Could Your Pristine Hudson Valley Lawn Be Bad For the Planet?

So, you have been wanting to get outside, work on the lawn and get your grass back into shape so you can enjoy it all season long. Do you slave over your lawn? Do you painstakingly attempt to put sprays or fertilizers on it to keep the grass green and the weeds out?

I every year, put something on my grass to do a 'weed and feed' treatment, but I had know idea that what I could be using, could be doing good for my grass, but that it was horrible for the environment.

What was in that weed and feed that makes it not great for the lawn? Well, depending on where you purchase it, there could be phosphorus in it. What I didn't know until doing this research was that New York has a law that prohibits the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, unless a new lawn is being established or there has been a soil test that shows that your lawn needs more of it.

So, you may have already following the guidelines without even being aware of it. When searching the top three home improvement websites, I found that the phosphorus free fertilizers were very easily available for purchase. What you need to look for are items that say they are phosphorus free or when listed as a set of three numbers, for instance, 28-0-4. The first number is for the amount of nitrogen, the second is for the amount of phosphate (you want that number to be zero) and the third number is potassium.

So, why do you want to make sure you have zero phosphates or phosphorous in your fertilizer? Because of water run off. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Excess phosphorus is a threat to many New York waterbodies, triggering algae blooms and sometimes rendering waters un-swimmable and un-fishable. 

So, when you go to grab that weed and feed, make sure your center number is a zero. Proud of your lawn? Do you have a before and after photo? Feel free to share it with us? I know I will be envious of your hard work. Submit those photos to us using our app. Thanks! Mow on.