Fertilizing grass in the vicinity of bodies of water may be good for the grass, but without precautions, the practice can pollute surface water that eventually runs into lakes, according to a presentation Monday night by Jay McNalis to the Lakewood Lake Ecology Committee.
McNalis, speaking for Green Tree Fertilizer Co., also said lakeside residents who dump grass clippings into the lakes are polluting the lakes.
McNalis suggested fertilizing close to the shoreline only once a year, creating vegetation strips with prairie grass between lawns and the lake to lessen pollution in the lake, avoiding fertilizing just before storms, and keeping clippings out of the lake.
He said that although fertilizing in late fall is best for grass, it highly pollutes surface water, which runs into lakes.
The green grass at the top is dormant, so the fertilizer goes right to the roots, said McNalis. But because part of the grass is dormant, only 50 percent of the nitrogen in the fertilizer is used.
