Lee County encourages alternatives to fertilizer during summer ban
During summertime months when county ordinance prohibits the use of fertilizers that contain nitrogen and phosphorus, residents are encouraged to seek alternatives to fertilizer to keep their lawns and landscape healthy and fed, while also ensuring local waterways remain protected.
Homeowners can use several accessible alternatives, including the following:
Compost: Combine a balanced mix of carbon-rich “browns,” such as dead leaves, branches and twigs, sawdust and shredded paper, with nitrogen-rich “greens,” such as grass clippings, leaves, produce scraps, tea and coffee grounds, lint and hair. Use three parts browns to one-part greens and keep the compost moist, occasionally mixing it. When all materials have broken down, your compost is ready to be spread in your landscaping or on your lawn.
Mulch: Use mulch to help retain moisture in landscape beds, control erosion, feed soil and help reduce the growth of weeds. UF/IFAS recommends an organic mulch, like pine bark, to enrich the soil.
Grass clippings: Blowing grass clippings away once you’ve mowed the lawn may be tempting, but leaving grass clippings down can act as a natural compost. Grass clippings are nitrogen-rich and act as a food source for the lawn as they decompose.
Residents should abide by Lee County’s Fertilize Smart guidelines year-round but should avoid the use of fertilizer from June 1 to Sept. 30 in unincorporated areas. With accessible alternatives, you can ensure your lawn stays healthy this summer, while also prioritizing the safety of Southwest Florida’s waterways.
On Fort Myers Beach, the town’s fertilizer ordinance prohibits fertilizer with nitrogen and/or phosphorus from being applied to turf and/or landscape plants during the rainy season (June 1 through September 30).
The town’s fertilizer ordinance also limits any use of fertilizer in the town to one pound of total nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per application. No more than four pounds of nitrogen can be applied to any 1,000 square foot area in any calendar year. Fertilizer can not be applied to any landscape area more than four times a year.
Fertilizer with nitrogen must contain no less than 50% slow release nitrogen.
In addition, the town’s fertilizer ordinance bans the use of any fertilizer containing phosphorus unless a soil or plant tissue deficiency is verified by a testing methodology approved by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The ordinance also bans any mowed or cut vegetative material from being deposited into the water.
Fertilizer shall not be applied within fifteen 15 feet of any pond, stream, watercourse, lake, canal, or wetland.
In no case shall fertilizer be washed, swept, or blown off impervious surfaces into stormwater drains, ditches, conveyances, or water bodies.
In addition, any commercial applicator of fertilizer in the town is required at all times to have and carry certification by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a commercial fertilizer applicator.
The town ordinance allows town code enforcement to regularly inspect the use of fertilizer. The town can issue fines of $250 per day to violators or $500 per day for repeat violators.