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PREVENTING POLLUTION (continued) • If you spill fertilizer on the lawn,collect nutrients,including nitrogen,and adjust the amount you whatever you can.It might be tempting to just water fertilize accordingly. extra fertilizer into the lawn,but the excess nutrients will FOR LAWNS leach(seep downwards)through the soil and into the groundwater. • Apply fertilizer only when grass is actively growing. Many Florida turfgrasses go dormant or slow their growth in cooler seasons. Water it in with 1/4 inch #' of water or less. • Use a broadcast spreader with a deflector shield. Don't use a drop spreader,which can damage the coatings on slow-release fertilizers,rendering them quick-release. M Sweep up fertilizer spills on the lawn. ' ° • Never fertilize within 10 feet of any water body. Designate a 10-foot maintenance-free zone between your landscape and the riparian zone. A deflector shield directs fertilizer away from your maintenance- F, free zone. it t , �� R- _ • Avoid using "weed and feed" products. These contain herbicides and fertilizer together. • These products can injure some trees and shrubs.Tree and shrub root systems can extend far beyond the canopy drip line,intermingling with turf. • Pesticides should be applied only to affected areas, rather than broadcast over the entire yard as occurs with Never apply fertilizer within 10 feet of any water body. a weed and feed product. • The appropriate timing is often different,with preemer- • Don't fertilize before a heavy rain.If rain is forecast gent herbicides applied far earlier than fertilizer.This in the next twenty-four hours,hold off on applying fertilizer. almost ensures that one or the other is ineffective,if not Rain can wash fertilizer off lawns or cause it to leach into harmful. groundwater,contributing to pollution. . Apply an iron source instead of a nitrogen fertilizer. • Know your water source. If you use reclaimed/recy- To green the lawn without increasing growth in the summer, cled water for irrigation,keep in mind that it can contain use chelated iron or iron sulfate. SELECTING A FERTILIZER INORGANIC FERTILIZERS materials wide range of fertilizers is available for gardeners.You Inorganic fertilizers are materials that are mined or synthe- can select from different combinations of nutrients that sized from non-living materials. Many inorganic fertilizers come in a variety of forms. The key to selecting a fertilizer contain nutrients that are immediately available to plants. is understanding what nutrients your plants need. Others are formulated to allow nutrients to be released 5 �r 0 THE FLORIDA YARDS & NEIGHBORHOODS HANDBOOK 2009