City Encourages OKC Residents To Use Less Fertilizer

As Spring approaches many Oklahoma City residents will be using fertilizer to grow a lush, green lawn.

Unfortunately, this stimulant can impair the health of the City’s lakes and streams when it’s allowed to wash down neighborhood storm drains, City officials say. 

“Local studies indicate that many homeowners unknowingly over apply fertilizer on their lawns,” environmental protection manager Raymond Melton said. “This can lead to polluted waterways.”

According to the EPA, more than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams and close to 2.5 million acres of lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. have poor water quality because of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Nutrient pollution is one of Americas most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes significant increases in algae, which harms water quality, and decreases the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. 

Here are some other helpful tips when fertilizing:

Have your soil tested. Use the results to identify your lawn’s needs to maximize productivity and identify deficiencies. Adjusting your soil pH and fertilizer application will result in a healthier lawn.

Apply fertilizer during dry weather and wet the ground using controlled watering.

Fertilize on a day with little or no wind to reduce drift, sweep any excess fertilizer out of the street and back into your grass.

Bag or mulch excess yard trimmings from sidewalks and driveways to reduce fertilizer and pesticides attached to the clippings from blowing into the storm drains or washing away during the next rain.

Avoid over watering. Over watering can increase the nitrogen loss by 5 to 10 times compared to slow delivery rates.

Consider mulching to reduce the need to fertilize. Grass blades decompose quickly and can contain about 4 percent nitrogen, 1 percent phosphorus and 2 percent potassium.

Store unused fertilizer in a dry area not exposed to rainfall or runoff.

Consider alternative grass such as buffalo grass.

Never throw grass clipping into curb lines, storm drains, channels or creeks. Improperly disposed plant materials can cause serious water quality problems and may clog storm drains.

Recycle your leftover fertilizer and pesticides at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 1621 S Portland Ave.