I notice a lot of lawn care proiiders do not understand the importantce of sanitaion with regards to their equipment and the need to minimize the transfer of disease from lawn to lawn. Also, how to spot turf diseases and help their clients. At one time I was a certified pesticide applicator in New York. Does Maryland require such certificateion? And who offers it?
Thanks
Joe
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Yes, Maryland requires pesticide applicator certification for any for-hire pesticide applications as well as all outdoor-use neonicotinoid-class insecticide purchases and applications. The Maryland Department of Agriculture regulates pesticides, nutrient applications (both for farmers and for lawn care businesses, such as the MD lawn fertilizer law), and horticulture industry businesses like nurseries. The MDA provides pesticide application licenses and administers qualification exams (there are various license categories someone can apply for), as well as grants recertification credits towards yearly license renewal, which can be earned by attending a variety of conferences throughout the year (many in winter), many of which include presentations by UMD Extension specialists.
For example, the annual Maryland Turfgrass Conference will be held December 16 this year, and topics presented have included diagnostics (fungal, insect, and/or nematode problems of turf), proper fertilization and liming applications based on laboratory soil testing, and IPM practices. You can view some upcoming conferences for the landscape/turf industry on the linked page.
The MDA also publishes a Maryland Professional Lawn Care Manual (in collaboration with UME), the most recent edition appearing to be 2018. The Maryland Turfgrass Council also hosts information from other Extension and MDA publications.
For home gardeners, UME has many web pages about the care and troubleshooting of home lawns. (We are currently in the midst of an overhaul of that content to polish the layout and include more images and detail, and when it's ready to publish, old page links should redirect to the new pages.) Lawn care companies can use those pages both for their own staff education as well as directing clients to them to help them understand the recommended best practices and how to diagnose the most common pest, disease, or abiotic issues.
Miri
For example, the annual Maryland Turfgrass Conference will be held December 16 this year, and topics presented have included diagnostics (fungal, insect, and/or nematode problems of turf), proper fertilization and liming applications based on laboratory soil testing, and IPM practices. You can view some upcoming conferences for the landscape/turf industry on the linked page.
The MDA also publishes a Maryland Professional Lawn Care Manual (in collaboration with UME), the most recent edition appearing to be 2018. The Maryland Turfgrass Council also hosts information from other Extension and MDA publications.
For home gardeners, UME has many web pages about the care and troubleshooting of home lawns. (We are currently in the midst of an overhaul of that content to polish the layout and include more images and detail, and when it's ready to publish, old page links should redirect to the new pages.) Lawn care companies can use those pages both for their own staff education as well as directing clients to them to help them understand the recommended best practices and how to diagnose the most common pest, disease, or abiotic issues.
Miri
