Notes

Outline

Lawn Care, Fertilizer, Yard Waste & Pesticides Tom Smith Executive Director Michigan Turfgrass Foundation

Fertilization Best Management Practices – Fertilization Soil test for P & K!!! Reduce nitrogen on turf that has been well-fertilized over time Moderate fertility will reduce weed competition Early fall and late fall are the two most important times to fertilize Leave unfertilized buffer areas near water and wetlands

Tip: Keep Lawn and Landscape Fertilizers where they belong Avoid misapplication onto hard surfaces Clean equipment on turf Avoid fertilizer applications to frozen or saturated soils

Research: Fertilizer Leeching Dr. Kevin Frank - Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fate in a 10+ Year Old Kentucky Bluegrass Turf  (2005 data) During the second     year after reducing the     high N rate treatment     from 5 to 4 lb of N/1000     sq. ft. there was a     substantial reduction in     NO3-N concentrations in     leachate. Results continue to indicate that there is little if any phosphorus leaching from the lysimeters.

Research: Fertilizer Runoff Dr. Brian Horgan, University of Minnesota In the second year of runoff data from turf, those plots receiving no fertilizer had the highest amount of P in the collected runoff (personal communication, February 2007)

Tip: Nitrogen sources There are slow (water insoluble or coated) nitrogen sources and fast (water soluble) nitrogen sources.  Slow = more $$$ Many fertilizer products use a combination of N sources to spread out the release for a more uniform and consistent response. A good recommendation is to use a product with 25-50% slow release N except for in the late fall.  Fast release in late fall works the best (Urea is a good choice).

Lawn Care, Fertilizer, Yard Waste & Pesticides Tom Smith Executive Director Michigan Turfgrass Foundation