Lawns may turn more brittle and yellow, but lakes, bays and marshes could become a lot cleaner under a bill making its way through Trenton that would ban many lawn care products on the shelf today. A bill in the Legislature would limit the nitrogen in turf fertilizers to a level exceeded by nearly every product on the market. It also would regulate when and where fertilizer could be used.  A bill in the Legislature would limit the nitrogen in turf fertilizers to a level exceeded by nearly every product on the market. It also would regulate when and where fertilizer could be used.

Called the most comprehensive and prohibitive legislation of its kind in the nation by supporters and opponents alike, the bill calls for a sea change in the way New Jerseyans apply fertilizer to their lawns. The bill comes out of a package of legislation intended to restore Barnegat Bay, heavily polluted by fertilizer runoff, but its impact would be statewide.

The most contentious part of the bill limits the amount and type of nitrogen in fertilizer to a level that can’t be met by any of the products currently offered by the world’s largest lawn care retailer.

“For that standard to be met, every product on the market would need to change,” said Chris Wible, director of environmental stewardship for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which is lobbying against certain provisions in the bill.

The bill also bans phosphorus to maintain lawns, a move that has already been made by many lawn care companies. It would also ban anyone from applying fertilizer to turf: