‘Freeze. Drop it. Step away from the fertilizer!’
You won’t likely hear that from local code enforcement officers. But starting June 1, it will be technically illegal to fertilize lawns throughout the county during the four-month rainy season ‘blackout’ periods are in effect.
Fines can go up to $500, although municipalities have long held that they’re more about educating the public than inflicting fertilizer fines.
That said, here’s the upshot on when and why you can’t fertilize your yard this summer:
What’s happening?
Local governments ban fertilizing lawns during Florida’s rainy season, from June 1 to Sept. 30, to give the Indian River Lagoon a respite from the nitrogen and phosphorus influx that fuels toxic algal blooms.
Brevard regulations prohibit spreading fertilizer on lawns and yards from June 1 through Sept. 30. The fine can be up to $500.
Why did they do it?
Most of the local summer fertilizer bans passed about a decade ago in reaction to unprecedented algal blooms in 2011 that killed most of the lagoon’s seagrass — a vital source of food and shelter for marine life.
The seagrass die-off was followed by the mysterious deaths of large numbers of manatees, dolphins and pelicans.
How does fertilizer harm the lagoon?
Excessive nitrogen and phosphorous — the key ingredients for life but also the active ingredients in most fertilizer — feeds excess algae growth.
Throughout most of the county, because of Brevard’s sandy soil, groundwater only takes a few weeks or months to flow to the lagoon. While fertilizer isn’t the only source of nutrients in the lagoon, it is a major one.
What are other sources of excess nutrients in the lagoon?
Air pollution, leaking septic tanks, pet waste and groundwater also contribute nitrogen and phosphorus to the lagoon, with each pound capable of fueling the growth of more than 500 pounds of algae.
What are other rules that apply to residential fertilizer use?
Use of phosphate fertilizer without a soil test first to prove it’s needed, requiring at least 50% slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, and use of deflector shields on spreaders to fertilize within 3 feet of waters, or farther, depending on which city you live in.
Are rules the same throughout Brevard?
No. You can learn the specifics of your city’s rules at University of Florida’s website: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/brevard/lawn-and-garden/fertilizer-ordinances/
Are the blackout periods controversial?
Advocates for the bans point to studies that show lawns can still flourish without fertilizing during rainy months. Opponents — most of who have connections to companies that make fertilizer or treat lawns with fertilizer — say depriving grass of nutrients when it’s most able to absorb them, during peak growing season, can result in more nitrogen and phosphorus leaching off the weaker grass when applied at other times of the year.
Do fertilizer bans work?
The jury’s out. As evidence that fertilizer ordinances work, advocates long pointed to the large seagrass gains in other Florida estuaries such as Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay after fertilizer ordinances were enacted. But some in the lawn-care industry doubt that the bans alone had much effect and see many other factors at play in the seagrass recoveries, such as stormwater fixes and septic tank removals.
Who fertilizes?
A University of Florida study last year found that almost half of all respondents fertilize their own lawns themselves, with the rest split between hired help and homeowners associations. Over half of respondents were unaware if their property existed within a residential fertilizer ordinance area.
The study also found:
Most respondents didn’t test their soil often and don’t base their fertilizer application amount and frequency on soil-test results.
Respondents overwhelmingly determined how much and how often they applied fertilizer by reading the fertilizer package labeling and from recommendations from landscaping professionals.
Respondents typically fertilize their lawns in March, April, and September, with the most common fertilizer used being weed and feed, with dry, granulated fertilizer ranking second.
Waymer covers environment. Contact him at 321-242-3663 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com Follow him on Twitter @JWayEnviro
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Summer fertilizer blackouts go from June 1 to Sept. 30
