Middleton Lawn & Pest Control Recognized For Environmental Excellence

Middleton introduced the Lake Friendly program, which is offered only to lakefront homeowners, in 1999 in response to customer and community concern about Central Florida’s lakes and waterways.

The Lake Friendly program primarily addresses the use of phosphorus in typical lawn fertilizer blends. Phosphorus is one of the major pollutants in Central Florida waterways and can cause serious algae blooms that can lead to fish kills and other environmental hazards. Removing phosphorus pollution from a waterway is extremely expensive.

After a customer brought the issue of phosphorus pollution to Middleton Pest Control’s attention, the company set out to determine the level of phosphorus in soil throughout the local community.

“When we reviewed hundreds of soil samples from the Central Florida area, we found that the amount of phosphorus that was naturally occurring in the soil was more than adequate for healthy turf growth,” said Joe Welch, Middleton Pest Control technical director. “As a result of our customer’s concern and our own research, Middleton immediately removed all phosphorus from our dry lawn fertilizer blends.”

Middleton Pest Control then became involved with the Friends of Maitland’s Waterways and the Lakes Advisory Board of Maitland. The two organizations provided best management practices that were used in the development of the Lake Friendly Lawn Care program.

The major aspects of the Lake Friendly program are:

• The use of a slow release, non-leaching, liquid nitrogen source;
• Phosphorus-free fertilizer applications;
• Weed control methods that use a site-specific, rather than a broadcast approach;
• Quarterly, as opposed to monthly, lawn care service that reduces the frequency of pesticide applications; and
• Specialized training for lawn technicians.

Each lawn technician receives 150 hours of environmentally conscious lawn care training during the first three weeks of employment with Middleton Pest Control. Ongoing training includes methods to keep products away from storm drains and canals, which can transport fertilizer into lakes.

“There are absolutely no regulatory requirements that mandate the use of phosphorus-free fertilizers,” said Greg Clendenin, Middleton Pest Control president. “The changes and additions we made to our lawn care service and training were in the best interest of both our customers and our community. We’re gratified to know that our proactive approach has led other local lawn care companies to follow suit and begin using phosphorus-free fertilizers.”

Since 1952, Middleton Pest Control Inc. has served the residents of Central Florida through a variety of services. Currently, Middleton offers lawn and shrub care, pest and termite control and urban wildlife management. The company comprises a network of 14 branches in nine Central Florida counties and has nearly 200 team members providing service to more than 30,000 customers. For more information about the company visit www.middletonpest.com.