We all have that one neighbor with the gorgeous lawn. You know the one, so deep green and lush it almost looks fake. You want one too?
We hear you! Their secret is lawn fertilization. Keep reading to see how you can benefit from using it on your lawn too.
What Lawn Fertilization Can Do for Your Grass
In simple terms, applying a lawn fertilizer provides your grass with the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive. Kind of like how we take vitamins and eat right to nourish our bodies. The environment threatens your lawn’s health, as well as the type of soil it’s growing in, insect attacks, and disease.
Applying a yard fertilizer has the following benefits:
- Deep green color
- Thicker grass density
- Faster growing grass
- Lower air temperature through the transpiration process
- Quicker damage recovery
- Greater resistance to stress
As you can see, these are significant benefits for your lawn. Getting them through the simple act of fertilization is a no-brainer.
Choosing the Right Kind of Yard Fertilizers
Nutrient Profiles Explained
There are many kinds of fertilizers in various formulas, so how do you know which one to buy? Let’s start with the number combinations on the container. For example, 20-10-5.
In order, these numbers represent the percentage of the nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the lawn fertilizer.
Nitrogen is responsible for the green color and is also the most important element in a fertilizer. Phosphorus helps seeds and roots grow which is essential if you’ve planted new grass seed. And lastly, potassium makes the grass healthier and builds a tolerance to disease.
Choose a ratio that specifically helps your lawn issues and local weather conditions. If you have sandy soil, you’ll likely need more nutrients for your grass since the nutrients can leave when the water drains out through the soil. Clay ground tends to hold nutrients well, but the lack of drainage can also cause problems.
Complete vs Incomplete
Not all fertilizers have nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in them. Complete formulas include all three nutrients.
In contrast, incomplete yard fertilizers only contain one or two. You can tell an incomplete version by a zero in the number label, such as 20-0-10.
Organic and Synthetic
Synthetic forms of fertilizer come in two types, quick-release or slow-release. Which one is best for your lawn? Let’s review each so you can make an informed decision.
The quick-release formulas allow the nitrogen into the soil faster resulting in a greener lawn much faster. However, since the yard cannot absorb all the nutrients as fast, you risk future damage and disease. The quick-release formulas may also burn your grass leaving it brown and sparse, defeating your purpose for grass fertilization in the first place.
The slow-release granules won’t give your lawn that instant deep green color, but they won’t burn your lawn or require frequent applications either. These types of fertilizer allow the grass to retain more of the nutrients. Organic fertilizers are slow-release and made from all-natural sources such as feather meal.
When to Fertilize
Naturally, your budget of time and money should determine how often you fertilize. However, according to agronomy research, the most effective regimen is to apply your fertilizer three times throughout the year:
- Spring (light application)
- Early Summer (light application)
- Fall (heavy application)
What’s the Bottom Line?
The benefits of lawn fertilization far outweigh the effort involved in applying them. Now that you know more about yard fertilizers, get started making your lawn the envy of the neighborhood.
