Re-posting from Lakelink with Permission from author Betsy Washington:
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
I am starting to see quite a bit of algae along the shoreline of the lake, and since fall is the best time to fertilize cool season lawns like fescues, please be sure to use the fertilizer that WID sells – with NO phosphorous. Your lawns do not need phosphorous and it will simply runoff into the lake, causing algal blooms. Large algal blooms can release toxins and use up oxygen killing fish and wildlife, and even make humans sick.
WID sells No PHOS fertilizer to residents at a great price and will even deliver it to your door! What could be easier? Please make sure your lawn service is using this fertilizer or one with No phosphorous and slow release nitrogen.
The lake, pets and wildlife will thank you.
For truly organic lawn care, apply ½ – 1” or more of fine compost to your lawn at least once a year in fall. Using compost tea and bacterial compost teas can create stunning results in a very short time, and will restore the health of your soil. After only a couple of years, you will find you have healthy soil, a healthy lawn, and healthy microorganism populations. They will deter diseases, help retain soil moisture without extra watering, and will even prevent any thatch build up in your lawn. You will be able to sit back and enjoy the fall.
If you are interested trying some of the organic techniques, or are skeptical and want to read more, check out last Thursday’s article in the NY Times on “The Grass is Greener at Harvard”. It will make you sit up and pay attention!
Let’s green up our neighborhood, not our lake!
September is also the ideal time to re-seed any bare or thin spots in your lawn. This is one of the simplest and best ways to prevent weeds and erosion and the resultant run-off into the watershed. Just rake or loosen the top few inches of soil in any bare spots, mix in some fine compost, and sprinkle some certified grass seed such as tall fescue over the area and keep moist until the grass germinates in 10 days or so.
Tags: algea, fertilizer, Lake, Wildlife
