Lawncology® 36: Common Sense Methods

I began writing this article nearly a month ago before the fertilizer blackout ruling for Alachua County Florida was passed. It originally contained speculation about what I thought was going to happen and how people were going react from an emotional perspective. We decided to wait until legislation was passed so this article could be more fact-based. I feel that it is important to share a little bit of this story to illustrate how these regulations happen and to get you thinking and encourage you to understand how rules and regulations could potentially affect your businesses or communities.

The red tide event of 2018 in Florida made people get up and scream at the lawn care industry about the use of fertilizers. Don’t let me undersell this, the red tide was bad, really bad. Fishing was decimated, dolphins, turtles, and manatees were dead all over the place and the K. brevis organism that creates brevetoxins being released along the beaches was having a neurotoxic effect on people who lived near the beach.

During my recent trip to Tallahassee for the Florida Pest Management Association (FPMA) Legislative Days I witnessed first-hand, a number of problematic behavior patterns that can and will stand firmly in the way of solutions which could cause a ripple across the US.  People from different communities stood up and voiced opinions and concerns that strongly suggested a lack of a complete knowledge and understanding of facts about Red Tide, Nutrient Pollution, Soil & Fertility Management, Point Source, and Nonpoint Source pollution, etc.  To compound the issue, many elected City, County, and State officials also lack that depth of knowledge.

What everyone does know, is that the beaches were polluted with dead marine life, the air was polluted with toxins, and the water wasn’t safe to be in or around.  When you combine the natural fears that result from this type of event with limited knowledge, the issue naturally gets clouded by emotional reactions.  Sadly, when this happens the issue is changed.  It becomes personal.  People naturally look for someone/something to blame.  “It’s not my fault” replaces fact-based wisdom seeking problem-solving.  Anger and recrimination inhibit understanding and practical solutions.  The result is often well-intentioned legislation that doesn’t solve the problem and all too often, addresses only a symptom of the problem with no real way to quantify results or isn’t realistically enforceable.

Red Tide happens in Florida after nearly every active hurricane season. If big storms make it into the gulf, it’s likely going to happen the following season. From a nutrient standpoint, yes, if excess phosphorus or nitrate is in the water around an algal bloom, it’s going to be worse. Think pouring gas on a fire in an effort to put it out. Bacteria love nitrogen, algae propagates further with the addition of Phos so these things need to be controlled for sure. Anyone familiar with my teachings about organic matter?  Maybe if our applied nutrients were able to grab on to something there would be a positive impact….

Let’s look at what was proposed to deal with this issue and then see if maybe you will come to the same conclusion I have. Nitrogen blackouts and phosphorus restrictions have been in place in some areas for nearly a decade and they tend to run from June 1^st to October 1^st. The concept was born out of the thought that if you don’t apply nitrogen in the summer (rainy season) then the algal blooms and red tide would cease to exist. So far, there have been no gains made. Mainly because there isn’t a common sense method in place, THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF NITROGEN IS STILL BEING RECOMMENDED by the state and a higher amount in a single application is now a standard recommendation from IFAS. This means that more nitrogen per app is being applied than before the “limiting regulations.”

Under the blackout rule, the general recommendation is to load nitrogen in May with an extended release fertilizer with a rate at up to 2lbs per thousand. Let’s think about this for a second and I’ll give you an example of what happened this past year. Florida lawns do not require much in the way of N over the summer, in fact, a half pound around July would see it to September/October no problem. Instead, the front load of N happens with a capsule that literally sits on the soil surface and decomposes for 3-4 months and is highly susceptible to being washed away. Now we have poly coat fert floating around delaying the release of N in open water. In 2018 however, rains came early. They started in April and everyone who did a “pre-blackout frontload” with all that N, lost most of it. Follow me?

Blackout times are already in place in many parts of the state and there are 72 individual county, city, township, community, and neighborhood ordinances in place and pros are expected to know which one is which every time they cross a county line. This simply isn’t sustainable. While I was writing this, I received an email that Alachua County in Florida is proposing a nine-month nitrogen “blackout.” This will not impact homeowners as they will not be restricted from buying and applying, but the professional applicators whose livelihoods, training, continuing education credits, best management practice certifications and expertise will be under strict control with fines and potential loss of license for infractions. You have to understand that the general public drafts these concepts and thus far, there hasn’t been enough of a voice from common sense people, pros or DIYers to slow down the push. I am going to explain why that is in a moment.

The recent lawsuit against Monsanto and subsequent win regarding a groundskeeper’s terminal cancer the was blamed on RoundUp exposure has created an element of fear and distrust toward the lawn chemical industry that has the potential to create an environment of regulation that could include the banning of that particular herbicide in many states. This may not seem like a bad thing considering Canada has banned all chemical weed controls, fungicides and insecticides, all you’d have to do is ask a Canadian the lengths they are going through to manage minor problems.

The thing is, RoundUp is not used widespread in the professional green industry aside from the occasional complete burndown of a lawn for a complete rehab. Perhaps more is used in Bermuda country for cleanup. It’s much more widely used with smaller gardeners, homeowners, and big Ag. I’ve polled companies that I work with about it and it’s just not a big deal. There is a little bit of a shoulder shrug about it professionally which is not a good stance to take right now. There are so many other controls that are taking place for all manner of invasive weed species in standard programs however, and RoundUp is the gateway to a greater banning.

So, here’s where we are… fact vs feeling. No one wants to lose anyone from a disease that could be caused from exposure, no one wants their kids or pets to get sick because they played in the lawn, no one wants to be poisoned. This is the feeling. The facts and precautions in place by professional licensed applicators limit exposure, provide guidelines to people about pets and kids, can pull decades worth of toxicology data and can basically quiet any argument that comes from the “feels.” But that’s not ok. The biggest issue is that there is fear and when you’re scared, you want to be heard. It doesn’t matter if the fear is real, you will find a way to justify the feeling. Too many fact-based responses are coming from a “you’re stupid for believing that” standpoint and that makes people more defensive, less receptive to learning.

I am encouraging you all who may be having these conversations to take a crack at empathy. Listen to those that are worried about these items and share your very real concerns right back. I have never met a person that loves seeing a dead manatee on the beach. Start there. You have concerns about the environment too, I personally love to swim in clear-blue water and not worry that I’m going to get a flesh-eating bacteria infection when I’m taking a dip! So rather than make it a fact vs fiction conversation, take the middle path, listen share the moment that is bringing the concern and then talk about real solutions. We are all going to be playing a part in these discussions and now is the time to learn how to do it.