DEC Rolls Out Annual Phosphorus-free Lawn Fertilizer Campaign

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is calling on homeowners and landscapers to practice sustainable lawn care this spring and summer to protect nearby bodies of water.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos rolled out the agency’s second annual “Look for the Zero” campaign in April. The campaign reminds residents that when they fertilize their lawns, they may only use phosphorus-free fertilizer, as required by law.

“The actions New Yorkers take in their backyards can have a big impact on the environment,” Mr. Seggos said in a statement. “By choosing sustainable lawn care homeowners are helping to protect water quality and public health.”

The environmental promotion was coordinated with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State initiative to address harmful blue-green algae blooms. On the South Fork, Lake Agawam and Mecox Bay as well as Mill, Wickapogue and Georgica ponds have all had blooms in recent years.

“Nutrient overloading has proven to be harmful to the state’s water bodies, many of which serve as drinking water sources for our communities,” said Steve Englebright, a state assemblyman from East Setauket and chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, in a statement.

Phosphorus has been the focus of four state-sponsored Harmful Algal Bloom summits. None were held on Long Island.

Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. of Sag Harbor has supported funding efforts to remediate nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in East End waterways. He announced last month that the Assembly voted in favor of a series of bills he co-sponsored to protect New York’s air and wetlands—specifically targeting methoprene, an insecticide ingredient.

“It is important to increase public awareness of this serious issue,” Mr. Thiele said in a statement. “More must be done to protect wetland ecosystems and dragonfly habitat at the local, state and national levels.”

The DEC wants residents and landscapers to review the label on fertilizer containers to ensure they’re phosphorus-free. The labels have three numbers—such as 22-0-15—indicating the proportion of available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer. A zero in the middle means the product contains no phosphorus.

For those who want to cultivate their lawn organically, the DEC suggests letting lawns grow longer. It’s referred to as the one-third rule: by mowing just the top third of a lawn, grass can form deeper roots into the soil. The state also recommends homeowners leave their lawn clippings after mowing to improve the health of the lawn.

“Don’t leave your lawn clippings around if you also use any herbicides,” advised Edwina von Gal, the founder and president of the Perfect Earth Project, an East Hampton-based nonprofit that advocates toxin-free lawns and landscapes. “All of this talk about fertilizers kind of gives people the impression that they really need them—and often, they don’t. Because the first thing you ought to do is test your soil. Because if you don’t, it’s like going to the doctor and him prescribing something for you something without even taking your pulse. How do you know what your soil needs if you don’t ask it?”

If a lawn looks bare or dying, the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Perfect Earth Project offer soil tests that homeowners can use, and both organizations are available to walk-through the process, data and what homeowners should do next.

Ms. von Gal and the state agree that sustainable lawn care can be better achieved by spreading a quarter inch of compost on a lawn to improve moisture retention, soil texture, and the health of microorganisms. Ms. von Gal said pH is usually the cause of unhealthy lawns on the East End, in which case lime is needed—not phosphorus. Homeowners can buy dolomitic lime for organic lawn care. Powdered sea shells can replace lime, too, for a slow, but effective growth. She said any effort to protect New York’s water bodies should be taken seriously.

“Ultimately, all of that water is what we end up drinking, and I know people say, ‘Well, I just could drink bottled water,’ but where does that bottled water come from?” Ms. von Gal said. “We only have, ultimately, one source of water, which is the ground. It’s coming out of the ground. And if we keep putting things into the ground, that’s all we will have to put in bottles and in our bodies.”

The DEC is directing homeowners and community leaders to go to the agency’s YouTube channel for more visual information.

“Excess phosphorus is causing problems in many New York water bodies, making them unusable for swimming, fishing, or as a source of drinking water. I urge residents to ‘Look for the Zero’ and buy phosphorus-free fertilizer this spring. By choosing to use sustainable practices, eliminating phosphorus, and reducing pesticide use on lawns, New Yorkers can play an important role in addressing water quality impairments across the state,” Mr. Seggos said.

He noted that when lakes and ponds are closed due to algae blooms, municipalities lose sources of recreation and revenue.

Under its nutrient runoff law, the state prohibits the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus. There are exceptions for the installation of new lawns and when a soil test shows that a lawn does not have enough phosphorus. Water pollution via runoff is common when phosphorus is applied to existing lawns, the DEC noted. The law doesn’t include agricultural fertilizer or fertilizer for gardens.