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UF Research Aims At Nitrogen Fertilizer Guidelines

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 16, 2008

BALM - University of Florida researchers are working to determine how much nitrogen fertilizer it takes to keep a common garden plant healthy in Central Florida's climes.

The answer could guide home gardeners to clump high-maintenance plants together in an effort to reduce fertilization, which subsequently reduces the amount of tainted stormwater runoff headed for the region's creeks, rivers and bays.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is underwriting the first two years of the study, taking place at UF's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm.

"There are lots of different plants in the same landscape," assistant professor Geoff Denny said. Being able to separate them in the garden will be advantageous to the homeowner and the environment, he said.

Eventually, the scientists hope to expand the research statewide.

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