Urban Fertilizer Ordinances in the Context of Environmental Horticulture and Water Quality Extension Programs: Frequently Asked Questions

Abstract

The purpose of this document is to provide background information to all stakeholders—including scientists, legislators, local governments, landscape managers, Extension agents, Master Gardener Volunteers, homeowners, and the general public—on the underlying issues of fertilizer use, with an emphasis on an urban setting, and to outline the current state of the science on urban fertilizers and water quality in Florida. This information is presented in response to 12 frequently asked questions (FAQs) that also include discussion of several technological and regulatory solutions that have been adopted around the state. Written by Michael D. Dukes, Lisa Krimsky, Mary Lusk, Laurie Trenholm, Bryan Unruh, Michelle Atkinson, Rao Mylavarapu, and Bernard Cardenas, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, revised August 2024.

Keywords

• urban fertilizer ordinances
• environmental horticulture
• water quality