Best Management Practice

When disposed of improperly, pet waste can be a source of water pollution because it contains diseases and bacteria. When precipitation falls on pet waste, bacteria and diseases are picked up and carried to local waterways and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. The pollution caused by unscooped pet waste affects both wildlife and humans – diseases associated with pet waste can cause illness and even death in people with weakened immune systems.

Unless you are growing Zoysia grass or Bermuda grass, spring is NOT the best time to fertilize your lawn. The University of Maryland recommends that you do not fertilize your lawn in the Spring at all, unless your turf is weak and thin. Even then, the recommendation is to apply NO MORE than 1/2 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn before the end of May. If a home owner applied what fertilizer companies tell us to do, we would apply about 1.75 lbs. of nitrogen per 1000 square feet by the month of June. THAT IS THREE TIMES MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT!