Sustainable Landscape News

Mediterra Experiments With Grass

Mark S. Krzos • mkrzos@news-press.com • August 7, 2008
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Scott Whorrall, Mediterra’s director of golf operations, is experimenting with grass — Emprie Zoysia, to be exact. The turf is a hardy variety that requires less than half the water and a third of the fertilizer of the widely used St. Augustine grass.

"We put this in as an experiment," Whorrall said of the 26,000 square feet of turf that surrounds the Sports Club. "We’re looking to see if this is an option to replace our existing St. Augustine grass. It’s too early to tell how much water we’ll save, but it is certainly nicer looking and more pleasant to walk on than St. Augustine grass."

With stringent water-use regulations in force throughout the region and a growing number of communities passing laws limiting the use of fertilizer to protect water quality, it’s important for developments such as Mediterra to find turf and landscaping plants that require less of both, Whorrall said. Empire Zoysia performs well on both fronts.

Riverland Nursery, owned by Mayer Berg, assisted Whorrall in selecting plants and turf that reduce the need for irrigation. Riverland and Bethel Farms in Arcadia, supplied Mediterra’s Empire Zoysia, while Paraisso Landscape of Lehigh Acres installed it. All three are working with Whorrall on the trial.

"Scott is a leader in sustainable landscaping," said Berg, who is also a member of the Sustainable Landscape Council. "Mediterra was the first private 36-hole golf course to earn the Audubon International Silver Signature Sanctuary status, and this project is in keeping with that philosophy."

Discovered in Brazil, this grass possesses a deep root structure that allows it to tolerate drought. Its dark green, densely packed blades provide a lush, soft carpet of grass that requires little fertilizer to maintain. It’s also shade tolerant and chinch-bug resistant.

"When there’s a drought, it turns brown but comes right back when it gets water,” said Mike Pope, Bethel Farms national sales manager and acting president of the Sustainable Landscape Council. "St. Augustine will fight the drought until it eventually dies. Chinch bugs like dry areas. It’s a perfect recipe for catastrophe. It’s a one-two punch. Drought and chinch bugs. That’s where we see Empire survive on a long-term basis much better than other varieties."

Faustino Torres, owner of Paraisso Landscape, says some people are hesitant about buying it because it looks so luxurious and carpet like. "They think it will cost more because it’s a nicer grass, but it’s completely the opposite," Torres says. "It saves money all the way around. At Mediterra, little maintenance is necessary and it looks great. If it’s handled like golf course turf, it will be spectacular."

Once-a-week watering keeps Empire Zoysia looking green and healthy. The minimal amount of fertilizer it requires is another big plus.

Communities such as Naples and Sanibel, as well as Lee and Sarasota counties have laws that limit the use of fertilizers containing phosphorus and nitrogen because both nutrients can wash off lawns and into waterways, causing algal blooms that kill fish and marine grasses.

Empire Zoysia needs infrequent fertilization and, during the summer rainy season when fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus are banned, Zoysia continues to thrive.

"It can be greened up with iron," says Pope. "It’s a healthier way of growing."

The Sports Club at Mediterra is undergoing an expansion that will increase the building’s existing 7,852 square feet to more than 14,000 square feet. Bonita Bay Group, which is developing the 1,697-acre North Naples master-planned community, is adding three spa treatment rooms, including a couple’s treatment room, and a multipurpose room with a catering kitchen that will function as a large classroom. The project is expected to be completed late this year. A growing membership prompted the expansion project.

Fertilizer Ordinance Takes Effect on the Suncoast

Sarasota, Florida – June 02, 2008 - New fertilizer regulations are now in effect in many Florida counties. Watch this video clip regarding Sarasota County fertilizer ordinances that began June 1 and run through September 30 restricting fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorous used on lawns or plants. Contact your specific Florida county to make sure you are adhering to all new fertilizer and landscape management ordinances and to promote sustainable landscape methods.

(Click here to view video link)

Florida Waterways Should Be Cleaner This Rainy Season

Sarasota, Florida – May 27, 2008 - Nitrogen and phosphorus, two mainstays of traditional fertilizer, may be wreaking havoc upon Florida’s waterways and the plant and animal life they support.

In a campaign aimed at reducing the amount of these potential pollutants that end up in the water while still enabling landscapers and homeowners to maintain healthy turf and plants, the Florida-based Sustainable Landscape Council urges judicious use of fertilizer year-round and, at this time of year, advocates for consumers and landscapers to use a specially formulated blend for summer application that will not leach nitrogen or phosphorus during the summer rainy season.

The council applauds the growing number of communities that have enacted laws restricting the amount of, and periods when, fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus can be applied. The two nutrients cannot be used from June 1 through Sept. 30 in order to limit the amount of runoff that occurs during heavy rains or irrigation. Lee County enacted a strict fertilizer ordinance in mid-May, joining Sarasota County, Naples, Longboat Key and Sanibel Island.

Even in communities that haven’t banned the use of nitrogen and phosphorus during summer months, homeowners and professionals should still refrain from using them, says Jennifer Hecker, natural resource policy manager for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

“When you apply nitrogen during the rainy season, the rainfall often prevents plants from having enough time to absorb the fertilizer so it collects in the form of storm water runoff and washes it into waterways,” Hecker says.

