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An actual comparison of two types of fertilizer, one that is natural and one that is chemical, illustrates the difference. One homeowner applies 30-5-10 fertilizer to his lawn at 20 lbs. per 5,000 square feet and his neighbor applies one quart of (2.3 lbs.) of 4-3-3 fertilizer per 5,000 square feet. The natural fertilizer puts .0184 lb. of nitrogen and .013 lb. of phosphate per 1,000 square feet into the soil. The natural fertilized lawn is more drought and pest resistant and uses less water so it needs to be irrigated less often. The natural fertilizer stimulated biological activity, which creates stable soil aggregates enabling the roots to go deeper and become better developed, keeping nutrients in the root zone. The chemical fertilizer puts 1.2 lbs. of nitrogen and .2 lb. of phosphate per 1,000 square feet into the soil ( 65 times more nitrogen and 15 times more phosphate then the natural fertilizer). The chemically fertilized lawn is water hungry and needs constant irrigation because the grass relies on the chemical to supply the nutrients.

The chemical toxifies the soil, inhibiting biological activity, which results in compacted soil and an unhealthy root environment. Most of the nutrients are free to flow over the compacted surface into the surface water or past the restricted root zone into the ground water. Research shows that from 92 to 96 percent of high analysis chemical fertilizers are not taken up by plants. Fertilization in itself is not inherently bad, but the type and amount of fertilization is the key to producting healthy lawns and elimination water pollution. Remember, nitrogen and phosphate are present in all ecosystems, but nature knows how to hold them and make them readily available when they are needed. We need to learn how to work with nature, not against it.

Traditional lawn fertilization practices certainly cause surface and groundwater pollution, but banning the application of certain nutrients is not the answer. The application of both nitrogen and phosphorus can be problematic. Chemical fertilizers that are highly concentrated cause water pollution even when they are applied at the recommended rates if exposed to heavy rain or excess irrigation too soon. However, many homeowners do not calibrate their fertilizer spreaders or just throw fertilizer on their lawns by hand, which is the most likely cause of most of the nutrient loading in lakes.

The real answer to this dilemma is to start using more sustainable practices and natural products. The recycling of nutrients through the return of grass clippings (using a mulching mower) stimulates soil biological activity and supplies at least two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year without causing any pollution. The application of low levels of natural forms of nutrients such as fish, kelp, humates and corn gluten meal stimulates the proliferation of microbes and earthworms, which readily fix these forms of nutrients before they ever get into lakes. As the creatures in the soil multiply, they excrete nutrients and die or are eaten and digested and excreted by other organisms, which releases nutrients slowly as plants need them. A natural fertilizer.