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Fertilize The Lawn, Not The River Jun 09, 2008 ../pictures/thumbnails/00158-Fertilizing-tn.jpg When you're fertilizing the lawn, remember you're not just fertilizing the lawn.

Homeowners and Stormwater - Further Reading

About Fertilizing Your Lawn

You fertilize the lawn. Then it rains. The rain washes the fertilizer along the curb, into the storm drain and directly into our lakes, streams and waterways. This causes algae to grow, which uses up oxygen that fish need to survive. So if you fertilize, please follow directions and use sparingly.

Why?

 
Use fertilizers sparingly and according to instructions to prevent pollution into waterways. Don't fertilize right before a storm.

Don't over-fertilize.

 

Clean water is of vital importance for our health, economy, and environment. It exists in very limited suppy. We all benefit from clean water — and all of us have a role in keeping our lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater clean.

What Is the Problem?

The current number one water pollution problem comes from diffuse or "nonpoint sources" like cars leaking oil, fertilizers washing off of fields, lawns, and gardens, and failing septic systems. Making small changes to ordinary activities around the home, like how you fertilize your lawn, can make a difference.

What Can You Do?

  • Use fertilizers sparingly. Lawns and many plants do not need as much fertilizer or need it as often as you might think. Test your soil to be sure. Consider using organic fertilizers; they release nutrients more slowly.
  • Don't fertilize before a rain storm.
  • Use commercially available compost, or make your own using garden/yard waste. Mixing compost with your soil means your plants will need less chemical fertilizer and puts your waste to good use.
  • Let your grass clippings lay! Don't bag the grass. Use a mulching lawn mower to cut one-third of the bladelength each week and naturally fertilize your lawn in the process.
  • Wash your spreader and equipment on a pervious or penetrable vegetated area like the lawn to allow for the natural absorption of excess fertilizer.
  • Maintain a buffer strip of unmowed natural vegetation bordering watercourses and ponds to trap excess fertilizers and sediment from lawns/gardens.