Phosphorus-Free Fertilizers

 

Resources for residential homeowners

  • Lake Tahoe Region Home Landscaping Guide. Free paper copies available from TRPA and conservation districts.

  • Backyard conservation and native landscaping resources from TRCD

  • NRCS Yard Fertility Management tip sheet

  • Turf Fertilization at Lake Tahoe is a fact sheet providing guidance on the type of and amount of fertilizer to use, how to apply, and turf types. This information is useful following soils testing to determine how much nutrients are in your soils.

  • Using Fertilizers Properly: A Tahoe Landscape BMP Fact Sheet for Lake Tahoe

  • Soil Testing: Typically, a homeowner will take one or more soil samples from the lawn or garden and send it to a Cooperative Extension or a soils laboratory for an analysis of the nutrient content of the soil. Home soil testing kits are available at home and garden stores and results will give you a general idea of the nutrients in the soil, but are less reliable.

    • • Soil Testing Guide for Nevada Home Gardeners from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Information is provided on how to sample soils and where to get soil testing done.

    Fertilizers applied to lawns that get into the water fuels the growth of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil at Tahoe Keys.

    Fertilizers applied near water can be particularly damaging. Rain or excess irrigation can wash fertilizers off lawns and into the water to grow a “garden” of invasive plants and animals. Efforts are underway at Tahoe Keys, a subdivision in South Lake Tahoe, to develop best management practices such as minimizing fertilizer use to combat invasive plants and fish.