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Phosphorus: Too Much of a Good Thing
Phosphorus is an essential element for living organisms. In plants, phosphorus stimulates growth. In Florida, phosphorus is an abundant nutrient, mostly contained within sedimentary rock and in Florida's natural soil. However, if it is released in excess, it can become a pollutant.

The Greater Everglades (which includes the upper Kissimmee basin of central Florida; Lake Okeechobee and its tributaries; and the Everglades and other wetlands and estuaries south of Lake Okeechobee) is an ecosystem that thrives on low levels of phosphorus. Agricultural and urban development adds much higher levels of nutrients – like phosphorus – to South Florida's landscape. This leads to the excessive growth of cattails and other kinds of vegetation that were only sparsely present, or not found in the region's natural systems.

High levels of phosphorus cause cattails to crowd out more desirable native Everglades plants favored by wildlife. Higher phosphorus concentrations in surface waters also increase the growth of organisms such as algae and duckweed. This changes the habitats of aquatic and non-aquatic wildlife.

Nitrogen, in excessive amounts, is another nutrient that can stimulate algae growth, which then blocks sunlight penetrating to submerged aquatic vegetation. This can have an impact on the whole food chain, because submerged vegetation is a food source for a variety of creatures.



Other Pollutants and Debris
Debris and trash in stormwater drains can interfere with flood prevention as well as decrease water quality. When a stormwater drain gets clogged with debris, rainwater that normally would be collected cannot enter into the drainage system. Water will pond around the drain, causing flooded sidewalks or streets and increasing the chances for flooding buildings.

Debris and trash also can be carried by the stormwater runoff directly into a lake or canal. Once there, debris can pose dangers for aquatic plants and wildlife. Birds and fish can be poisoned by eating cigarette butts. Mineral oils and coolant from cars pollute the water and kill fish, frogs and other aquatic species. These substances can also harm the wildlife that eats those species.

Sediments may cover submerged aquatic vegetation, killing the plants and reducing food needed by fish and other animals. Dead organic material can attract bacteria and can cause algae blooms, which consume oxygen in the water. Organisms including large fish die when oxygen levels fall too far. Fine particles that don't settle out can get stuck in the ventricles of fish. This can also lead to fish kills. Debris in the water can block sunlight, starving plants or causing algae blooms and lowering oxygen in the water.


Landscape Maintenance
Managing your landscape effectively can drastically reduce pollutants flowing into surface and groundwater systems. Here are some basic tips to help you reduce pollution: use the right types of soil; select plants that will thrive in your landscape or garden; maintain plants properly – don't over or under water them; use the right kinds of fertilizers and pesticides at the right time. Get more details in the guidelines below.


Right Plants, Right Places
Some plants and grasses are better suited to the subtropical conditions of South Florida than others. If a plant is well-suited to our climate, and is well-placed and well-maintained, you can save time, money (less fertilizer and pesticides needed) and water – and help protect the Everglades – by using them in your landscape! A number of publications and websites offer detailed guidance.

Landscaping with Florida-Friendly Plants [PDF]

Water Wise Landscaping – a comprehensive Plant Guide
Download and print [PDF]
Interactive PDF viewer

Landscape Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Broward County [PDF] – guidelines for landscape maintenance that keep landscapes visually attractive while conserving our water resources, reducing pollution, and protecting our fragile South Florida environment

Stormwise Landscapes [PDF]

Institute for Regional Conservation: Natives for Your Neighborhood – a web-based tool that allows you to plug in your zip code, and get expert advise on the best native plants for your landscape!

Florida Yards & Neighborhoods – University of Florida Extension Service landscaping help

Plant Management in Florida Waters (IFAS)


Soils: From the Ground Up
Florida soils have varying textures, colors, water-retention capacities and nutrient levels available for plants. It is important to examine and analyze your soil before you start a landscaping project. It is equally important to re-examine it every few years to see if changes have occurred.

Most Florida soil types do a good job of supporting plant life – just look around at the variety of plants growing naturally in Florida!

If you are creating a new yard or garden, or if the plants in your garden don't seem to be growing well or look pale and unhealthy, don't just start fertilizing. First, learn what's in your soil. You can determine this by sending a soil sample to a laboratory, or using a do-it-yourself kit.

DID YOU KNOW? A soil test is easy and inexpensive. Sample kits are available for free, and a basic test can be done for less than 10 dollars.

Soil sample test kits are often available free of charge at your local County Extension office or from the University of Florida. For more information, go to http://soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu/

Knowing more about your soil helps you to choose the kinds of plants that are best for your yard and determine if fertilizer, compost or other additives are needed.

