If you really love your lawn, kick the fertilizer habit! Excess nitrogen from fertilizer not only burns your lawn, it also washes into our streams, rivers, and waterways ultimately ending up in the Long Island Sound where it fuels algae blooms that smother fish and are harmful to other important wildlife.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve shared some ways to DO LESS and have a more beautiful, healthy yard; here’s another.
DO LESS TIP #3: STOP FERTILIZING YOUR LAWN, OR ONLY FERTILIZE 1-2 TIMES A YEAR
In the pursuit of a beautiful green lawn, many homeowners think you have to continually apply fertilizer to achieve it. As we said last week, leaving your grass clippings on your lawn actually allows you to skip fertilizer altogether. However, if you (and/or your landscapers) really feel you still need to fertilize, most lawns do well being fertilized only once a year, with the best time being in the fall around Labor Day when the ground is cool. Similarly, if you feel the need to fertilize twice a year, then a spring application around Mother’s Day is the next-best time. Continually applying fertilizer during the hot summer months will build up and burn your lawn or be washed off during heavy rains. All of that excess fertilizer poisons our waters.
These practices not only save you time, but also reduce the need to fertilize, reduce your energy and water use, and ultimately cost you less money.
So what will you do with all your newly found free time? We suggest going out to the Sound and exploring all it has to offer. You’ll see for yourself why it’s so important that we protect it together.
Have a landscaper and don’t know what to ask them to do?
Click here to DOWNLOAD a letter that you can give to your landscaper with ways they can help you have a healthy, environmentally-friendly yard [available in English and Spanish].
Take care of your own lawn?
Click here to DOWNLOAD a healthy yard checklist.