Homeowners and Applicators

Homeowners and residents are required to be aware of and to follow the nutrient application rate limits, fertilizer application location restrictions, and best management practices as specified in the law and written on the product label.

The best way to determine the amount and type of nutrient your lawn and garden needs is to test your soil. Over fertilizing can be detrimental to plant growth and an expensive loss of nutrients that can have negative environmental consequences.

Soil sampling instructions and Soil Test Kits are available from your local Penn State Extension Office on the Resources page.

You must follow prescribed application amounts found on the product label and you may not exceed the following limits:

• 0.7 lbs/1000 ft² of plant available nitrogen per application.
• 0.9 lbs/1000 ft² of total nitrogen per application, unless it is an enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizer
• No phosphate may be applied unless you are establishing, reestablishing, or repairing a turf area or you are using an enhanced efficiency phosphorus fertilizer.
  • Application of enhanced efficiency phosphorus, natural organic fertilizer or organic-based fertilizers may not exceed 0.25 lbs/1000 ft² (0.50 lbs/1000 ft² per year maximum).

Maintaining a green lawn does not have to have negative impacts on our waterways. In fact, a dense, healthy turf can help reduce erosion and runoff. Follow these 10 simple strategies to help keep vital nutrients where they belong. 

Click the links below to download and print a copy of the Watershed Friendly Lawn Care Strategies poster.

• Watershed Friendly Poster - 8.5x11 (PDF)
• Watershed Friendly Poster - 11x17 (PDF)

1. Soil test: Know your lawn’s nutrient needs before applying fertilizer by conducting a soil test. Purchase soil test kits from your local Penn State Extension office or directly from Penn State Analytical Services Lab for a nominal fee.
2. Know your lawn: Not all lawn problems can be solved with fertilizer.  Understand your site-specific conditions, such as soil (type and condition), turf age and species, pest presence, and land use, to help determine if there are other factors that may be influencing your lawn’s health.
3. Read the label: Follow the directions on the fertilizer bag to understand how to apply the product properly and safely. Each fertilizer product lists three numbers (i.e. 20-0-10) to indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash present in the bag. To determine the amount of nitrogen being applied when following recommended application rates, use the first number converted to a decimal (0.20) and multiple by the recommended application rate (4.5 lbs per 1000 ft²). This tells you that when applying a 20-0-10 product at 4.5 lbs per 1000 ft², you will be applying 0.9 lbs of nitrogen per 1000 ft².
4. Follow nutrient limits: Pennsylvania’ fertilizer law limits total nitrogen application to 0.9 pounds per 1000 ft² and prohibits phosphate application except under specific conditions. Choose to apply fertilizer at reduced rates across multiple applications when your lawn is actively growing.
5. Avoid waterways: Maintain a 15-foot buffer from the banks of water bodies and avoid applying near storm drains or drainage ditches.
6. Watch the weather: Avoid applying fertilizer before a heavy rain event that would generate runoff.
7. Keep nutrients where they are needed:  Remove any nutrients (i.e. fertilizer, lawn clippings ) from sidewalks and driveways to prevent movement off site.
8. Recycle lawn clippings:  Use a mulching mower and return grass and leave clippings to the soil where they can provide your lawn with organic matter and nutrients.
9. Raise the mower deck: Avoid removing more than 1 inch of the blade at each mowing.  Maintaining taller turf can increase root growth, drought tolerance, and pest resistance creating an overall denser, healthier lawn
10. Establish stream buffers: Allow native vegetation to grow along streams to stabilize stream banks and slow and filter water before it enters the waterway.

In areas where turf is being maintained, consider incorporating different grass varieties (i.e. creeping red fescue, hard fescue, and turf type tall fescue) or nitrogen fixing plant species, such as micro clover, that add diversity to your lawn. Turf variety creates a hardy lawn that can sustain weather extremes, improve disease and insect resistance, sustain heavy traffic, and reduce nutrient needs.  Healthier lawns promote healthy soils and biodiversity while reducing nutrient and water loss.

Contact your local Penn State Extension office for assistance in selecting the most appropriate varieties for your area.

Maintaining the perfect lawn can be time consuming and expensive.  Soils often require nutrient replacement through the use of fertilizers to sustain a hardy lawn and turfgrass can be water hungry at times when water is in short supply. 

Replacing some or all of your lawn with native meadows can, in the long term, reduce maintenance costs and runoff while improving soil health and attracting pollinators and other wildlife.

Not all locations are suitable for lawn conversion.  However, even converting small areas can provide environmental benefits and an aesthetically pleasing landscape.

Changing from the iconic green lawn to a natural meadow takes an initial monetary investment as well as some time, patience, and communication.  Before beginning a lawn conversion project, make sure you research the process and talk to your local officials and neighbors to ensure a smooth transition.

Contact DCNR, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward or Master Gardener, and your local county conservation district for lawn conversion guidance and grant opportunities.