Midway through spring we’ve had time to rake and mulch, seed and sod, de-weed the lawn, learn about weed management equipment and spray herbicides and pesticides all over those unwanted garden pests. The lawn looks great, now how do we keep it that way? Give your lawn a little love with some lawn fertilizer.
Everything that lives needs nutrition and grass is no different. Their taste buds merely require a slightly different type of sustenance, namely phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium.
Now that might not sound that appetizing to you and me, but in the world of growing grass those three nutrients are like a nice steak paired with fine wine and cheeses. A gourmet meal for green grass to be sure.
What Grass Needs to Grow
Children need all the nutrition they can get to grow up big and strong. If they don’t get what they need their growth and development can be in jeopardy. Grass is no different. If it doesn’t have the proper nutrition it won’t grow as well as possible.
In addition to the main elements of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous trace elements are needed for complete grass health. Calcium, boron, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, sulfur and magnesium can all be absorbed and utilized by grass in small amounts.
The conditions in which the grass grows is also a large factor. Having oxygen rich soil with good sunlight exposure and access to water, through rain or irrigation, is ideal for grass growth. Aerating a lawn in spring can provide the needed air penetration in the soil and allow water to more easily access the root structure.
If your yard can’t provide the needed grass food on it’s own you can increase the levels of main and trace elements in your earth by spraying or spreading fertilizers. These come in liquid or granulated forms which are spread over your lawn and as with most things on the market today, there are synthetic and natural fertilizer solutions.
Chemical Fertilizers
Chemical fertilizers are a decent option for bringing the nutrient levels up in your soil. They are made from synthetic sources which can be tailored to meet specific needs. For instance if your soil was low on potassium you could purchase a potassium rich solution.
These chemical fertilizers also work quickly. They are easily absorbed into the soil allowing grass to flourish shortly after spreading. That speed works both ways however. As quickly as those new nutrients are absorbed they can be leached from the ground. This means these fleeting nutrients may need to be reapplied regularly. Also, repeated use can eventually lead to arid soil.
Organic Fertilizer
The most common types of natural fertilizers are compost and manure. Manure is a nutrient rich mixture of animal waste and other ingredients while compost is decomposed organic material such as egg shells, vegetable scraps and coffee grinds and filter. There are many items that can be safely composted to create dark, fresh soil to add into your lawn or garden.
Organic fertilizers have naturally occurring nutrients which take longer to absorb than their chemical counterparts but that slow release adds to soil mass and distributes nutrients over time instead of all at once. This means two to three applications per year should be sufficient to maintain soil health.
Basically put there are situations where each type of fertilizer is more suited for the job. Take the time to accurately assess the nutrient deficiency in your lawn and you will get great results every time.
If you liked this article or found the information helpful you can start at the beginning of our spring lawn care series here. Or jump forward to our next article in the spring care series on Edging, Trimming and Garden Shaping to keep it going. Get all the tips and tricks for your yard from day 1, your lawn will thank you.
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