An Urban Nutrient Management Forum:
“From Our Backyards to the Bay”
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| More than 70 participated in the Urban Nutrient Management Forum sponsored by the Middle Potomac Tributary Team at Montgomery College, Germantown Campus on Wednesday, November 16th, 2005. Alliance member, Rolan Clark, participated and shared forum materials for this article. Rolan has long been interested in helping his neighbors learn more about how to care for their lawns without applying too much fertilizer and negatively affecting water quality. |
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Most of the Forum participants want more information to be available to lawn owners on how their actions (i.e., application of fertilizer) affect water quality in the Bay. This information would include literature on lawn care, proper procedures for applying fertilizer, timing of fertilizer application (fall vs. spring fertilization), the choices lawn owners have about the type of fertilizer needed and/or available for use, how to reduce the size of a manicured lawn, suggested mowing heights for lawns, herbicide use, and common lawn diseases or pests and methods of control. Participants discussed using television advertising or public service announcements with short, effective ads to get the messages out.
Presenters shared research results on nutrients, fertilizer, and water quality in many states including Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
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- Jerry Spetzman, a Water Quality Advisor with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, explained the role that phosphorus plays in lawns, landscapes, and lakes. Minnesota has recently passed a new Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer law that restricts the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus. Their public outreach materials explain that a common cause of lake and river pollution is phosphorus runoff which ultimately turns the water bodies green. Furthermore, it is nitrogen, not phosphorus, that greens up grass and as a result lawn owners must manage phosphorus carefully to keep our lakes and river healthy.
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- Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA), Judy McGowan, presented current regulations governing non-agricultural nutrient management for commercial operators. The regulations apply to anyone who applies fertilizer for-hire to 10 acres or more of non-agricultural or State-owned land such as lawn care companies, landscapers, golf course superintendents, ground managers, State Highway Administration and other commercial applicators. Common problems observed were incomplete soil testing and excessive application of certain phosphates. Based on this, participants agreed that it is imperative that the University of Maryland Soil Testing Laboratory be reopened. Without readily available and affordable soil testing, it is difficult to encourage behavior change in fertilizer application.
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Industry representatives shared their perspectives as well, including:
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Lou Kobus from Village Turf
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Chris Forth from TruGreen-ChemLawn
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Rich Martinez from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Rich reported that 40% of US citizens do not use any fertilizers on their lawns. He also said that Scotts offers a P-free Integrated line as well as organic fertilizers.
Participants discussed whether Maryland might do as Minnesota has done in adopting Phosphorus Free legislation. Others suggested that a federal law would be helpful since manufacturers supply many states. They suggested that government could work with industry so that existing inventories could be depleted before the legislation became effective. Others wondered aloud about whether handling the nitrogen in the Bay States could be done in a similar manner to the way phosphorus was handled in Minnesota. They asked whether it would be possible to require slow release or low concentration forms of nitrogen fertilizer and whether reducing nitrogen can be achieved by public education alone?
Forum materials echoed basic guidance to citizens on what we each can do to protect water quality:
- Reduce lawn area with native plantings
- Keep lawn mower blades sharp (with extra blades on hand)
- Cut the grass 2.5 – 3.5 “ long, only cutting 1/3 of the grass blade at any one time
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- Practice grass cycling - leaveing the cuttings on the lawn
- Test the soil before purchasing any fertilizer
- If in doubt, use a zero phosphorus fertilizer
- Keep leaves and grass clippings out of gutters, streets, and ditches
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- Clean lawn and garden equipment on the grass, not the sidewalk or driveway
- Don’t wash or blow soil or grass clippings into the street
- Pick up pet waste promptly
- Control soil erosion around homes and yard with grass, plants or mulch
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For additional information, contact Claudia Donegan - Tributary Team Coordinator by phone at (410) 260.8768 or by email CDonegan@dnr.state.md.us.
Additional information:
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