The key to a lush, beautiful lawn is how to apply the right fertilizer at the right time. This guide will help you find the best lawn fertilizer for your yard and learn how to use it. About lawn fertilizer, let’s start by understanding the basic concepts of fertilizer.
Basic knowledge
Usually fertilizers are packaged with the three main nutrients listed in order: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). And the proportions of the three elements are labeled. For example, a generic type of universal fertilizer is called 10-10-10. this means that the ratio of NPK is 10% N, 10% Phosphorus and 10% potassium, with the remaining ingredients containing other nutrients and fillers.
Now that we know that the label on the fertilizer indicates the percentage by weight of each of the three nutrients NPK, let’s use a lawn fertilizer as an example of what these three nutrients do.
Nitrogen (N) promotes rapid lawn growth to create a dense green.
Phosphorus (P) helps develop a healthy root system. For this reason, entry-level lawn fertilizers contain high levels of phosphorus, while fertilizers used to anchor lawns contain relatively low levels of phosphorus.
Potassium (K) promotes the overall health of the grass and helps with disease, drought and cold tolerance.
This means that we can formulate fertilizers with different proportions of ingredients according to the needs of the plants and the soil conditions, in order to maximize the healthy growth of the plants and to prevent the economic loss and damage to the soil ecology caused by excess nutrients.
So when we read the fertilizer labels, please remember “up, down and all around” to remember the numbers. The first number promotes rapid growth (“up”), the second promotes root development (“down”), the third promotes Overall turf health (“holistic”).
which type of fertilizer is best for lawns
1. General fertilizer
Common fertilizers are the cheapest, but they are less suitable for lawns, especially for the average home. Because lawn needs for fertilizer are constant over time and the total amount needed at any one time is not high, if you use regular fertilizer for the home yard The lawn is not a lawn, which means that it needs to be fertilized repeatedly and regularly, adding chores and repetitive work, and making it difficult to total Control causes waste.
2. Organic fertilizers
It is a natural fertilizer, usually fermented from plant and animal carcasses or manure, and is extremely nutritious. However, the disadvantages are obvious: the manufacturing process is more complicated for the average household, and the total amount of production is low, and the odor is high. More, less suitable as a mainstream home yard lawn fertilizer
3. Controlled release fertilizers
This is a new type of fertilizer, and is now also used as one of the most suitable fertilizers for lawns, as lawns require constant small amounts of nutrients. Supply, so it is favored by an increasing number of home users. It is relatively simple to use and does not cause nutrient loss or waste, nor does it cause ecological damage to the soil. The author prefers the brand Manacote™.
4. Liquid fertilizers
Liquid fertilizer technology is gradually developed with the birth of drip irrigation fertilization technology, which is a modern precision fertilization technology, its disadvantage is the need to build drip irrigation system to achieve fertilization, technical difficulties and higher costs, the average family can not afford.
When is the best time to fertilize your lawn
First of all, let’s talk about fall, that’s right the best time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall, early fall means cool weather, warm soil and plenty of The rain, over the summer, has depleted the nutrients around the soil roots, and by this time the grass has grown and stored the nutrients. certain nutrients, so the lawn is in desperate need of fertilizer supply at this point in time, and if this time Fertilizer supply is not kept up, then the lawn will turn yellow in the fall. But it will still depend on the type of grass.
Secondly, spring is a more important time to fertilize your lawn. Usually in spring both plants and animals and even humans are in a state of starvation, and so is the spring grass, it’s time to feed. Fertilize your lawn as soon as the dormant grass has turned at least 50% green again.
And let’s talk about summer, and let’s be honest, due to external factors like heat, drought, increased insect and human traffic, summer lawns are really hard. Feeding your lawn with a controlled-release fertilizer, typically at the beginning of summer, will help keep grasses healthy and green throughout the season. Of course for cool-season grasses (a grass that grows in the cold zone and usually goes dormant in the summer), this is not necessary.
