Too Late yet Too Early

Winter kill. Photo Credit: J. Bryan Unruh

Winter kill. Photo Credit: J. Bryan Unruh

Author: J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D. – Extension Turf Specialist

Spring has sprung! With that comes the urge to ramp up spring landscaping projects – planting a garden; replenishing the mulch in the beds; planting summer annuals for color; preventing that nasty crabgrass from germinating; and fertilizing the lawn. STOP! WAIT! TIMEOUT!

“Weed-and-Feed” products are commonly marketed in most garden centers and box stores. However, the use of weed-and-feed products should largely be avoided in Northwest Florida. Here’s why. In northwest Florida, crabgrass typically germinates around March 1st – give or take a couple of weeks based on spring conditions (warmer = earlier) or whether you reside along the coast or in the northern reaches of your county. Consequently, with March almost behind us, we are beyond the window of opportunity to control crabgrass before it germinates. Crabgrass control measures now must rely on postemergence (after the weed germinates) options. For all of our turfgrasses, except Bahiagrass and St. Augustinegrass, a number of options are available. Refer to https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP141 for more information. There are no postemergence crabgrass herbicides registered for use on St. Augustinegrass!

The “feed” side of “weed-and-feed” provides plant nutrition – through the application of fertilizer. However, UF/IFAS does not recommend lawn fertilization prior to April 15th in northwest Florida. There are a couple of reasons why UF/IFAS doesn’t recommend early spring fertilization. First, it is very common for portions of northwest Florida to experience heavy frosts through March and into the first week of April. We desire for the turf to remain “at rest” until after the first week of April. Fertilizing prior to April 15th nearly guarantees that the lawn will be awakened making it prone to severe damage should a late spring frost occur (Figure 1). Second, UF/IFAS scientists hypothesize that the turfgrass root system (the part you can’t see) lags behind the shoot system (the part you can see). When fertilizer granules are applied to the lawn, the granules dissolve and the nutrients become part of the soil solution (soil water + dissolved substances). Liquid applied fertilizers go directly into the soil solution. If the root system is not ready to absorb the nutrients, the nutrients are likely to leach below the rootzone and can potentially move into the groundwater as a pollutant. UF/IFAS research conducted near Pensacola and south of Gainesville conclusively showed that fertilizer applied around March 1st had elevated nutrient leaching. Conversely, when fertilizer is properly applied to a healthy lawn, the turf will assimilate all the applied nutrients and not cause environmental problems.

Patchy winter kill. Photo Credit: J. Bryan Unruh

Patchy winter kill. Photo Credit: J. Bryan Unruh

What about “weed-and-feed” products for broadleaf weeds such as dollarweed (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP389) or Virginia buttonweed (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP386)? Generally, these weeds do not inhabit the entire property – they appear only in patches scattered throughout the lawn. Why then, would you apply chemicals to an entire lawn when only a small area needs to be treated? The answer is simple – you shouldn’t. Under this scenario, it would be best to use “Ready-to-Use” products or make a mix from a concentrated product and deliver through a pump-up type sprayer.

Bottomline – go ahead a start your spring gardening. Plant your garden. Refresh the plant beds. Plant those annuals and perennials to give you the color you want. If you haven’t fertilized yet – great. Wait until mid-April or later. If you have already fertilized and your lawn is green – hope that we don’t get a late-season frost!

Limited Urban Commercial Fertilizer License – Do You Have It?

BMP bookOn June 18, 2009, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed into law SB 494 requiring all commercial fertilizer applicators have a license by January 1, 2014. Passing the Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) training is mandatory to obtain that license. University of Florida/IFAS Extension provides training and testing programs in urban landscape management practices and issues certificates demonstrating satisfactory completion of the training.  These classes are available in English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole.

After receiving a certificate of completion of the GI-BMP training, a person must pay $25 and apply with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to receive the Limited Certification for Urban Landscape Commercial Fertilizer (LCULCF) also commonly called the “fertilizer license.” You can apply online or download the paper application and apply by mail.

There has been a lot of confusion over which certificate is needed by the applicator. Many individuals have not completed the second step of the process and are not in compliance with current state laws. If you are unsure which certification you hold, check your wallet card for the identification number; an FDACS issued certification will begin with “LF” and the GI-BMP certification begins with “GV.” You must have the FDACS certification beginning with “LF” to apply fertilizer for-hire.

The LCULCF certification expires 4 years after the date of issuance.  Continuing education of two hours of F.S. 482 General Standards CORE and two hours of the category Limited Urban Fertilizer are required for renewal. Those that received their LCULCF certification before the 2014 deadline may be approaching the need for renewal.

The good news is, if you passed the GI-BMP certification but failed to take the next step towards FDACS certification your GI-BMP training certificate is non-expiring and you can still apply for the LCULCF without attending the training again. Not sure if you have successfully completed this program? You can check here the list of certificate holders by county at http://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/professionals/certification_lists/cert_county_name.shtml.

If you did pass the course, but cannot locate your GI-BMP certificate, you can request a replacement copy here.

Using UF/IFAS-recommended application rates and timing of pesticides, fertilizer and irrigation can help prevent nonpoint source pollution (water pollution that is associated with everyday human activities and driven by rainfall, runoff and leaching) from urban landscapes. By choosing plants appropriate for the site and maintaining them with correct cultural practices (irrigation, fertilization, mowing and pruning), one can significantly reduce the amount of water a landscape needs to thrive.

The GI-BMP class teaches landscape workers how to implement these Best Management Practices into their daily work. This is an opportunity for Green Industry workers to complete this requirement and market their skills to clientele.  Trainings are available monthly across the Panhandle as well as on-line.  Visit the website for more information http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/professionals/BMP_overview.htm.