Today we will discuss fertilizing lawn- the most critical factor for growing healthy and beautiful grass. If you are planning to utilize your home yard or parking area with beautiful green grass, then this article is for you.
In this article, we will try to discuss when and how to fertilize the lawn as well as the perfect combination of fertilizer ingredients. We will also try to investigate the outcome of over-fertilizing.
Contents
How to Fertilize Your Lawn Perfectly
1# Time to fertilize
Timing is the most crucial feature of fertilizing. So for better outcomes, you have to be very careful about the season. Spring is the best time for fertilizing the soil. Because in this season, soil temperature suitable, and that is approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you do not have a soil thermometer, don’t panic, you can find out the soil temperature by observing the lilacs. Lilacs bloom almost at the same time when the soil temperature is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
The first application of lawn fertilizer should take place in mid-April.
2# Ingredients Ratio
If this is your first time preparing lawn fertilizer, then you have to be very careful about the Nitrogen(K)-Phosphate(P)-Potassium(K) ratio printed on the label. These are the primary nutrients needed to feed the lawns.
So, for example, a 20:5:10 bag contains 20 percent Nitrogen, 5 percent phosphate, and 10 percent Potassium. The rest of the 65 percent is the filler materials for even distribution purposes. So buy your preferred fertilizer with suitable nutrients ratio.
3# Follow Slow-Release Method
Divide your lawn fertilizer based on your watering schedule and apply them over a long period. The suggested time interval is six to eight weeks. The benefit of this method is, it ensures the growth of the lawn slowly and makes sure a healthy lawn.
Over-fertilizing can harm the lawn, so be careful. Excessive applications of fertilizer damage the roots of the yard.
As the rate of growth slowed down, you do not have to mow the grass often, which will reduce your physical work and money too.
Another benefit of this method is the color of the grass. It makes sure of the nitrogen distribution in a controlled way, which is the reason behind the color of the lawn.
In this way, you get greener and slowly growing lawn.
4# Even distribution
After making sure the distribution of the lawn fertilizer, here comes the most tricky part, and that is spreading the manure evenly across the whole ground. To do this, go with granules and use a tanker truck to spray the fertilizer to the entire lawn.
The benefit of using a tanker truck is, it makes sure evenly spreading the fertilizer. As mentioned before, if any lawn gets excessive fertilizer, then due to these overdoses of nutrients, grassroots will be damaged. So even spreading is mandatory.
5# Schedule of Application
Make a plan for four to five times of application with a fixed interval. As fertilization starts at the beginning of the springs, mid-April to late April, the second scheme should take place at least four weeks later at mid-May or so.
Then fertilize with a six to eight weeks interval straight to October. For third feeding and following on use organic fertilizer like manure. Comparing with the entire feeding, fall feeding is critical.
During the fall, the grassroots going deep down into the soil. For the growth of the roots, slightly higher phosphorus and phosphate are needed comparing to another feeding.
6# Cautions
- Check the weather update before spreading the lawn fertilizers. If you spread the fertilizers right before a rain, then your hard work and all those fertilizers will go in vain. Because rainwater will wash away all the nutrients along with rain flow.
- Fertilizers are sometimes the cause of environmental pollution. Often during spreading fertilizers, spreader occasionally drops some granules in the driveway or yard, which may wash out by rain and pollute water. So, to avoid this kind of unnecessary pollution put a sheet of polythene under the fertilizer bag during distribution. After finishing distribution carefully sweep up the granules that drop around back into the bag.
- Use mask and hand gloves during distribution and spreading lawn fertilizer. Once you are done with fertilizing, clean yourself properly.
- If there is any leftover fertilizer, then pour it back into the original bag you get when you buy the fertilizers. Seal the bag tightly and preserve it in a cool and dry environment far from children’s and pets’ reach.