Soil characteristics to check:

soil type (sand, clay or rich soil)
phosphorus (P)
potassium (K)
calcium (Ca)
magnesium (Mg)
pH (acidity)
A soil test analysis will identify whether your soil lacks needed minerals, the pH is correct or if there is too much or too little phosphorus, nitrogen or other elements that healthy landscapes need.



Drainage Capacity
In addition to knowing the components of your soil, you should know how well the soil drains water. If you have only sand in your landscape, water will easily drain into the ground. If layers of clay are present, water will not drain into the ground as quickly. It will either run off from the lawn, or keep the soil very wet (saturated).

To check how well your soil drains, dig a hole, fill it with water and see how quickly the water goes away. If water takes a long time to move into surrounding soils, your plants may become susceptible to rot or disease. If water drains too quickly, plants will not be able to take up water they need before it disappears.



Lawn Care: Mowing
Cutting your grass properly promotes a healthy landscape. Don't cut it too short, but do cut it regularly and be sure to use sharp blades. Lawn clippings can be an asset in your landscape too.



GRASS LENGTH

Longer grass has more surface to take in more sunlight. This enables the grass to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system. Longer grass also shades the soil, keeping it cool and helping it to retain moisture. Longer grass also can block weeds. A lawn's ideal length will vary with the type of grass, but many lawn grass species are healthiest when kept between 2½ and 3½ inches.

Don't remove more than one-third of the leaf blade at any one time. When you cut grass more than that, the grass is stressed. Cutting grass with dull blades also causes stress, and stress makes plants more susceptible to pests and diseases.



MOWING FREQUENCY

Grass adjusts better to frequent mowing. Mow once or twice a week in the summer when rain is abundant and growth is rapid. Mow less frequently in the winter or dry season when rain is scarcer and plant growth naturally slows.



KEEP THE CLIPPINGS

Never hose or rake your lawn clippings into the street, down the drain or into neighborhood lakes or canals. Why? Yard waste can clog drainage systems, which then causes flooding after a rainstorm. Dumping yard waste can also add excess nutrients to lakes and canals, which can cause fish kills and algae blooms.

Leaving short clippings on your lawn recycles the nutrients in the clippings and helps retain water. This practice helps the environment because less yard waste is sent to landfills.

Phosphorus: Too Much of a Good Thing

Phosphorus is an essential element for living organisms. In plants, phosphorus stimulates growth. In Florida, phosphorus is an abundant nutrient, mostly contained within sedimentary rock and in Florida's natural soil. However, if it is released in excess, it can become a pollutant.

The Greater Everglades (which includes the upper Kissimmee basin of central Florida; Lake Okeechobee and its tributaries; and the Everglades and other wetlands and estuaries south of Lake Okeechobee) is an ecosystem that thrives on low levels of phosphorus. Agricultural and urban development adds much higher levels of nutrients – like phosphorus – to South Florida's landscape. This leads to the excessive growth of cattails and other kinds of vegetation that were only sparsely present, or not found in the region's natural systems.

High levels of phosphorus cause cattails to crowd out more desirable native Everglades plants favored by wildlife. Higher phosphorus concentrations in surface waters also increase the growth of organisms such as algae and duckweed. This changes the habitats of aquatic and non-aquatic wildlife.

Nitrogen, in excessive amounts, is another nutrient that can stimulate algae growth, which then blocks sunlight penetrating to submerged aquatic vegetation. This can have an impact on the whole food chain, because submerged vegetation is a food source for a variety of creatures.

Other Pollutants and Debris

Debris and trash in stormwater drains can interfere with flood prevention as well as decrease water quality. When a stormwater drain gets clogged with debris, rainwater that normally would be collected cannot enter into the drainage system. Water will pond around the drain, causing flooded sidewalks or streets and increasing the chances for flooding buildings.

Debris and trash also can be carried by the stormwater runoff directly into a lake or canal. Once there, debris can pose dangers for aquatic plants and wildlife. Birds and fish can be poisoned by eating cigarette butts. Mineral oils and coolant from cars pollute the water and kill fish, frogs and other aquatic species. These substances can also harm the wildlife that eats those species.

Sediments may cover submerged aquatic vegetation, killing the plants and reducing food needed by fish and other animals. Dead organic material can attract bacteria and can cause algae blooms, which consume oxygen in the water. Organisms including large fish die when oxygen levels fall too far. Fine particles that don't settle out can get stuck in the ventricles of fish. This can also lead to fish kills. Debris in the water can block sunlight, starving plants or causing algae blooms and lowering oxygen in the water.

Landscape Maintenance

Managing your landscape effectively can drastically reduce pollutants flowing into surface and groundwater systems. Here are some basic tips to help you reduce pollution: use the right types of soil; select plants that will thrive in your landscape or garden; maintain plants properly – don't over or under water them; use the right kinds of fertilizers and pesticides at the right time. Get more details in the guidelines below.

Right Plants, Right Places

Some plants and grasses are better suited to the subtropical conditions of South Florida than others. If a plant is well-suited to our climate, and is well-placed and well-maintained, you can save time, money (less fertilizer and pesticides needed) and water – and help protect the Everglades – by using them in your landscape! A number of publications and websites offer detailed guidance.

Landscaping with Florida-Friendly Plants [PDF]

Water Wise Landscaping – a comprehensive Plant Guide

Download and print [PDF]

Interactive PDF viewer

Landscape Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Broward County [PDF] – guidelines for landscape maintenance that keep landscapes visually attractive while conserving our water resources, reducing pollution, and protecting our fragile South Florida environment

Stormwise Landscapes [PDF]

Institute for Regional Conservation: Natives for Your Neighborhood – a web-based tool that allows you to plug in your zip code, and get expert advise on the best native plants for your landscape!

Florida Yards & Neighborhoods – University of Florida Extension Service landscaping help

Plant Management in Florida Waters (IFAS)

Soils: From the Ground Up

Florida soils have varying textures, colors, water-retention capacities and nutrient levels available for plants. It is important to examine and analyze your soil before you start a landscaping project. It is equally important to re-examine it every few years to see if changes have occurred.

Most Florida soil types do a good job of supporting plant life – just look around at the variety of plants growing naturally in Florida!

If you are creating a new yard or garden, or if the plants in your garden don't seem to be growing well or look pale and unhealthy, don't just start fertilizing. First, learn what's in your soil. You can determine this by sending a soil sample to a laboratory, or using a do-it-yourself kit.

DID YOU KNOW? A soil test is easy and inexpensive. Sample kits are available for free, and a basic test can be done for less than 10 dollars.

Soil sample test kits are often available free of charge at your local County Extension office or from the University of Florida. For more information, go to http://soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu/

Knowing more about your soil helps you to choose the kinds of plants that are best for your yard and determine if fertilizer, compost or other additives are needed.

Soil characteristics to check:

soil type (sand, clay or rich soil)

phosphorus (P)

potassium (K)

calcium (Ca)

magnesium (Mg)

pH (acidity)

A soil test analysis will identify whether your soil lacks needed minerals, the pH is correct or if there is too much or too little phosphorus, nitrogen or other elements that healthy landscapes need.

Drainage Capacity

In addition to knowing the components of your soil, you should know how well the soil drains water. If you have only sand in your landscape, water will easily drain into the ground. If layers of clay are present, water will not drain into the ground as quickly. It will either run off from the lawn, or keep the soil very wet (saturated).

To check how well your soil drains, dig a hole, fill it with water and see how quickly the water goes away. If water takes a long time to move into surrounding soils, your plants may become susceptible to rot or disease. If water drains too quickly, plants will not be able to take up water they need before it disappears.

Lawn Care: Mowing

Cutting your grass properly promotes a healthy landscape. Don't cut it too short, but do cut it regularly and be sure to use sharp blades. Lawn clippings can be an asset in your landscape too.

GRASS LENGTH

Longer grass has more surface to take in more sunlight. This enables the grass to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system. Longer grass also shades the soil, keeping it cool and helping it to retain moisture. Longer grass also can block weeds. A lawn's ideal length will vary with the type of grass, but many lawn grass species are healthiest when kept between 2½ and 3½ inches.

Don't remove more than one-third of the leaf blade at any one time. When you cut grass more than that, the grass is stressed. Cutting grass with dull blades also causes stress, and stress makes plants more susceptible to pests and diseases.

MOWING FREQUENCY

Grass adjusts better to frequent mowing. Mow once or twice a week in the summer when rain is abundant and growth is rapid. Mow less frequently in the winter or dry season when rain is scarcer and plant growth naturally slows.

KEEP THE CLIPPINGS

Never hose or rake your lawn clippings into the street, down the drain or into neighborhood lakes or canals. Why? Yard waste can clog drainage systems, which then causes flooding after a rainstorm. Dumping yard waste can also add excess nutrients to lakes and canals, which can cause fish kills and algae blooms.

Leaving short clippings on your lawn recycles the nutrients in the clippings and helps retain water. This practice helps the environment because less yard waste is sent to landfills.