Phosphorous |
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PHOSPOROUS = JUNK FOOD FOR LAKE WEEDS and ALGAE. Do you live in one of Byram’s lake neighborhoods? Worried about lake weeds and algae? Here’s one simple step every homeowner can take to stop feeding these nuisances—do not buy products with phosphorous. Many cleaning and laundry products contain phosphorous, so read those labels. Among of the biggest offenders, however, are lawn/garden fertilizers, many of which contain substantial amounts of phosphorous. Since most soils have plenty of phosphorous for plants to grow, adding phosphorous in fertilizers usually means that the excess is carried into the lake or stream by stormwater. Once in the water, as you might suspect, the phosphorous feeds nuisance levels of weeds and algae. Under new State stormwater regulations, many towns will be required to adopt ordinances banning phosphorous fertilizers (except for establishing new lawns, commercial farming, and if soil tests actually show a phosphorous deficiency). Meanwhile, to avoid adding to the weed and algae problem, buy only fertilizers with NO phosphorous. This is easy to figure out—on the fertilizer bag, the numbers reveal the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the mix, for example 5-10-10, with the middle number being the percentage of phosphorous. Buy only fertilizers where the middle number is ZERO. Article courtesy of the Byram Township Environmental Commission. |
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