By HEATHER BAUGHMAN
baughman@crescent-news.com
The perfect, green lawn that looks beautiful in the middle of the scorching summer can require plenty of maintenance including frequent mowings, lots of water and several applications of fertilizer, the latter of which can cause area water systems to go askew, if it is not applied properly.
"There are cases where people think that if a little is good, more is better," Ohio State University Defiance County Extension educator Bruce Clevenger said, referring to fertilizer. But, "that may not be the best environmental approach."
In fact, too much fertilizer -- specifically nitrogen and phosphorous, the nutrients found in most fertilizers -- can have a negative impact on area lakes and streams.
Kurt Erichsen, vice president of environmental planning at Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, said people who are thinking about using fertilizer should "look to Lake Erie. That's ultimately where all of the water (from streams, rivers and tributaries) runs off to."
The current status of Lake Erie is also causing concern for area environmentalists, such as Erichsen. "The big problem with the lake is it is over fertilized," he said, specifically "toxic algae blooms are a real problem. Toxic phosphorous appears to be the key ingredient behind that."
An overabundance of these blooms, caused by too much nitrogen and phosphorous in the water, can cause clogging at water inlets and block sunlight to the water, ultimately eating up oxygen in the water that is needed for fish, frogs and other wildlife.
Clevenger explained that "nitrogen makes our grass nice and green. It encourages new growth and, in most forms ... is also soluble in water. That is where it can get away from us." When people water their lawns or it rains after fertilizer has been applied, "nitrogen can move with the water and end up in the storm sewer or other drain system, streams, and ultimately in the river and into Lake Erie."
Too much nitrogen in the water, Clevenger said, is cause for concern for some people, especially infants drinking the water. "It is why communities that pull water out of the river have to put out warnings about high nitrates in the water.
"One reason Defiance constructed the reservoir was to manage nitrates in the Maumee River," he said. River waters are pumped to the reservoir when nitrogen levels are low.
The other chemical people should monitor is phosphorous, which is typically considered immobile in the soil. It does bind with soil particles, but in excess levels, it can move with the water.
Once it reaches a water source, phosphorous is the main contributor to algae growth, Clevenger said.
"If (fertilizers) are over-applied or applied incorrectly, they run off the land and into ditches and storm drains that carry them to streams and lakes. There, they cause algae blooms -- the slimy green or blue-green plants you see floating on top of the water," explained Dina Pierce, northwest district media coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
With northwest Ohio's water system at stake, Clevenger said people should do their homework before they fertilize their lawns ... and rivers.
First, he said people must read the instructions on the bag of fertilizer and only apply the recommended amounts of product.
Also, Clevenger said, "Every three years, I would pull a soil sample from that area that we are fertilizing," which can be sent to a lab for testing for between $10 and $15.
"The benefit of this is that it not only helps protect the environment, but also can save a person money: There is no need to spend money that your yard doesn't need," Pierce said.
"If grass and plants have all the nutrients they need, extra fertilizer will not be absorbed and will run off during storms," Pierce said.
Timing is also key when it comes to fertilizing. "Don't fertilize when there are gray clouds (in the sky)," Erichsen said, to prevent runoff.
He also suggested people "adjust their lawn mower so that it leaves the grass three inches long, (which) strengthens the plant and contains the runoff (and) use a mulching lawnmower that keeps the clippings on the ground." The clippings will compost back into the ground and make the lawn stronger.
Corbin Schlatter, owner of Weed Man, said a strong, healthy lawn is key to keeping fertilizer where its supposed to stay. "If you have a thick healthy lawn, you're not going to get runoff."