How to Fertilize Your Lawn Without Hurting our Waterways.
Anything from your property that gets into stormwater — the water from rain, snow and sleet — flows into gutters and storm drains, and then directly into rivers, lakes and streams.
“It is estimated that more than one-half of the pollution in our nation’s waterways comes from stormwater runoff,” the Stormwater Coalition says.
Fertilizer needs time to sink into your grass and soil so if it rains shortly after you fertilize, instead of feeding your grass, you end up polluting the stormwater; wastes your time and money.
Fertilize your lawn, not the sidewalk Fertilizer that doesn’t stay on the lawn makes its way into storm drains.
Tall grass can grow deeper roots than short grass so even if you’ve been mowing low up to this point, retrain your lawn roots.
Go organic Improve your soil’s fertility by relying on natural resources, like a compost heap, to use on your lawn.
Test your soil You may be adding nutrients to your lawn it doesn’t need, so consider performing a soil test that will tell you the nutrient levels and texture of your soil.
“With the regular use of composts or manures, many gardens will have adequate P and K levels.
Salt Lake County Stormwater Coalition manages and maintains our Salt Lake County waterways.