Preamble: “Lake Friendly” lawn care is very similar to “regular” common sense lawn care. The difference is two-fold – 1. The presence of an obvious target, and 2. Heightened sensitivity of the owners of the site.
That said, the practices that will prevent pollution are:
- Encourage infiltration, not runoff. Seven ways:
-soil modification
-core aeration
-reduce slope
-delayed irrigation starts
-reduce thatch
-conduct an irrigation audit
-use a broom or blower to move fertilizer particles back to the lawn and off the sidewalk, driveway or street
- Use Slow Release Nitrogen
-use turf math to apply lighter amounts than called for on the fertilizer bag label; divide the amount desired by the % nitrogen in the product; provides the amount to use per 1,000 sq. ft. ex. 0.5 lb N desired/0.28 equals 1.78 lbs of product to be applied for every 1,000 sq. ft. of lawn
-use the holiday schedule for both warm and cool season turf species Warm Season – Buffalograss, Zoysiagrasas – Memorial Day, 4th of July
Cool Season – Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Turf Type Tall Fescue – Arbor Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day
-don’t apply phosphorous unless a need has been established through a soil test.
- Rhizomatous species of turf have more capacity to prevent pollution
-more thatch and mat exists to retain applied nutrients
- Thin turf stands allow more runoff
-so, don’t avoid fertilization.
-don’t overfertilize or underfertilize.
