Tips On How And When To Fertilize Your Lawn

For many homeowners, a few of their most fond memories are often associated with their lawns. This is usually the ideal place to play around with kids or pets, to entertain guests or to just sit, relax and to enjoy the outdoors. In order to grow that beautiful lawn that you are proud of, you will need to institute and develop the correct maintenance schedule, that always includes fertilization. Here is a guide on how to feed your lawn so that it always looks its very best.

When You Should Be Putting Fertilizer On Your Lawn

Every type of lawn requires a good quality fertilizer in the early part of spring, as soon as the grass starts to green-up. The fertilization schedule that you choose for the remainder of a season will be dependent on the grass type of your lawn, the fertilizer that you are using and the climate.  The majority of the lawn seed from Ziehler Lawn Care are made up of a combination of various grass types, making both fall and spring fertilization appropriate.

When purchasing lawn fertilizer, the label will give you instructions on the schedule which is associated with the fertilizer type that it contains. These instructions are in most cases the best guide on how frequently you should be applying the product as well as how much you should be using. Provided you do not over fertilize and you avoid using fertilizer on your lawn in the hot summer months, your grass should thrive.

Tips On How To Apply Lawn Fertilizer

There are several techniques on how to apply fertilizer to grass. The use of a spreader offers a coverage that is more even in comparison to hand fertilizing. Hand fertilizer can result in burns in areas with higher concentrations of fertilizer, or pale areas that didn’t receive enough fertilizer.

The rotary or broadcast spreaders are very simple to use. In addition, they will not result in striping like the drop spreaders.  One of the benefits of the drop spreaders has to do with that it eliminates the chance of the overthrow of the fertilizer landing up on your driveway, sidewalk or street. But with a drop-spreader you will need to make 2 trips, over your lawn using right angles. An example of this is if the first-trip over your lawn was made in an east-to-west direction, your 2nd trip should run in a north-to-south direction.

When you are finished applying your fertilizer, it is important to water your lawn thoroughly. The water will wash the fertilizer from the blades of grass to prevent burning as well as a way to allow the fertilizer to absorb as well as sink deep into your soil. It is important to stay away from the lawn according to the time recommended, which is typically 24 to 48 hours.

Fertilizer Types

Below is a list on the different fertilizer types that are appropriate for use on grass:

• Fast Release

You can achieve fast results when you use one of the fast-release fertilizers, but it is important to apply this product more frequently in smaller amounts. It is easy to burn the grass with fast-release fertilizers if you over do it.

• Slow Release

The slow-release fertilizers will mean you won’t need to fertilize as often. However, they typically cost more.

• Weed And Feed

You need to identify the weeds in your lawn before you use a weed-and-feed product. It is important to ensure that the weeds in your lawn have been included on the label of the product. You also need to take care when using this product close to garden plants, shrubs and trees.

• Organic Materials Like Manure And Compost

Essential nutrients are usually not as concentrated when it comes to these materials, which means you will need to use much more. Keep in mind that some of the manures like horse manure usually contains weed seeds.

• Liquid Fertilizers

This type of fertilizer is not recommended as it is very difficult to evenly apply and usually requires frequent applications.

Understanding The Different Lawn Fertilizer Types

Using the right type of fertilizer for your lawn is one of the effective methods to prevent pest damage and disease as well as minimizing maintenance. Here is advice on how to choose the best type of fertilizer for your lawn.

• The time-release fertilizers are beneficial in the way of feeding your lawn over a period of months. It is also assists in doing away with remembering to feed your lawn at specific times.
• The gradual-release fertilizers also provide a way for the plant-roots to harvest nutrients that they require in a gradual manner, which prevents these important elements from escaping into the surrounding soil. This type of fertilizer is simple to use and apply and it will decrease the likelihood of burning your lawn.
• The granular fertilizers are available in either slow release and time release. Regardless of the type chosen, these are a popular choice in association to the actual ease-of-application.
• Water or liquid soluble fertilizers are applied with the use of a hose. They can offer a fast and effective method to rapidly introduce nutrients into the grass roots.

Most of these fertilizer types come in either organic or synthetic forms. The synthetic formulations are made up of chemicals that provide quick greening and immediate release into your lawn.

The organic formulations are made naturally, derived from once-living organisms or the byproducts. When it comes to choosing between organic or synthetic fertilizers, the choice is yours.

Additional Lawn Fertilizer Tips

It is recommended to water your grass a couple of days before applying a fertilizer to ensure it does not suffer from drought-stress. It is also important that you ensure that the grass-blades are dry before you apply the fertilizer to avoid burning the grass blades.

A green and healthy lawn is a great way to complement your surrounding landscape. The best type of fertilizer for your grass will promote a turf that is healthy and a way to decrease pest and weed issues. Making the choice on the right type of food for your lawn starts with understanding the different fertilizers, your sod and soil type.