Fertilizers are used by homeowners to maintain and improve landscape beauty and quality. Increased use of home lawn and garden fertilizers, however, has caused concern about pollution of lakes and groundwater. This pollution can cause disruptions in the food chain.
The two fertilizer nutrients that are primarily involved are nitrogen and phosphorus, which are needed by all plants for healthy growth. Although an individual lawn or garden is small, the total area of lawns and gardens in urban environments can be significant. Runoff and drainage waters carrying these nutrients move over hard-surfaced streets where there is no soil to act as a filter. The result is an increase in pollution problems. Proper fertilizer use can enhance plant growth without polluting the environment, but misuse of fertilizer will harm the environment. One problem that we talked about in class is the fact that fertilizers and pesticides are used all the time instead of to correct a problem. Perfectly manicured lawns should not be so desired! Rather, the use of native plants should be encouraged.
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