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New Law about fall fertilizing

Posted by spazboy357 6b/7a Long Island,NY (My Page) on
Thu, Jul 31, 08 at 17:02

Suffolk County has passed a law that prohibits fertilizing lawns between November 1st and April 1st. The law takes effect in 2009 and Nassau County is apparently considering similar action.

http://www.ccenassau.org/hort/html/fert_recs_2008.htm


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: New Law about fall fertilizing

Why? Who fertilizes in the winter? Who are going to be the fertilizer police
Just means Chemlawn and such has to lay off earlier and hire later costing unemployment thus us more


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RE: New Law about fall fertilizing

Most lawn maintenance programs recommend 3 fertilizations annually: Spring, Late Summer, and Fall. The old/easy way to remember it (and the way that lots of garden centers will tell you to do it) is to fertilize at Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.

Supposedly, the law is being driven by a desire to limit the amount of fertilizer runoff in the ground water that we end up drinking. I see it as another case of the government trying to legislate rather than educate. Another law placed on the books so the elected leeches can say "Look! I voted to help the environment!" rather than something to actually be enforced.


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RE: New Law about fall fertilizing

Thats how I fertilze! The past CEO of LI Cauliflower told me that years ago
The counties can't enforce what's on the books now .
Lawn care guys are supposed to be certified if they apply fertilzer and pesticides
I watched a guy apply grub killer almost every other week last year at the owners request.I kept telling them that the grubs were long gone . Just wait and reseed


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RE: New Law about fall fertilizing

I don't think that the problem is going to be the commercial lawn care guys, it's their business to know what they can and can't do. I think the trouble is going to come from the minimum wage employees of places like Home Depot and Lowe's that don't know their butts from a hole in the ground who will keep on pushing the late Fall fertilizer application because they don't know any better. Them and the average homeowner that is just going by tradition because they don't need to look at the Cornell website and never see that the law has changed.


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RE: New Law about fall fertilizing

I agree with your point in theory, spazboy. I'm not a fan of legislating everything, either. Lawncare companies, unfortunately, will continue to fertilize in November if there's money to be made, regardless of what the extension service recommends. There's a lot of havoc that can be wreaked by that November fertilization when you multiply its effects by the thousands of suburban homeowners on Long Island who want that perfect lawn. Check the link below for the full story, and you might agree that passing a law isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let me know what you all think.

Here is a link that might be useful: Why the November fertilizer recommendation has been eliminated


 
 

 

 


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