{"id":4212,"date":"2013-04-12T13:43:45","date_gmt":"2013-04-12T13:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=4212"},"modified":"2013-04-12T13:46:50","modified_gmt":"2013-04-12T13:46:50","slug":"mda-encourages-homeowners-to-protect-the-chesapeake-bay-by-changing-fertilizer-habits-complying-with-new-lawn-fertilizer-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2013\/04\/12\/mda-encourages-homeowners-to-protect-the-chesapeake-bay-by-changing-fertilizer-habits-complying-with-new-lawn-fertilizer-law\/","title":{"rendered":"MDA Encourages Homeowners to Protect the Chesapeake Bay by Changing Fertilizer Habits, Complying with New Lawn Fertilizer Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4214\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2013\/04\/12\/mda-encourages-homeowners-to-protect-the-chesapeake-bay-by-changing-fertilizer-habits-complying-with-new-lawn-fertilizer-law\/attachment\/grass-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?fit=1121%2C750&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1121,750\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;FinePixS2Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1085752126&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;154&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"grass\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?fit=760%2C508&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4214\" alt=\"grass\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?resize=1024%2C685&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2013\/04\/grass1.jpg?w=1121&amp;ssl=1 1121w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 Now that spring has finally arrived, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) reminds homeowners and lawn care professionals that responsible lawn care practices can make a big difference for the health of our streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland\u2019s new lawn fertilizer law takes effect October 1, but it\u2019s not too soon to get a jump on sound backyard conservation practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">\u201cLawn fertilizer accounts for about 44 percent of the fertilizer sold in Maryland,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. \u201cAs citizens begin working outside this spring, we encourage them to keep in mind that the actions we take on the land can make a difference for the Bay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">Beginning October 1, lawn fertilizer products sold in Maryland will no longer contain phosphorus unless they are labeled for use in establishing, patching or repairing lawns. Maryland\u2019s lawn fertilizer law also limits the amount of nitrogen contained in lawn care products and requires part of this nitrogen to be in a slow release form. These actions will help reduce nutrient runoff into the streams and rivers that feed the Bay. Additionally, the law requires lawn care professionals to become certified by MDA and to get soil tests for their customers. The law does not impact agricultural fertilizer or fertilizer used for gardens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">Homeowners can make a difference for the Bay this spring by following these best management practices:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Skip the spring fertilizer. Fertilizing lawns in the spring promotes excessive top growth at the expense of roots.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Sharpen lawnmower blades. A cleaner cut looks better and is healthier for the grass.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Raise the cutting height of the mower. Taller grass shades out weeds and needs less water. A three inch cut length is ideal for most lawns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They provide free fertilizer all season long.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">If you must fertilize:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Always follow University of Maryland fertilizer recommendations. Learn about soil testing. Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/extension.umd.edu\/hgic\">extension.umd.edu\/hgic <\/a>for seasonal and yearly fertilizer recommendations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Do not apply fertilizer to sidewalks or other impervious surfaces. Sweep up fertilizer that lands on these surfaces.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Keep fertilizer applications 10 to 15 feet from waterways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">Do not apply fertilizer if heavy rain is predicted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\">When buying fertilizer, look for the \u201cO\u201d as the middle number. This means that the product is phosphorus-free.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: small\">For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mda.maryland.gov\/fertilizer\">www.mda.maryland.gov\/fertilizer.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;line-height: 19px;font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"># # #<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 Now that spring has finally arrived, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) reminds homeowners and lawn care professionals that responsible lawn care practices can make a big difference for the health of our streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland\u2019s new lawn fertilizer law takes effect October 1, but it\u2019s not too<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2013\/04\/12\/mda-encourages-homeowners-to-protect-the-chesapeake-bay-by-changing-fertilizer-habits-complying-with-new-lawn-fertilizer-law\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4212","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\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4212"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4217,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4212\/revisions\/4217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}