Stewardship Tip July 28th, 2009- Dog Days – Runoff
It is not ideal to fertilize your lawn during the dog days. If fertilizer is applied when the temperature is excessively hot, it can burn your lawn. Moreover, if the soil is dry, fertilizer granules can be easily washed into the street and down the sewer.
You want to apply about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water after fertilization to move the nitrogen into the surface soil where it can be protected from runoff and used by the grass. During the dog days, watering bans may be in place that will prevent you from irrigating after fertilization.
Now is a good time to wait. Fertilize later! The will help to reduce the chances of fertilizer running off your lawn and entering your watershed.
Why it’s important to the fish: During the dog days, warmer water in our lakes, rivers, and streams contains less dissolved oxygen. Non-point pollution, such as nitrogen and phosphorus from lawn fertilizers, can promote and hasten algae blooms. Algae blooms can consume dissolved oxygen. This can lead to fish kills.
The dog days are not the ideal time to fertilize your lawn. The hot and dry conditions during the dog days can promote runoff and adversely affect our rivers, lakes, and streams.
When the dog days set in, it’s time to lay around like a lazy dog.
This week’s sponsor-partner:NewPro’s
V-T2 Livewell & Baitwell Ventilators use the physical laws of nature to provide a more stable and fish healthier livewell & baitwell environment.
NewPro’s partnership makes this week’s Stewardship Tip possible.
Rising demand for our weekly Stewardship Tip and a new partnership with Fly Cast America now makes the Stewardship Tip available in Spanish. Ahora, reciba el Stewardship Tip en español. Gentileza de Fly Cast America.
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