SolveYourProblem
Lawn Care Article Series
Practical
Tips For The Perfect Lawn
Remember
This Before Fertilizing Your Lawn
The
first thing you need to consider is when to fertilize your
lawn. There are many factors to take into
consideration before you fertilize. First, you will need to
learn about the two types of grasses, Warm-Season grasses,
and Cool-Season grasses. Each of them have their own different
growing season, so they’re fertilizing schedule would not be
the same. For both types of grasses, it is better to fertilize
when your lawn is in the growth stage.
For Cool-Season
grasses, the first time you should fertilize
is after the winter dormancy. The second is during the early
fall when the weather has turned moderate usually after August.
This also is the time when heat waves and droughts are typically
over. Nitrogen, an important ingredient, should be applied
in larger concentration during the fall growing period and
a lesser amount in the spring.
For Warm-Season
grasses because they flourish during the summer
months, will need to be fertilized shortly after the grass
turns green in the spring and then again in late summer months.
Nitrogen in larger concentrate should be applied during early
spring and the lesser amount in the fall. That is the opposite
of the Cool-Season grasses.
The second thing you should know before your fertilize your
lawn is what to use. The three primary elements in
fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. There are 13 elements
that lawns need to survive but most are already supplied to
the lawn from the soil and what surrounds it. Most fertilizers
are sold as complete fertilizer because they contain all three
elements. There are numbers listed on the fertilizer package
that tells you how much of each element is contained in the
fertilizer. The first number represents the nitrogen percentage,
the second number is the phosphorus percentage, and the last
number is the percentage of potassium that is contained in
the fertilizer bag.
What
purpose do these three elements serve in your lawn maintenance?
Nitrogen is the most important. It is needed to make the grass
grow and keep its green color. It also helps with sturdy growth
that will help fight weeds and pests and creates thickness
and density. Phosphorus encourages strong grass and root growth.
An increase in phosphorus is seen during the times of planting
and renewing old lawns. Potassium is used to help your lawn’s
resistance to disease, wear and tear, cold weather, and drought.
If you are unsure of what your lawn needs it is possible to
buy home testing kits and complete a soil test. They cost between
$5 and $10 and have easy to follow instructions. These kits
will tell you how much of the three above elements your lawn
needs. You should avoid applying nitrogen before your lawn
has greened up. It could stimulate and encourage weed growth
or other unwanted grasses in your lawn. Don’t be chained to
a calendar, base the amount and timing of fertilizing on whether
the grass is established.
You also need to make sure you know how
long the fertilizer will last. Most fertilizers are time released and take two
to eight months to release all their nutrients. You need to
make sure that enough time has passed since your last fertilization
to avoid burning your lawn by over fertilization. Most fertilizers
need to be well watered after application. If it just sits
on your lawn and is not watered, it could cause yard burn.
Wait for a drought to end if you are unable to keep the lawn
good and moist after fertilizing.
The third thing you need to know is how
to spread the fertilizer on your lawn. Several methods can be used to spread fertilizer.
The most important thing to remember is to make sure it is
spread evenly no matter which method you use for spreading.
There
are three different types of spreaders. The first is
a broadcast spreader either a handheld spreader for a small
lawn or a walk behind rotary spreader. This spreader will spread
typically a three-to five-foot width. The bin will hold a large
amount of fertilizer, which can be distributed evenly by moving
at a constant rate of speed. These types of spreaders have
a release control lever that allows you to control the amount
of fertilizer you are spreading on your lawn to avoid over
fertilizing.
The drop
spreader performs similar to the rotary spreader
but drops the fertilizer straight down and doesn’t spread it.
If you decide to use this spreading it is a good idea to overlap
the wheelbase slightly while making a pass. Two perpendicular
passes are recommended for an even spread.
The third type is liquid
spraying. This spreading is done
by using a garden hose with the fertilizer bottle of concentrated
liquid attached to the end. This type of fertilizing can give
immediate results. To control the spreading you should spray
back and forth after marking your lawns into sections so you
will know where you’ve already been. It’s also a good idea
to walk backwards so you can see where you have sprayed.
Once you have fertilized, no matter what method you use it’s
a good idea to water the lawn especially during hot, dry months. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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