It's that time of year again! The weather is warmer, and all the warm season grasses that laid dormant in the frost are finally displaying bright green blades. Whatever choice of fertilizer (Scotts, Pennington, 10-10-10, store brands, etc.) you or your landscaper are just about to apply it, hang on just a second and don't rotate that spreader just yet!
Here in the United States, 40.5 million acres of our land is lawn. The amount of fertilizer it takes to keep those lawns green is about 3 million tons PER YEAR. That's quite a lot of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, more commonly seen and know as the three numbers on the front of the fertilizer bag (N-P-K). The dosage of N-P-K ranges based on the potency of the fertilizer as well as the altering of the base chemicals. An average bag of lawn food covers about 5,000 square feet and contains a high dose of nitrogen (it's what keeps the grass green).
When we use an overabundance (aka 3 million tons), some of the fertilizer meant for our lawns runs off into storm drains, making its way into creeks, rivers and lakes. The runoff then fertilizes the algae, leading to a process called eutrophication. This overabundance of toxic algae lies like a thick film over stagnant water, absorbing all the sunlight and preventing water-dwelling plant life from preforming photosynthesis. These algae blooms also suck all the oxygen out of the water, creating vast dead zones where no life can survive (fish included, so good luck finding Nemo).
The most notable dead zone in the United States is located in the Mississippi Delta. Each year the Mississippi River carries roughly 10,000 pounds of fertilizer and raw sewage pollution from 31 states and certain Canadian provinces and deposits it into the Gulf of Mexico. The dead zone can occasionally grow larger than Connecticut, which is nearly 5,800 square miles.Pretty gross right? You can help stop it! Make 2017 the year you don't fertilize or apply weed and feed to your lawn. Ask your lawn care service to skip the treatments and let your lawn go al natural. If you absolutely cannot live without a perfectly manicured lawn, consider switching to a lower dosage of Nitrogen. This can be accomplished by substituting harsh chemical fertilizers for composts, chicken or cow manure or low doses of natural fertilizers, such as E.B. Stone or Dr. Earth. Spread information, not fertilizers.