Is The Grass Really Greener On The Other Side
Actually it depends upon how you define “green.” If emerald-green grass is all you’re looking for, it may really be greener next door. But if you think “green” means a healthy lawn and a healthy environment, you may want to take a careful look at what it takes to achieve that bright green grass.Nitrogen is necessary for Florida lawns to grow in our sandy soil, and the more nitrogen a lawn gets, the greener it will be (within reason, of course, an overdose of fertilizer can kill a lawn too). The problem comes when the grass can’t absorb all the nutrients it’s been fed, so they leach from lawns when it rains or the lawn is overwatered.
The nutrients flow through creeks, rivers and stormwater systems into Sarasota Bay where they fuel the growth of algae. The overgrown algae blocks sunlight from the bay bottom so seagrasses can’t grow, and it consumes the oxygen other animals need to survive. (A dead zone the size of Massachusetts at the mouth of the Mississippi River, for instance, is caused by excess fertilizer leaching from farms across the Midwest.)
And while scientists are still divided on whether excess fertilizer causes red tide, many believe that high levels of nutrients feed the toxic algae once it nears our shoreline, so it may last longer and kill more fish than it would without an abundant food source.
Working Toward a Science-Based Consensus
Local governments across Southwest Florida are struggling with regulations that restrict the application of fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphate, particularly during the summer rainy season. Sarasota County passed an ordinance restricting the use of fertilizer in the summer months two years ago and similar ordinances will take effect in Lee County and the City of St. Petersburg this summer.
Scientists at the University of Florida, however, question the potential leaching, noting that grass can absorb much higher levels of nitrogen during the summer period when it is growing rapidly. Their research indicates that healthy lawns actually leach much less nitrogen during summer months because it is growing so quickly.
Still, there’s no doubt that many homeowners and some lawn care services apply more fertilizer than a lawn can use. In some Florida lakes, more than half of the damaging nutrients can be traced to residential fertilizer. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program estimates that 84 tons of contaminants could be stopped from entering the bay if just 50% of residents complied with environmentally sensitive ordinances on fertilizing lawns.
At Arrow Environmental Services, we feel that regulations that limit the use of fertilizers during summer months are appropriate as long as they allow lawn care professionals to apply nitrogen-based fertilizer when science-based tests show it is necessary. Officials in Sarasota County agree that a variance is appropriate and some of the other ordinances already allow for them.
What We’re Already Doing
While the restrictions on nitrogen fertilizer have drawn more attention than other parts of the ordinances, we’re already ahead of the curve on most other rules in the new regulations -- and those rules may actually have more impact than the restrictions.
For instance, we removed phosphate from our lawn formula years ago because Florida soil naturally contains enough phosphate to satisfy the needs of a healthy lawn. The custom formula costs a little more than what we buy off the shelf, but it minimizes an important source of pollution so it’s worth it to us.
We also recognized that reclaimed water contains high levels of nutrients and that lawns irrigated with it need far less fertilizer than those irrigated with potable water. We seldom apply nitrogen fertilizer in summer months in communities where reclaimed water is available unless there are clear signs that the lawn needs the extra nutrients.
Other areas where our long-standing policies meet or exceed the new ordinances implemented or proposed across Southwest Florida:
· Arrow’s policy of not fertilizing within 15 feet of any body of water was implemented long before the new ordinances called for a 10-foot setback.
· We have always used deflectors to avoid getting fertilizer on hard surfaces like driveways and sidewalks where it quickly washes away. Any fertilizer that lands on hard surfaces is swept or blown back into the lawn where it can be absorbed by growing grass.
· Grass clippings are blown back into yards rather than onto streets where they can enter the stormwater system and release nitrogen as they break down.
· Our technicians each receive more than 75 hours of training every year, including stringent in-house programs as well as classes offered through the University of Florida.
What’s the Bottom Line?
Healthy lawns are important to a healthy environment. Turfgrass provides an outstanding filtration system for rainwater, and its dense root system grows near the surface to hold soil in place, helping to prevent erosion.
In our opinion, even “Florida-friendly” landscapes should include some turfgrass for those reasons. Perennials growing in mulch can be very attractive but they lack the dense vegetation and roots that are found with healthy turfgrass. We’ll also continue to look at other options, particularly dense groundcovers like perennial peanuts that may provide similar benefits without the nutrients a typical lawn requires. As attractive as the peanuts may be, they’re less capable of handling heavy traffic and we’re not sure how long-lived they may be in a landscape.
This year, for the first time ever, we used a new blend that contains 100% slow-release nitrogen and should provide sufficient nitrogen through the summer months. It’s broken down by soil microbes, not water, so it shouldn’t wash away in heavy rains. It’s much more expensive than a typical lawn fertilizer but we believe it will be a good investment in our clients’ healthy lawns.
I’m sure we will still hear from the occasional clients who report that their neighbor’s lawn is “greener” than theirs. When that happens, we send an experienced technician to access the situation. Most often, we discover that the lawn on the other side of the fence has been over-treated with nutrients and the emerald green grass is clearly not in compliance with the new regulations.
Even the strongest supporters of fertilizer ordinances admit that there is no budget and no political will to enforce the regulations. In other states where laws have been on the books for longer, only about half of residents actually comply with them. As the region’s leading lawn care company, we must obey the law as it is written. We strongly support science-based initiatives to improve water quality and will continue to work with local governments to take the steps necessary to remove excess nutrients from our lakes, rivers and bays.
Contact Arrow Environmental Services, Inc. to schedule an inspection!
