Phosphorus in the cross hairs
March 26, 2011
The news this week that, by the end of 2012, Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. would be offering only phosphorus–free fertilizers for the lawn maintenance market, is but one in a string of both voluntary and legislated restrictions on this nutrient. The reasons behind the restrictions all trace back to the role of excess phosphorus in producing algal blooms that suck air and light out of waterways, and contribute to the creation of "dead zones" where healthy lakes, rivers and streams used…