Saving our waters begins with our lawns
By GUS KRAYER
Published September 19, 2005
Editor's note: Save Our Waters Week is sponsored annually by Citrus 20/20 Inc. in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Citrus County government and other entities. The purpose of Save Our Waters Week is to promote public awareness, education and consensus to save our waters. The Citrus Times will publish commentaries for this year's Save Our Waters Week, Sept. 17-24, from the perspectives of individuals involved with water conservation. This is the first of two guest columns on the subject.
The rather significant growth in Citrus County population last year is continuing in 2005.
Like many newcomers, I am a transplant from up north. Actually, retirement is my second tour as a Florida resident. It's tough for those of us from elsewhere to realize that Florida is different in more ways than those that brought us here, such as mild winters, natural beauty and tax structure. But, I digress.
Some of what we think we know from our former lives is different in Florida, like the kinds of plants and the grass we grow in our yards. After all, Florida's climate, weather, plants, animals and geology are all different.
So, practices we use to take care of our yards turn out to be no longer valid. But it's hard to change old habits and learn new ways of doing things, yet that's what we need to do. Thus, it's worthwhile to review things we should, and should not, be doing.
Proper lawn and garden practices have several benefits: You'll save money on water and fertilizer, work less, and your yard will look better, though different from what you may be accustomed to.
Adopting Florida-friendly practices also will benefit the environment. So why not decide to use lawn and garden practices today that will make a positive difference in your community?
Fertilizers applied improperly can run off lawns into local springs, streams, lakes, rivers and, ultimately, into the gulf. The results harm our waterways and even the plants and animals that depend on our water for survival. Proper fertilizer application can create a dense lawn that acts as a sponge to absorb nutrients and reduce runoff.
What to do? It's easy! The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program from the University of Florida/IFAS tells how.
Use fertilizers appropriately to reduce nutrient levels. More is not necessarily better. Read and follow all instructions. Excess fertilizer that washes off lawns is wasted.
Do NOT fertilize when storms are forecast. This will reduce the level of nutrients washing into our water systems. Fertilizer down the drain is money down the drain, as well.
Select slow-release fertilizers. They are kinder to the environment and they are usually more cost-effective. Nitrogen from slow-release sources is more likely to be used by plants and less likely to leach out or wash away in stormwater runoff.
Your efforts will help reduce groundwater nutrient levels now and in the future. You will be doing your part to preserve the springs, lakes, rivers, bays and wildlife - the things that initially brought you here.
Here are some useful fertilizer facts:
--Fertilizer nutrients are used in the process of photosynthesis, which makes plant food, but a lawn or plant growing poorly because of too much shade, disease or pests will not grow better if fertilized.
--Buy fertilizers made for the plants you want to fertilize: flowers, turf, palm, etc. Fertilizers cannot fix problems caused by incorrect soil acidity, or pH, so first conduct a pH test and treat the soil to achieve the proper pH range required by the plants.
Read fertilizer package labels; some contain too much or too little of what the plant needs.
--Slow-release fertilizers are available for longer times, and fewer nutrients are lost to the environment. Slow-release fertilizer package labels will use terms like: time-released, slow-release or controlled-release, water insoluble nitrogen, biosolids, activated sludge, sulfur-coated urea or SCU, isobutylidene diurea or IBDU, ureaform or UF, nitroform, polymer-, plastic- or resin-coated urea, 15-0-15 or 15-2-15, which indicates the contents are no more than 2 percent phosphorus.
--Set your fertilizer spreader according to fertilizer label directions. If the package does not list a setting for your spreader, select another product.
--During the rainy season of June to August, avoid using water-soluble, quick-release nitrogen, such as ammonium nitrate, urea ammonium phosphate or potassium chloride. Rain is likely to wash it quickly past the root zone. Fertilize only when needed and use only 100 percent slow-release nitrogen products, biosolids and sludge- or organic-based fertilizers.
Please, participate in Save Our Waters Week 2005 and help to preserve our precious natural heritage!
--Gus Krayer is a retired engineer who lives in Citrus County. He is president of Citrus County Council and chairman of its Environmental and Natural Resources Committee. He has participated for more than five years in the Nutrient Remediation Workgroup, producers of Florida-friendly lawn and garden practices, the basis for this article.