What a Fertilizer Blackout Actually Is
Many Central Florida counties and cities — including Orange and Seminole County — restrict the use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers during the summer rainy season. The goal is to stop unused fertilizer from washing off lawns and into storm drains, lakes, and waterways during Florida's heaviest rain months, where nutrient runoff contributes to algae blooms.
Orange and Seminole County's rainy-season blackout typically runs June 1 through September 30, but the exact dates, and even whether a blackout applies at all, vary by county and municipality.
Check your local rules: if you're outside Orange or Seminole County — or near a county line — it's worth a quick check of your local ordinance before assuming the same window applies to you.
What's Restricted (And What Isn't)
The restriction targets nitrogen and phosphorus — the nutrients most linked to fertilizer runoff and algae growth. Iron-only or micronutrient products are generally still permitted during the blackout, which is exactly why lawn care guidance for this period usually points homeowners toward iron applications for color instead of a full fertilizer.
What to Do During the Blackout
- Use an iron supplement if you want deeper green color without feeding the lawn nitrogen or phosphorus.
- Shift your attention to pest and fungus management instead — summer is peak season for both chinch bugs and gray leaf spot, and this is a good stretch to stay ahead of them rather than fertilize.
- Hold off on any nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizer application, including weed-and-feed products that contain them, until the blackout window ends.
Easy to miss: weed-and-feed products count too. Most contain nitrogen or phosphorus even though they're marketed as weed control, which means they're also restricted during the blackout window.
Getting Back on Schedule
Once the blackout lifts, fall is the time for a winterizer application — a fertilizer higher in potassium (the last number on the bag) that strengthens roots heading into the cooler months, rather than pushing new top growth the lawn doesn't need going into winter.
Not Sure What Your Lawn Needs Right Now?
We'll tell you exactly what's safe to apply during the blackout window and what to hold off on.
Get a Free Estimate Call 407-267-1856Strada Landscape, Inc. specializes in residential sod installation throughout Orlando and Central Florida, including Windermere, Winter Park, Dr. Phillips, and Lake Nona.