‘How often should I fertilize my lawn?’ It seems like just about the only topic about lawn care that any landscaping company will come around to asking. Yet there is so much more to it than simply choosing one type of fertilizer and spreading it evenly over the surface. Fertilizing your lawn has a whole variety of factors that need to be considered. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with an existing lawn or starting from scratch, the process of deciding how often to fertilize your lawn will be different for every situation.
Factors to consider in fertilizing your lawn
The first factor to consider when determining how often to fertilize a lawn is what you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to create an entirely new yard look, or do you just want to add some color and vibrancy? If you are creating a completely new lawn you have a much bigger job ahead of you. The best way to go about this is to divide the grass into either the central or southern part of your lawn. Then determine where the majority of the fertilizer should be applied.
Now you need to consider exactly how much fertilizer you are going to need. This will depend greatly on the types of grass that are in your lawn as well as the amount of sunlight that your yard receives during the day. If you have extremely dry and sunny grass you don’t need nearly as much fertilizer. However, if you have extremely wet and shady grass you may need more than usual.
There are a couple of different ways that you can go about calculating how often to fertilize based on the number of mature grasses. The first is to divide the grass into two groups based upon maturity. Group one usually consists of grass that is approximately two years old and is in fair condition. Group two will consist of grass that is four years old or older and has lost a lot of its vigor and vitality.
How often to fertilize your lawn really depends on the type of grass that you have as well as what you are trying to accomplish. For example, if you are attempting to replace dead grass on your lawn with healthy plants you will want to apply fertilizer often to help it grow back. Dead grass can actually consume more nutrients than live grass, and its oils can actually increase the growth rate of plants. Fertilizer is also crucial when working with dying grass because its high concentrations of nitrogen will help the grass regain vitality much faster than other grass types.
Another factor that will play a vital role in determining how often you need to fertilize your lawn is the level of nitrogen that is already in your soil. When you compare the amount of nitrogen needed for a healthy lawn to the amount that you currently have in your soil, you will quickly see that a large boost in the amount of nitrogen is necessary. You should make sure that you properly prepare your soil by removing all of the decaying matter from it. This includes leaves, branches, and other types of debris. Also, using a high-quality commercial fertilizer will help to increase the level of phosphorus and potassium that are already in your soil.
Fertilizing grass each and every season is not necessary. On the contrary, you should wait until the first year of new growth for you to fertilize your lawn with fertilizer. During this time grass grows at its fastest, and the amount of nitrogen needed is significantly lower than during the growing season. Newer grasses need a higher level of phosphorus and potassium to help them grow strong and healthy.
Remember that the timing of fertilization entirely depends on the type of grass that you have and the soil that it is planted in. Different grass types will need different amounts of fertilizer in order to be healthy and vigorous. If you are unsure as to whether you should fertilize your lawn at all, you can contact us for recommendations. However, remember that the grass always prefers a cooler climate, so you should fertilize your lawn no later than early spring. This will help your lawn maintain a healthy balance between nitrogen and phosphorous.
