Garden Detective

... because your neighbors use lawn fertilizer and nasty chemicals.

On your side, definitely stay away from the chemicals. I won't begrudge you some fertilizer, as long as you do it properly. If you're so inclined, get ready to apply the first of two annual treatments around Memorial Day. And only use a slow- or controlled-release product.

Repeat around Labor Day, and nix the third application, formerly recommended for November; it’s no longer advised, and even illegal in some places, among them Suffolk County, where there's a ban on lawn fertilizer application between November 1 & April 1. Nassau is looking at similar legislation.

Why would fertilizer be legislated, you ask? Well, for one thing, fast-release and synthetic nitrogen is transformed into not-so-good nitrates as it breaks down into the soil, eventually leeching into the water table and even our drinking water.

What you put on your lawn directly affects the eco-system. You've all heard about prescription drugs ending up in our drinking water, right? That happens because we dispose of them -- one way or another -- into the toilet. The chemicals leech into the water table, and ground and surface water. So do chemicals and synthetic nutrients from your lawn treatments.

And there's actually proof of this. For years, actually forever, the fish population in Jamaica Bay was pretty much 50 % male and 50 % female. Now we're finding more than 95 % females there. And you know why? Hormones from birth control pills and other medications excreted into sewage systems are entering the water table -- in this example at Jamaica Bay -- and wreaking havoc with normal hormonal activity, resulting in the feminization of flounder.

In our species, a correlation has been found between those endocrine disruptors -- which also are present in laundry detergents, hair gels, shampoos and cosmetics -- and enlarged breasts in young boys.

Lawn fertilizers, especially if used improperly, can have similar devastating effects. Say you put nitrogen, which boosts foliage production, on your lawn in November, when there isn't adequate time for its absorption before the ground freezes. All that excess runs off and leeches into the ground water, eventually making it into the water table.

There's a pretty delicate balance out there in eco-system world. The food chain you learned about in 3rd grade science is real. Big things eat smaller things. Smaller things eat even smaller things, and some of those things eat plants. It's a beautiful design that has worked very nicely, keeping populations in check, since the beginning of time. Until you came along with your quest for the perfect lawn and messed it all up.

Now that excess nitrogen is making its way to Jamaica Bay and the Great South Bay and Manhasset Bay and elsewhere, and it's fertilizing those waterside plants. The ones that should remain smaller are growing out of proportion, choking out some others. This messes with the food chain, big time.

Some municipalities around the country are looking to ban phosphorus, which is represented by the middle number of the fertilizer ratio (ex: 5-10-5). It's the "P" in N-P-K, and stimulates root production and promotes flowering. Unfortunately, it also makes lakes and rivers turn green because it promotes the growth of weeds and algae at the water table.

Still intent on the perfect suburban lawn? That's O.K. There's a natural alternative to synthetic fertilizer, and not only does it supply a compatible form of nitrogen, it's actually free. Plus it will reduce your work in the garden.

I'm talking about grass clippings. No need to bag 'em up and push them to the curb. Just leave them on the grass where they fall, and they'll break down into a safe and natural fertilizer.

But if you're really into those 5-10-5 products, fine. Just follow the instructions carefully. Less is more. More can be dangerous.

Want more information? Visit the New York State SeaGrant program website.