{"id":140922,"date":"2026-02-02T18:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/140922\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T18:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:26:07","slug":"lee-county-encourages-residents-to-love-where-they-live-with-florida-friendly-lawn-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/140922\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee County encourages residents to love where they live with Florida-friendly lawn tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As cooler weather brings more time outdoors, it\u2019s important to remember that our yard care choices directly impact Southwest Florida\u2019s waterways. Lee County residents can all do their part to protect these vital ecosystems by being Florida-friendly.<\/p>\n<p>Residents seeking easy, actionable ways to protect our waterways can follow the UF\/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principles:<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Use Florida-Friendly native plants to limit water consumption and reduce pesticide and fertilizer use.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Water efficiently by practicing Lee County\u2019s irrigation ordinances, which set specific days and times for lawn irrigation based on address type and season. Learn more at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.leegov.com\/naturalresources\/watersmart\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LeeGov.com\/NaturalResources\/WaterSmart<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fertilize Smart \u2013 Over fertilization damages ecosystems throughout Florida, potentially exacerbating harmful algal blooms such as red tide and blue-green algae, which can suffocate and poison the plants and creatures living in the water.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Use mulch to prevent weed growth, retain moisture, protect\u00a0<a\/>plants and provide a neat landscape appearance.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Use plants that supply food to make your yard attractive to birds, bees, butterflies,\u00a0<a\/>bats and other creatures. Add a bird bath or rain garden to provide water to wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Manage yard pests by acquiring pest-resistant plants, removing affected leaves and plant parts, and spot-treating problem areas.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Recycle yard waste by finding other purposes for lawn clippings, such as using them as a natural fertilizer by creating compost.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Manage stormwater runoff by collecting rainwater; collected water can be used to irrigate plants.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Avoid fertilizing within 10 feet of waterways.<\/p>\n<p>From June 1 through Sept. 30, Lee County\u2019s fertilizer ordinance prohibits the use of fertilizer. However, residents are encouraged to utilize smart fertilizing practices year-round. To learn more about how to be Florida-friendly and how to Fertilize Smart, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fertilizesmart.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FertilizeSmart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To receive updates from Lee County Government, sign up for the newsletter here:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.leegov.com\/resources\/newsletters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.leegov.com\/resources\/newsletters<\/a>\u00a0and follow on social media:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.leegov.com\/socialmedia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.leegov.com\/socialmedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As cooler weather brings more time outdoors, it\u2019s important to remember that our yard care choices directly impact&hellip;\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":["post-140922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140922","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=140922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140922\/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=140922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}