{"id":25277,"date":"2021-03-29T14:05:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T18:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=25277"},"modified":"2021-03-29T14:05:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T18:05:09","slug":"protect-local-waterways-by-following-marylands-lawn-fertilizer-law-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2021\/03\/29\/protect-local-waterways-by-following-marylands-lawn-fertilizer-law-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect Local Waterways by Following Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"25278\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2021\/03\/29\/protect-local-waterways-by-following-marylands-lawn-fertilizer-law-3\/attachment\/fb800x600_c-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?fit=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Maryland&amp;#8217;s Lawn Fertilizer Law &amp;#8211; Be Wise. Don&amp;#8217;t Over Fertilize\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?fit=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-25278 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/03\/FB800x600_C-2.png?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) reminds homeowners to follow Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law while doing yard work this spring. As of March 1, fertilizer products containing nitrogen and phosphorus can be applied to lawns as long as heavy rain is not expected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law is designed to prevent excess nutrients from entering the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways. It requires lawn care professionals be licensed and certified by MDA to apply fertilizer to lawns that they manage or work under the direct supervision of an individual who is certified.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Additionally, the law requires both lawn care professionals and those that care for their own lawns to obey fertilizer application restrictions, use best management practices when applying fertilizer to lawns, observe fertilizer blackout dates, and follow the University of Maryland Extension\u2019s (UME\u2019s) fertilizer recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you hire a lawn care professional to fertilize your lawn, be sure that he or she is certified by MDA\u2019s Turfgrass Nutrient Management Program or works under the supervision of a certified professional. A list of MDA-certified lawn care professionals can be found on the department\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/SiteAssets\/Pages\/fertilizer\/CertifiedLawnCarePros.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These individuals have been trained in bay-friendly fertilizer techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you care for your own lawn, follow these best management practices:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Skip the spring fertilizer, especially if your lawn is healthy. Fall is the best time to fertilize cool-season grasses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Get your soil tested to see if your grass will benefit from additional nutrients or lime. Watch this<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ye7WtedsbsE\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">video<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from UME on how to test your soil.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you decide to fertilize, always follow the instructions on the fertilizer bag.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do not apply phosphorus \u2013 indicated by the middle number on the fertilizer bag \u2013 to lawns unless a soil test shows it is needed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They provide free fertilizer all season long.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clean up fertilizer that lands on sidewalks or other impervious surfaces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep fertilizer applications 10 to 15 feet away from waterways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do not apply fertilizer if heavy rain is predicted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For more information on Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law and fertilizer best management practices, visit MDA\u2019s<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/Pages\/fertilizer.aspx\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For lawn fertilizer recommendations and additional tips, visit the UME Home and Garden Information Center\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umd.edu\/hgic\/topics\/lawn-care\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">###<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitte<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">r <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MdAgDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@MdAgDept<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) reminds homeowners to follow Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law while doing yard work this spring. As of March 1, fertilizer products containing nitrogen and phosphorus can be applied to lawns as long as heavy rain is not expected.\u00a0 Maryland\u2019s Lawn Fertilizer Law is designed to prevent excess<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2021\/03\/29\/protect-local-waterways-by-following-marylands-lawn-fertilizer-law-3\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25277"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25279,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25277\/revisions\/25279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}