The week of May 9 is Fertilizer Awareness Week. Make sure you know the rules for fertilizer use during the rainy season and take any necessary action to ensure you are in compliance.
Miami-Dade County’s fertilizer ordinance applies to fertilizer applicators and anyone who performs landscape management. Fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorous is restricted from May 15 through October 31. The ordinance has specific rules for when, how much and where you can fertilize, how grass clippings and vegetative matter are to be handled, and what training is required for your business. We encourage you to continue adhering to these guidelines.
This ordinance was developed as part of a broad countywide effort to reduce nutrient contamination, in the form of excess nitrogen and phosphorous, in our urban watershed. Excess nutrients from fertilizer can enter our sensitive water resources like our Biscayne Bay, where they have contributed to seagrass die-offs, algae blooms and most recently fish-kills.
Now is the best time to fertilize, if it is necessary to do so, during the dry season, December to April. Remember, the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus is allowed only for vegetable or fruit plants and trees being grown for personal consumption. That means fertilizers used for landscaping cannot contain phosphorus. Nitrogen amounts are also limited.
Original source can be found here.
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