The key to a lush and beautiful lawn is how to apply the right fertilizer at the right time. This guide will help you find the best lawn fertilizer for your yard and learn how to use it. When it comes to lawn fertilizers, let’s first understand the basics concept of fertilizer.
I. Basic knowledge
Usually fertilizers are packaged with the three main nutrients listed in order: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). And the proportions of the three elements are labeled. For example, a generic type of universal fertilizer is called 10-10-10. this means that the ratio of NPK is 10% N, 10% Phosphorus and 10% potassium, with the remaining ingredients containing other nutrients and fillers.
Now that we know that the label on the fertilizer indicates the percentage by weight of each of the three nutrients NPK, let’s use a lawn fertilizer as an example of what these three nutrients do.
Nitrogen (N) promotes rapid lawn growth to create a dense green.
Phosphorus (P) helps develop a healthy root system. For this reason, entry-level lawn fertilizers contain high levels of phosphorus, while fertilizers used to anchor lawns contain relatively low levels of phosphorus.
Potassium (K) promotes the overall health of the grass and helps with disease, drought and cold tolerance.
This means that we can formulate fertilizers with different proportions of ingredients according to the needs of the plants and the soil conditions, in order to maximize the healthy growth of the plants and to prevent the economic loss and damage to the soil ecology caused by excess nutrients.
So when we read the fertilizer labels, please remember “up, down and all around” to remember the numbers. The first number promotes rapid growth (“up”), the second promotes root development (“down”), the third promotes Overall turf health (“holistic”).
Second, which type of fertilizer is best for lawns?
Common fertilizers are the cheapest, but they are less suitable for lawns, especially for the average home. Because lawn needs for fertilizer are constant over time and the total amount needed at any one time is not high, if you use regular fertilizer for the home yard The lawn is not a lawn, which means that it needs to be fertilized repeatedly and regularly, adding chores and repetitive work, and making it difficult to total Control causes waste.
2. Organic fertilizers
It is a natural fertilizer, usually fermented from plant and animal carcasses or manure, and is extremely nutritious. However, the disadvantages are obvious: the manufacturing process is more complicated for the average household, and the total amount of production is low, and the odor is high. More, less suitable as a mainstream home yard lawn fertilizer
3. Controlled release fertilizers
This is a new type of fertilizer, and is now also used as one of the most suitable fertilizers for lawns, as lawns require constant small amounts of nutrients. Supply, so it is favored by an increasing number of home users. It is relatively simple to use and does not cause nutrient loss or waste, nor does it cause ecological damage to the soil. The author prefers the brand Manacote™.
4. Liquid fertilizers
Liquid fertilizer technology is gradually developed with the birth of drip irrigation fertilization technology, which is a modern precision fertilization technology, its disadvantage is the need to build drip irrigation system to achieve fertilization, technical difficulties and higher costs, the average family can not afford.
3、When is the best time to fertilize your lawn?
First of all, let’s talk about fall, that’s right the best time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall, early fall means cool weather, warm soil and plenty of The rain, over the summer, has depleted the nutrients around the soil roots, and by this time the grass has grown and stored the nutrients. certain nutrients, so the lawn is in desperate need of fertilizer supply at this point in time, and if this time Fertilizer supply is not kept up, then the lawn will turn yellow in the fall. But it will still depend on the type of grass.
Secondly, spring is a more important time to fertilize your lawn. Usually in spring both plants and animals and even humans are in a state of starvation, and so is the spring grass, it’s time to feed. Fertilize your lawn as soon as the dormant grass has turned at least 50% green again.
And let’s talk about summer, and let’s be honest, due to external factors like heat, drought, increased insect and human traffic, summer lawns are really hard. Feeding your lawn with a controlled-release fertilizer, typically at the beginning of summer, will help keep grasses healthy and green throughout the season. Of course for cool-season grasses (a grass that grows in the cold zone and usually goes dormant in the summer), this is not necessary.
SUMMARY: The authors prefer to recommend fertilizing your lawn with a controlled-release fertilizer every 90 to 120 days at the beginning of spring, summer and fall.
Sourcing from:https://nagric.com/lawn-fertilization-guide/
