By: Ron Hall
Lawn care companies in communities on Florida’s Gulf Coast are being forced to adjust their turf nutrient programs, and their customers may have to adjust their expectations in terms of the appearance of their lawns in light of the new lawn fertilizer regulations that are taking effect in regions across the state.
On June 1 a new ordinance in Pinellas County, which hugs Tampa Bay on Florida’s Gulf Coast, bans the application of fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus. The ban runs through Sept. 30. A similar ban went into effect in Naples in far southwest Florida. On June 10 the Environmental Protection Commission of the Hillsborough County Commission will consider a summertime ban on fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus in its jurisdiction, which includes Tampa.
The purpose of the bans, say proponents including the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, is to reduce nutrient loading in Tampa Bay, The Gulf of Mexico and other state waterways, many of which local authorities have designated as “impaired” because of nutrient pollution.
However, many in the turfgrass industry, including professional applicators, suppliers and some scientists, say that the role of lawn fertilization by professional applicators in the state’s water pollution is not proven and question the validity of fertilizer bans.
This past fall Terril Neil, environmental horticulture chair at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, wrote to Pinellas County officials: “There is no scientific basis to support a restricted fertilizer period. In fact, more leaching and runoff may occur if healthy turfgrass is not maintained.”
Similar statements by other university researchers have been dismissed by proponents of the ban who claim that their research is funded by the fertilizer industry and, by inference, biased.
Indeed counties and communities (St. Petersburg, FL, was the first in 2007) are adopting these summertime fertilizer bans in spite of a Florida Department of Environmental Protection model fertilizer regulation.
Officials in the cities and counties adopting or considering adopting more stringent regulations than those suggested by the state guidelines point to the widely varying conditions across Florida. They say a one-size-fits-all model does not fit all communities.
Meanwhile, some lawn care companies are attempting to get ahead of the regulations. For instance, Top Notch Pest Control, based in Oldsmar, FL, recently announced that it was considering applying (“when possible”) the fertilizer ban to its entire customer base in Hillsborough, Paco, Polk and Hernando Counties.
Owner Michael Carli says his company employs a “less material, less often” approach when it comes to pest control and lawn maintenance. This involves using slow-release products as well as surveying each property.
“If your lawn is healthy, is red the right nutrients and has a healthy root system, all the excess fertilizers aren’t necessary,” he says.
