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Don't
Overuse Fertilizer In Your Garden Or On Your Lawn
AUBURN, March 12---Homeowners
and gardeners are among the worst abusers of chemical fertilizers,
says Dr. Charles Mitchell, an agronomist with the Alabama
Cooperative Extension System.
 "Many
gardeners believe that if a little fertilizer makes lawns and
gardens grow, then a lot will really make them grow," says
Mitchell.
The homeowner, just as
the farmer and landowner, has a responsibility to help protect the
land and water supplies. Soil testing and following label
recommendations as closely as
possible will help you
have a beautiful landscape, a healthy garden and a safe environment,
says Mitchell.
Too much fertilizer can
leach into groundwater or enter surface waters through runoff. High
nitrates have been identified in some groundwater supplies in
Alabama, and excessive
phosphates in lakes and
streams could create water quality problems.
Nutrients don't all come
from commercial fertilizers, says Mitchell. Composts and manures can
also result in very high soil test levels of some nutrients,
especially phosphorus. Many Alabama gardeners use poultry broiler
litter. Keep in mind that poultry broiler litter is about a 3-3-2
fertilizer and overapplication could hurt plants as well as the
environment. Composts are about a 1-1-1 fertilizer.
SOURCE: DR. CHARLES
MITCHELL, Extension Agronomist, Alabama Cooperative Extension
System, (334) 844-5489
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