If we have a lawn, we want it to be a beautiful lawn. Right? So, we control pests, kill the weeds, mow cool season grasses at least 3" high, and fertilize it. In other words, we work hard to produce a healthy lawn. But we also want healthy streams—for fishing, swimming, and boating. For now, and for future generations.

So, what's the connection?
 
We have learned that excess fertilizer from croplands, golf courses, and thousands of home lawns is washed from the land by heavy rainfalls. The runoff flows through drainage ditches and storm drains, and ends up in our streams. In the streams, the fertilizer that grows healthy plants promotes the growth of harmful algae. As the algae grow, they rob the water of oxygen and block the sunlight from reaching useful aquatic plants and fish.

But there is good news!
The good news is that we can have both a healthy green lawn and healthy streams!
 
It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!
 

1.	Contact your County Cooperative Extension Service, have your soil tested, then, ask them to recommend the fertilizer you need. Tell them the kind of grass you have (if you don't know, they can identify it for you) and the approximate size of your lawn. Each region of Kentucky has different kinds of grasses that do well in that area, and each lawn has different fertilization needs.
2.	Buy the fertilizer that is recommended for your soil and type of grass. This fertilizer will be essential for maintaining your healthy and attractive lawn, because the grass needs to out-compete weeds, as well as recover from disease, insect infestation, and drought. To do this, it needs to be actively growing. So, remember, fertilizer is good; knowing which one to buy and how much to use can be confusing.   Fertilizer 101 Fertilizer bags have three numbers on them. The numbers refer to the percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by weight—in that order. So, 16-4-8 means 16% N, 4% P, and 8% K. All three are important, but your County Extension Service can tell you what you really need and what you don't. Let the experts guide you, but now you will know what they are talking about.
3.	As a rule, all nitrogen fertilizer should be applied to cool season grasses in the Fall. Why? For two reasons: plant growth and runoff. First, in the Fall, the growth of grass is in the root system. The development of a healthy root system is the key to a strong, healthy lawn that can withstand drought and recover from stress. Nitrogen is also essential for the blades of grass, but in the Fall, both roots and leaves benefit from the fertilizer. (Warm season grasses, like zoysiagrass and bermudagrass, should be fertilized in the summer.) A second reason for fertilizing in the Fall (or Summer) is that heavy Spring rains can carry fertilizer from the lawn to the storm drain and then into our streams—before the plant has had an opportunity to take it up! At any time, don't fertilize before a heavy rain. And, never more than is recommended. More is not better!

So, having a "Green" lawn doesn't just mean the color. It means having a healthy lawn and, at the same time, having healthy streams.

Remember: Think Fall and use less!