1. Lawn care and fertilizer reduction
Becca O’Neill
Education Specialist

2. stormwater

3. Detriment to local waters
Excess nutrients cause:
Lower oxygen levels
Fish kills
Algal blooms
Pollutants cause:
Wildlife kills
Detriment to human health
Weed control methods can cause pollutants, toxins, and sediment to enter the storm systems

4. Where does your water flow?

5. Stark county waters

6. Groundwater and impervious surfaces
Groundwater will filter through the land into local waters or areas of retention
Naturally filtered as it moves through the ground
Accumulates toxins if it flows through polluted areas
Impervious surfaces do not allow infiltration
Examples: roofs sidewalks, driveways, roads, parking lots
Route water into storm water systems

7. Best management practices
Best Management Practices (BMP’s) were created by the US Environmental Protection Agency
Objective: An effective, practical way to minimize or prevent discharge of non- point source pollution into storm water, groundwater, or receiving waters
Most common BMP’s: detention basins, vegetated swales, filter strips, bioretention ponds
Non-point source pollution: pollution caused by a non specific source, that is carried by water through the an environment and deposited into local waters.
Water moves through the ground and bonds to natural and man-made pollutants
Examples: sediment, nutrients, oil, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.
depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters
Detention basins – wet and dry

8. landscaping Do: Don’t:
Set your mower at a high height (2.5 – 3 inches)
Maintain a regular mowing schedule
Sweep up grass clippings or blow them into the lawn
Mulch grass clippings and return nutrients to the soil
If clumping occurs, and you must remove, compost the clippings
Aerate your lawn
Remove leaf piles
Don’t:
Cut more than 1/3 of the grass at one time
Blow or rinse grass clippings into storm drains, bodies of water, or impervious surfaces
Don’t cut vegetation along detention basins or wetlands to create a vegetative buffer

9. Species
Short grasses, like Kentucky blue grass, are ineffective pollutant filters due to shallow root systems
Use mixes with rye or fescue
Plant native species
Non-native species such as buckthorn and purple loosestrife can impact effectiveness by blocking out the more effective long-rooted native vegetation.

10. pesticides Insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fungicides Do:
Choose a treatment that is specific to the problem or pest
Read the label
Mix only the quantity needed
Spot treat areas or pests
Use alternative pest control, such as natural enemies
Don’t:
Dispose of excess pesticides in garage drains, storm drains, down the sink
Apply chemicals before a heavy rainfall

11. Fertilizer benefits Improve lawn quality Crowd out weeds
Thick lawns can reduce nitrate leaching
Increase water infiltration and retention
Crowd out weeds
Improve health to withstand stressors (ex. wind, heat, drought)
Provides nutrients to soil
N-P-K

12. Fertilizers More ISN’T always Better Do: Don’t
Over fertilization can be harmful to your lawn, the environment, and waste money
Do:
Soil test before applying treatment
Apply treatment specific to deficiency or problem
Apply only the needed amount
Lightly irrigate the area after treatment to increase nutrient uptake
After application, sweep excess from impervious surfaces
Don’t
Apply treatment within 2 days, before a heavy rainfall
Is fertilizer the answer? – soil test, pH, light, water, competition, stresses
Understand your fertilizer -

13. PH pH Normal range 6.0 - 7.5 Lime used to raise pH
Ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate can be added to lower pH
Amend before planting, into the top 4-6 inches of soil

14. Nitrogen Nitrogen produces Application
Vigorous growth
Thickness
Dark green color
Application
Add up to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn
2 applications per year
Lawns with heavy use in full sun may require 4 applications per year
September and May
Returning grass clippings to soil may decrease nitrogen need by 25-50%
Shady lawn areas can decrease need for nitrogen by 50%

15. phosphorous Stimulates root growth and creates seeds
Does not move in the soil
Add to soil before planting it can be accessed by roots
Runoff contributes to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and fish kills
Phosphate sources:
Superphosphate (19-21%)
Triple superphosphate (40-47%)
Ammonium phosphate (46-53%)

16. potassium Regulates water use Increases stress tolerance
Facilitates photosynthesis
Available sources:
Muriate of potash (60-63%)
Sulfate of potash (50-53%)

17. Organic fertilizers Fertilizer Sources 10-2-8
Meat, bone, poultry, and fish meal
6-2-0
Digested bio-solids, sludge
5-2-4
Composted turkey litter, manure
6-1-3
Poultry feather meal, bone meal, blood meal
10-0-0
Corn milling by-product
Apply a thin layer of topdressing on top of organic fertilizer

18. Remember the 4 r’s
Right source
Right rate
Right time
Right place

19. Pet care Pick up pet waste
Pet waste introduces nutrients and bacteria to local waters

20. sources
Gardening.cornell.edu/lawns