Fertilizer Rules

Hernando County's Fertilizer Ordinance can be reviewed at the link above. The ordinance in summary explains:

• • Application of fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus is prohibited during these periods: 
    December 15th - March 15th & June 1st - September 30th
  • Application is prohibited in any area withing 25 feet of ANY body of water or wetland
  • If you have seeded or laid down sod, you must wait 30 days before applying fertilizer
  • You must use a deflector shield if using a broadcast spreader.

• • All fertilizer labels have three bold numbers. These are the three major nutrients that your lawn needs to thrive (Figure 1). These numbers indicate the percentage of each nutrient by weight in the fertilizer. So, a 100-pound bag of fertilizer with the label below would contain 12lbs of Nitrogen (N).
    
    

    

    Figure 1: Graphic explaining what the numbers listed on fertilizer labels represents.

    From left to right, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), then Potassium (K).

  • UF/IFAS recommends 1lb of actual nitrogen (N) per 1000 sq. ft. of turfgrass. 
  • Look for "slow release" sources of nitrogen. At least 30% of the nitrogen in your application must be from a slow release source. These ingredients will be listed on the label.
    Common slow release sources include:
    • • ureaformaldehyde (38% N)
      • methylene urea (40% N)
      • isobutyliden diurea (31% N)
      • sulfur-coated urea (36% - 39% N)
      • polymer-coated urea (40% - 44% N)
  • We typically have enough natural phosphorus (P) in our soil. Try to select fertilizers with low or 0 phosphorus (P) rates.