This can lead to algal blooms, such as red tide, that harm plants and animals, as well as remove dissolved oxygen from waters, which can trigger fish kills. Besides, there’s plenty of nitrogen in grass clippings and in the rain itself to supply the needs of plants during wetter months, she says. “We’re trying to work with communities to teach them to fertilize smarter,” Hecker says. “It’s about quality over quantity.”

For those who want to feed their plants and lawns during the rainy season, Hecker recommends using a summer-safe, timed-release product.;Summer-safe blends don’t contain any nitrogen or phosphorus but contain micronutrients such as magnesium and potassium, which can enhance their performance but also provide protective quality to our water resources more than a traditional product would,” Hecker adds.

The timed-release fertilizer employs polymer coatings so that nutrients are released at a rate the plants can use.

Such products may cost more per bag but, she says, “because you have to apply it so much less frequently, you have better impact from less fertilizer when using a good quality product and, in the end, it will cost less per acre than the traditional product. In this case, less is more.”

Florikan, a Sarasota-based fertilizer company, produces 0-0-16+8, a fertilizer formulated specifically for safe, eco-friendly use during the summer.  The products are available locally at independent garden centers, The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Sarasota Wholesale Landscape Supply and Forestry Resources.

“Qualified sustainable products allows homeowners and professionals to safely nourish turf and plants throughout the summer without having to worry about nutritional runoff or noncompliance with local regulations,” says Mike Pope, president of the Sustainable Landscape Council. “One application in June will last for four months.”

The Sustainable Landscape Council formed late last year to help provide long term, sustainable solutions to the rising challenges facing the landscape industry. The not-for-profit organization works with companies with national presence to foster a sustainable future along Florida’s natural coasts. The intent is to help establish common sense, cost-effective environmental standards for the industry before it becomes regulated. The council advocates for environmentally sustainable landscaping practices that require less water, produce less chemical runoff and preserve Florida’s natural resources.

The Sustainable Landscape Council
Making Sustainable Landscaping the Standard

Sarasota, Florida – Nov. 29, 2007 - Today we announce the formation of the Sustainable Landscape Council (SLC), an organization which will help to provide long term, sustainable solutions to the rising challenges facing the landscape industry.  The Sustainable Landscape Council (SLC) is working together with companies with a national presence to foster the sustainable future of Florida’s natural coast. 

Our mission is to help set common sense, practical and cost effective environmental standards for the landscape industry before they become regulated. We will also provide education about environmentally sustainable landscaping products and practices which require less water usage, produce less chemical runoff, and preserve Florida’s natural resources.

SLC sets standards and provides education about products and practices that meet the requirements of the many new policies and ordinances that are beginning to surface across the state, as well as nationwide. These products work together to build landscape environments which thrive in Florida’s unique climate, reduce the strain on our natural resources, have a lower water consumption rate and far less nitrogen and phosphorus inputs, which  decrease the potential  negative impact on our waterways from chemical runoff.

Everyone has a stake in the health and well being of our natural resources. That means everyone also has a responsibility to respect and help protect our environment, and to preserve the unique lifestyle it provides to all of us. SLC will   educate purchasers of landscaping products concerning environmentally sustainable practices and raises awareness of the environmental and financial costs associated with the continued use of traditional landscape practices.

Conventional landscaping practices no longer fit with the changing demands of our communities. In response to Florida’s freshwater crisis, state and county governments are considering regulations which could restrict application of certain landscape products, as well as the use of certain practices. Therefore, the landscape industry requires leadership now to innovate its practices or it will be regulated. Trends contributing to the water crisis point to a need within the industry for education and awareness of environmentally sustainable landscape practices and products.

Environmentally Sustainable Landscaping Symposium

SARASOTA, Fla. (Oct. 9, 2007) – The public is invited to attend an educational symposium to demonstrate how to practice sustainable landscaping Thursday, Nov. 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Sudakoff Conference Center at New College of Florida. The Environmentally Sustainable Landscaping Symposium will feature a variety of speakers who will address issues including environmentally sustainable landscaping practices, reduction of nutrient runoff from fertilizers and degrading of water quality in the Florida waterways.

Mike Pope, National Sales Manager for Bethel Farms will be a guest speaker at this event.  His topic “Using Zoysia Turf – Finally a green solution to turf” will provide important information about sustainable turf grasses.  Also offering insight into how you can maintain your turf lawn amidst many new county ordinances and watering restrictions.

Attendees will include landscapers, environmental professionals, ecologists, biologists, regulatory professionals, elected officials and other interested persons. Cost of the symposium is $20 per person and includes continental breakfast, lunch and conference materials. Four continuing education units (CEU’s) for certified professionals will be awarded by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association for full-day attendance.

The Environmentally Sustainable Landscaping Symposium is sponsored by Florikan and Dynamite, complete plant food, in cooperation with New College of Florida.

The symposium will be held in the Sudakoff Conference Center at New College of Florida, 5845 General Dougher Place, Sarasota.