Law Limits Fertilizer Use

NEW BRUNSWICK – For some homeowners, maintaining a lush, green lawn is a
rite of summer.
With bags of fertilizer boasting percentages of phosphorus,
nitrogen and potassium, a trip down the fertilizer aisle is like cramming
for a chemistry test. That test just got a little harder, thanks to the
New Jersey Fertilizer Law A2290 enacted January of this year.
The new law limits the time that fertilizers may be used. According to the a
fact sheet from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, “This law limits the time
that fertilizer can be used: fertilizer may not be applied during the
“blackout dates” of Nov. 15 ­ March 1 for consumers, and from Dec. 1 ­ March
1 for professionals.”
The law was enacted to help protect estuaries from being destroyed by high
phosphorous and nitrogen levels levels.
According to Jim Murphy, Extension Specialist in Turf Grass Management at
Rutgers University the inland bays in Cape May County have “some moderate
water impairment from water quality issues.”
“More and more products are being made without phosphorus,” he said. “But
that’s because of these water quality issues.”
Murphy said that over the past year, a few companies have already started
selling fertilizers that meet the new criteria.
According to the law, fertilizer sold as consumer/retail products must have
at least 20 percent of its nitrogen in slow-release form. Fertilizers
containing phosphorus may not be applied to turf except when a soil test, no
more than three years old, indicates the need for the chemical; the
establishment of turf or vegetation for the first time; repairing or
re-establishing turf; applying liquid or granular fertilizer under the soil
surface, directly to roots; or, the fertilizer consists of manipulated
animal or vegetable manure.
In addition, the law prohibits the application of fertilizer during or just
before a heavy rainfall, onto an impervious surface, or onto frozen ground.
While the new limits seem stringent, enforcement may become an issue. Fines
for noncompliance have been set at $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000
for the second and subsequent offense for professional applicators. No
fines have been set for consumers.
“The enforcement is pretty open-ended,²”said Jim Murphy, Extension
Specialist in Turf Grass Management at Rutgers. “When it comes down to
homeowners, it¹s up to the municipality to develop penalty systems.”
Abiding the new law may be easier than it appears.
“Be sure to buy a product marked Œturf or Œlawn fertilizer,” said Murphy.
“And follow the directions on the bag. Ninety percent of the lawns that use
the directions won’t be affected.”
Consumers following label directions should still have a “pretty good
looking lawn,” Murphy said. “In a few cases it may not be quite enough, but
it doesn’t mean the lawn will fail. It just means it will take two to three
years for the lawn to come up to snuff.”