Wednesday, November 7, 2007
268-17

A Survey of Home Lawn Soil Phosphorus Levels in North Central Indiana.

Jared Nemitz, Cale Bigelow, Victoria Caceres, and Douglas Richmond. Purdue University, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, 915 W. State Street Office #2414-D, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Home lawns have been implicated in phosphorus (P) contamination of surface water. Excess (P) in surface water results in eutrophication, a biological process where water bodies support excessive algae and biological activity, high nutrient content, and decreased dissolved oxygen leading to sedimentation and reduction in water clarity. This survey was conducted to gain a better understanding of the nutrient status of North Central Indiana lawn soils. In 2006 and 2007, 152 home-lawns of varying age, soil characteristics and management intensities located principally in Tippecanoe County, IN were analyzed for their nutrient status. Samples comprised of 15-20 soil cores taken at 8 cm depth and analyzed using the Bray P1 method. Soil organic matter was determined for lawns in 2007 only. General age of lawns was >10 years old and principal species were Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. No correlation between lawn age and P level were found. The mean soil organic matter and pH values were 3.5 g kg-1 and 7.1, respectively. Phosphorus levels ranged from 2-310 mg P kg-1 representing extremely low and high amounts of plant available P. The mean P concentration (48.0 mg kg-1) would be classified as high (>25 mg P kg-1). This survey indicates that a wide range of P levels exist in North Central Indiana lawns, discarding notions that lawn P fertilization is unnecessary and should be avoided as advocated by some consumer groups. In order to produce a dense healthy lawn, soil tests should be taken to determine exact P fertilization needs.

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