Quote:
Originally Posted by RickFLM4
Phosphorus has been blamed for causing problems in lakes and other bodies of water because of run off from farms and landscapes. In particular, it has been shown to promote algae and has actually been banned from fertilizer in some locales. Nevertheless, most people have no idea and buy what the store sells, and even with bans, products with P are still sold. As more people have learned about it, I suspect demand has increased for zero phosphorus fertilizers, which would explain why it was marketed that way to you. (I only know a little because it is constantly in the news here due to Lake Okeechobee.) If you google "fertilizer with phosphorus runoff" there is plenty more to read if interested.
All that said, I don't disagree with what you said about it. I try to use a fertilizer with low (but not zero) P. Nitrogen runoff also isn't a good thing. I just try to be conscious of it and not overdo fertilizing, while maintaining a decent landscape. I do feel that doing it myself allows far greater control that whatever a service might use.
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True enough and, like you said, nitrogen run off is also a thing. The fert types I looked at (mostly milo and ringer but also starting to see what a local landscaping equipment place sells) all had small enough quantity of to start with. I am a fan of moderation overall and don't want to get my lawn dependent on needing fert applications continually. That's part of looking to move away from the lawn care companies. As with yourself, taking over it (and mowing) will allow for greater control. I'll likely be springing for a lawn tractor by the end of the month as well. At least then I'm only re-sowing my own weeds over my own lawn and not someone else's.
