Lawn fertilization is a detailed process that often requires the assistance of a professional, due to its complexity and time-consuming nature. This is especially evident during the summer months, when lawns are typically at their most vulnerable because of the hot temperatures. It’s a good idea to enlist the help of lawn care professionals, but following is some helpful advice about what you can to help get your turf problems under control.
Types of Grass
One of the keys to correct lawn fertilization is knowing the type of grass being grown. In a general and simplistic sense, grass types are classified into winter and summer varieties. One important tip is to fertilize during the months when your grass is not dormant. If fertilizer is used during the dormant months, it is useless, since the grass is not growing, or is growing very slowly. For summer months, warm-season grass is especially important to fertilize correctly, since summer is a prime growing season for this grass type. By contrast, cool-season grass should not be fertilized in the middle of summer, and very sparingly throughout the rest of summer to avoid putting even more stress on the lawn during the hot months.
Components of Fertilization
In order to understand the basics of lawn fertilization, it is important to understand the fertilization process itself. The main components of fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Different combinations of these three elements create different types of growth that a fertilizer can foster. For example, a fertilizer with a nitrogen percentage of 20, a phosphate percentage of 5 and a potassium percentage of 10 is considered standard for spring fertilization. Obviously these numbers will vary substantially based on the season and type of grass.
Types of Fertilizer
A popular fertilizer choice during the summer is slow release with an optimum level of nitrogen. Slow-release allows the applicator to delay each fertilization session, which in turn helps lower the maintenance needed. Granular fertilizer is also the best choice for general maintenance because of its ease of application and even spread across a lawn.
Use a Dose of Care with Your Fertilizer
While doing it yourself is always an option, certain jobs are best left to the experts. Due to the detailed nature of lawn maintenance and the number of times per year fertilizer needs to be applied, it is best to leave this job to professionals, otherwise, you can damage your turf and turn your green lawn to brown. More importantly, using too much fertilizer or applying it inappropriately can cause excess runoff, which can permeate and taint the groundwater.
If you live in the Salt Lake City area, contact All Green Pest Control & Lawn Care for help with all of your pest control and lawn fertilization needs.