Knowing What Your Lawn

Just as you need food to survive, so does your lawn. There are, in fact, sixteen needed elements for a lawn to survive and thrive in green glory. Most of these elements are a part of nature and need little from you to help your lawn’s success. Others, however, definitely need your attention and should be attended to.

Don’t dash out to the store just yet to get a complete fertilizer kit and a thousand dollars worth of stuff you probably won’t need. First, let’s get to know your lawn and why it needs these things and how you can provide them for it.

Nitrogen is one of the most talked about and least understood element in lawn care. Everyone knows what nitrogen is and that plants need it, but that’s about the extent of their knowledge. Just because a fertilizer or spray has nitrogen in it doesn’t mean it’s getting to your lawn in the way your lawn needs it. Did you know that nitrogen is what gives grass it’s green color? It also naturally helps fight off pests and bugs. Nitrogen is absorbed through the root system, not the atmosphere, so spraying it on your lawn doesn’t always have the desired effect.

Potassium and Phosphorus are often overlooked outside of our health food diets. Since you can’t feed your lawn bananas and milk is too expensive to be pouring onto your grass, you need a way to transmit these two important ingredients to your lawn. Lucky for us, a huge portion of most fertilizers is these two ingredients. These are natural leechers, so they get into the soil readily if introduced correctly.

Beware of the cheaper fertilizers as they’ll often have a bad mix of these three ingredients, along with a few other things for good measure. The measurement of how much of each is in a fertilizer will usually be given as three numbers, separated by dashes (e.g. 30-10-10). That’s the percentage of each of the three elements, in the order they’re listed here. So 30-10-10 means 30% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 10% potassium, with the balance made up of other materials.

This can be a quick guide to what the fertilizer will be good for; example: heavier on the potassium is a good winterizing blend for colder climates.

Before you can choose and spread a fertilizer, you’ll need to know a few things about your soil and its needs. First, is your soil hard, soft, or somewhere in between? Does it have a high or low pH level (acidity)? You can test this with simple test strips available from any garden store. The three major kinds of fertilizer are spread in different ways and will work best in different conditions as well. So if you choose pellets, sprays (liquids), or synthetics vs. naturals, you’ll need to know how you’re going to get it onto the soil underneath the grass.

Once you have a result from a pH test or know what your soil needs, it’s time to pick a fertilizer to match.

Granular (spread) fertilizers are the most popular because they’re so easy to use. If you choose this method, you should be aware of a couple of things. First, they work better with short grass so the fertilizer can get right to the soil. Second, they should be spread in the evening so they have time to settle in under the grass blades (this prevents fertilizer burn). Make sure it’s spread evenly on the lawn and that you don’t water for at least a day. This allows the granules to settle in and do their thing. It also allows the natural moisture of the grass to work on the grains and loosen them up. Watering right off may wash away much of the nutrients before they can absorb into the soil.

Liquid fertilizers are harder to spread, but usually much more beneficial to your lawn thus they are highly recommended by many lawn care advice references. Spray them liberally, early in the morning or later in the evening, so they can soak in before the sun gets to work on them. It won’t take long, though, so burn isn’t as much of an issue here. Over doing it is, however, so don’t soak the lawn down, just get it sprayed well. Follow the directions on the mix.

Synthetic or naturals is a choice you’ll have to make as well. Natural fertilizers are easier on the environment and possibly your pets and children, but can have an odor and may not be as easily applied. Synthetics are faster and usually cheaper, but not always better either.

Whatever you choose, fertilizing your lawn and knowing its needs to thrive will make for a greener, healthier, more beautiful lawn overall!