Remember dangerous Florida red tides? As it has caused a major damage to the Southwest coast of the state, the local government decided to ban some chemical fertilizers.
The Southwest coast of Florida was full of red algae, which are toxic to humans and fishes. They caused the death of millions of creatures near Florida coast.
The red tides are a natural phenomenon for Florida, but in the recent years it happens more and more often, and there are a number of reasons why.
The first is global warming. The temperature rises and the algae start blooming more intensively. The second and the most important reason is throwing chemical fertilizers into Lake Okeechobee, which then go the ocean. Fertilizers create a breeding ground for algae and bacterial growth.
So what has the government done to prevent the future damage?
In Lee County, fertilizers containing Nitrogen and/or Phosphorus may not be applied on turf and/or landscape plants from June 1 through September 30 (The same rule exists in Charlotte County and Cape Coral). No fertilizers shall be applied on turf and/or landscape plants within ten (10) feet of a water body, seawall or wetland. When using a rotary spreader, use of a deflector shield is required to deflect fertilizers away from water bodies, seawalls, and wetlands.
In Colier county, it is prohibited to use chemical fertilizers during identified storm “Watch” or “Warning” periods or when soils are saturated. Also, farmers are not allowed to use fertilizer within 10 ft of the water body or wetland (3 ft with the deflector or drop spreader).
In Naples, there is no fertilizer application when soils are saturated, heavy rain is likely, or during a storm or flood watch/warning. The farmers also are not allowed to use any Phosphorus. No grass clippings and vegetative matter/debris shall be washed, swept, or blown into waterbodies, no fertilizer within 10-feet of the waterbody, drain, or top of seawall are also the rules of this city.
Today, the government tries to correct its mistakes. However, it wouldn’t be necessary if people used organic fertilizers and didn’t spoil the soil. Nagri-HL is one of the solutions of this dangerous problem. It is completely safe for the soil, water, and people’s health.
