The “Fertilizer Law” Starts April 1st in New York State

There's a New York State law that limits when and when you cannot put chemicals on your lawn and it begins tomorrow in New York State.

It has recently snowed it in most parts of New York State and spring is just around the corner and homeowners are looking to finally start taking care of their lawn that is starting to show signs of growth. There's lots of rain in March so New York State actually has a law for when you are allowed to fertilize and not fertilize your lawn with certain chemicals.

New York State wants you to buy fertilizer from the store this season that has a "0" on it. What does this mean?

"Before buying lawn fertilizer, check the bag for a set of three numbers showing the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Buy a bag with a "0" in the middle", according to the New York State DEC website. That means that there is no phosphorus in the fertilizer which can really do some harm to the waterways and people's drinking water.

Here's the part that really has a lot of people mad

People in New York State think this is absolutely wild to be a law but according to the dec it is also illegal to even fertilize your lawn if it doesn't even need to be fertilized and there are some qualifications on what is a lawn that needs it and not needs it.

In addition New York state does not allow anybody to fertilize their lawn regardless of anything before April 1st, 2026 and that if you are fertilizing your lawn you must do so 20 ft away from any waterways.