Florida Counties with a Fertilizer Blackout

A fertilizer blackout is defined as a period of time that fertilizers with nitrogen and/or phosphorus are banned from use. Most times this is during the rainy season. If you were to apply fertilizer (especially granular fert) it would be hit so hard and fast with afternoon rainstorms that it would be carried from the turf to the streets and end up out in the Gulf or Atlantic. This then wreaks havoc on the ecosystems and can contribute to red tide algal blooms and dead zones.

Here is a list of the counties in Florida that have fertilizer blackouts: 

County	Blackout Dates	*City specific
Alachua	July 1 - February 28
Brevard	June 1 - September 30
Broward*	June 1 - September 30	*Fort Lauderdale
Charlotte	June 1 - September 30
Citrus	November 1 - March 31st
Collier*	June 1 - September 30	*Naples & Marco Island
Hernando	December 15- March 15 June 1 - September 30
Hillsborough	June 1- September 30
Indian River	June 1 - September 30
Lake	June 1 - September 30
Lee	June 1 - September 30
Leon	Temperatures under 40º
Manatee	June 1 - September 30
Martin	June 1 - September 30
Miami-Dade	May 15 - October 31
Monroe	May 15- October 31
Orange	June 1 - September 30
Palm Beach*	June 1 - September 30 *North Palm Beach: June 1 - October 31	*North Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach, Tequesta
Pinellas	June 1 - September 30
Sarasota	June 1 - September 30
Seminole	June 1 - September 30
St. Lucie	June 1 - September 30
Volusia	June 1 - September 30

The good news is that even though you may not be able to throw down fert during the blackout, you can still be busy in the lawn. Here's a link to our free Florida Blackout Guide, loaded with tips, tricks, and a stellar schedule to help you keep dominating your neighbor's lawn:  Florida Blackout Guide.

Keywords: Florida, blackout, black out, ban, nitrogen, phosphorus