Lee County is encouraging homeowners to adopt Florida-friendly yard care practices and Fertilize Smart heading into 2026 to help protect the region\u2019s natural environment during dry season.<\/p>\n
Although Lee County\u2019s fertilizer ban applies during the summer months of June through September, it\u2019s important to protect waterways year-round. Florida landscaping has some unique challenges because of the climate, sandy soils, frequent rain and sensitive waterways, making smart lawncare a priority for beautifying and protecting yards along with the natural environment.<\/p>\n
Lee County is advising residents to start the new year on the right foot environmentally by following these tips:<\/p>\n
Fertilize grass only when your lawn truly needs it.<\/p>\n
Choose slow-release nitrogen fertilizers.<\/p>\n
Keep fertilizer at least 10 feet away from waterways, including lakes, canals, rivers, creeks and other bodies of water.<\/p>\n
Sweep material spills off driveways and sidewalks, so they don\u2019t wash into drains.<\/p>\n
Follow all instructions on product labels and remember that more fertilizer isn\u2019t better.<\/p>\n
During the rainy season, which generally runs from mid-May through October, unnecessary fertilizing and improper application can cause nutrients to wash off lawns and into waterways, feeding harmful algae instead of grass.<\/p>\n
Lee County residents can resolve to adopt practical habits that conserve water, reduce water pollution and keep landscapes healthy in Florida\u2019s climate. Lee County advises residents unfamiliar with landscaping best practices to consider hiring a Florida-Friendly Landscaping Certified Professional (FFLCP). FFLCPs are trained to address landscape issues with environmentally sustainable landscape management practices that protect and preserve Florida\u2019s natural resources and water. Another consideration is turf that thrives in Florida\u2019s heat, humidity and soil. The right turf requires less water, fewer chemicals and less maintenance.<\/p>\n
In addition to encouraging residents to Fertilize Smart, Lee County is spreading the word about water conservation with its Water Smart initiative, which provides information about the County\u2019s water conservation ordinance and offers tips to homeowners, such as the use of water-efficient sprinklers, allowing rain to do the work, installing a rain sensor or smart irrigation system and avoiding watering too much. Local watering guidelines and restrictions are available online at LeeGov.com\/NaturalResources\/WaterSmart<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information about Lee County\u2019s Fertilize Smart initiative, please visit FertilizeSmart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n To receive updates from Lee County Government, sign up for the newsletter here: LeeGov.com\/resources\/newsletters<\/a>. Follow Lee County Government on Facebook at Facebook.com\/leecountyflbocc<\/a>.<\/p>\n In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Lee County will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in its services, programs or activities. To request an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a reasonable modification to participate, contact Ranice E. Monroe, ADA Coordinator, 239-533-0255, Florida Relay Service 711, or ADArequests@leegov.com<\/a>. Accommodation will be provided at no cost to the requester.\u00a0Requests should be made at least five business days in advance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lee County is encouraging homeowners to adopt Florida-friendly yard care practices and Fertilize Smart heading into 2026 to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-100347","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}