When and what to fertilize the lawn ?
One of the most important treatments is to correctly fertilize the lawn. It will ensure a nice, dense and well-colored grass. To keep the lawn looking beautiful, you need to feed it constantly, as shallow-root grass very quickly uses up the nutrient reserves of the topsoil.
When to fertilize the lawn?
You should fertilize the lawn 3 times a year. The first: fertilize the lawn in spring at the turn of March and April, right after the first mowing. Second time you should fertilize the lawn in June. And last time do it not later than mid-August.
Subsequent use of fertilizers, especially those containing nitrogen, causes the grass to grow excessively and reduces its resistance to disease and frost.
Fertilize the grass after mowing, preferably on a cloudy day, when the grass is still colder. Spread the fertilizer evenly over the entire surface of the lawn. Before spreading the fertilizer, you must loosen turf slighlty. As a result, the fertilizer will penetrate faster to grass roots.
The optimal conditions for fertilizing the lawn are when the blades of grass are dry and the soil is slightly moist.
Fertilize evenly
It is very important to spread the fertilizer evenly over the lawn. If you put too much fertilize in one spot it will burn grass. Not enough will cause grass to turn yellow due to underfeeding. The best solution to avoid this type of situation is to apply fertilizers with a seeder. Thanks to this fertilizer will be distributed evenly.
Avoid over-fertilizing the lawn. Overfed grass requires more frequent mowing and is less resistant to disease. After the winter, an over-fertilized lawn loses its attractive appearance and becomes thinner.
The optimal conditions for fertilizing the lawn are when the blades of grass are dry and the soil is slightly moist.
Attention!
It is forbidden to fertilize the lawn with dry fertilizers when it is wet. Moisture causes the fertilizer granules to stick to the stalks, which reduces the fertilization efficiency. Never fertilize the grass during strong sunlight and drought, because it may burn the grass. It’s best to fertilize your lawn just before the rain. The rain will thoroughly rinse the fertilizer from the blades of grass and will facilitate the penetration of the fertilizer into the soil.
What to fertilize the lawn with?
For the fertilization of lawns, use mineral fertilizers for the lawn and organic fertilizers.
Ready mineral fertilizers for lawns are available in the form of powder, granules or liquid. The best solution is to buy granulated grass fertilizer, which is easy to spread evenly over the entire surface of the turf. The fastest fertilization effect can be obtained by using liquid grass fertilizers that work simultaneously on foliar and soil effects.
You can choose short- or long-acting fertilizers. A more convenient solution is to use long-acting fertilizers. These fertilizers slowly dissolve and penetrate the soil, so that the nutrients are gradually dosed to the plants. As a result, you will fertilize less often, 1-2 times a season is enough.
Spring
In spring, it is best to apply a lawn fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, which ensures rapid and lush grass growth. Special spring and regenerative fertilizers are available for sale.
Summer
Summer fertilization of the turf takes place only when the weather is favorable, but it is very important to maintain the appropriate color of the grass. In summer, is best to use fast-acting universal nitrogen fertilizers.
Autumn
However, at the end of the season (the second half of August), choose special autumn fertilizers for lawns with very little or no nitrogen content. The low nitrogen content does not stimulate the growth of grass and limits the development of weeds.
Autumn fertilizers are rich in phosphorus and potassium, which have a positive effect on the frost resistance of grass, increase its resistance to diseases and discoloration, and stimulate the development of the turf root system. So they allow the lawn to prepare better for winter.
Some fertilizers additionally contain compounds that limit the growth of weeds and moss on the lawn, compact the grass, give an intense green shade to the blades or slow down grass growth.
When using ready-made fertilizer mixtures for lawns, purchased in shops and garden centers, carefully read the information on the packages. Manufacturers provide them with exact doses and dates of fertilization.
Organic fertilizers
You must also remember that fertilizing the lawn alone is not enough. Although it produces excellent results in the short term, over time the soil becomes “tired” and lacks essential organic substances.
Therefore, organic fertilizers are also essential when fertilizing the lawn. These include compost, manure (only well composted manure can be used for grass) and garden peat. These fertilizers must be properly crushed and evenly distributed, preferably in the early morning or evening during cloudy weather. It is worth using them in late fall or early spring at least once every 3 years.
Organically fertilizing your lawn has many advantages. It improves the physico-chemical properties and water relations of soils and protects the turf against unfavorable climatic conditions.
Natural organic fertilizers also contribute to the accumulation of humus in the soil and stimulate the activity of soil microorganisms.
This is important especially when fertilizing lawns located on sandy soils, very light and not very fertile. When using organic fertilizers, there is no risk of over-fertilizing the lawn, because they provide plants with a balanced dose of the necessary macro- and microelements, and the amount of minerals released from them regulates natural processes.
