Scotts ‘feeds it’ without phosphorus

Scotts Turf Builder without phosphorus

Over a tall, frosty drink, most turf pros — superintendents included — would argue that there is far more over-use of fertilizer and chemicals by homeowners than there is by professionals. After all, homeowners lack most of the financial incentive to reduce excess consumption of materials. And there is always that lurking suspicion by amateurs that, if the little bit specified on the label works, then a lot will work a lot better.

One company recently took a big step to remedy that problem. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company said in mid-May that it has removed phosphorus from its Turf Builder lawn products. The company first set the goal back in 2011, noting it as “a partial solution” to nutrient runoff.

Will buyers in the lawn and garden category even notice? Probably not.

Scotts says the typical, established home lawn has an adequate amount of phosphorus to support healthy grass. With the alarms raised by phosphorus runoff into the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes watersheds, among other areas, the news was well-received by conservation groups.

Because phosphorus is essential to the initial root development, it will remain in Scotts’ starter fertilizers for new lawns and also in the company’s lines of organic lawn food, as it naturally occurs in the organic materials contained in the products, according to the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Jim Lyski.

For that same reason, superintendents should continue to monitor phosphorus requirements both in new seedings and on established turf.