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5 Basic Rules for Applying Fertilizer to
Your Lawn
The right fertilizer can make all
the difference in your lawn's appearance and
texture, but applying the wrong product or applying the
fertilizer in the wrong manner may seriously damage your
grass. Here are five basic rules that you should keep in mind
when planning to apply fertilizer to your lawn.
1. Choose the Right
Fertilizer
Because there are so many
different soil variations, there are many different varieties
of fertilizer. Before choosing a fertilizer for your lawn, you
should check the pH level of your soil. You can do so by
sending a soil sample off to a lab for analysis or you can get
do-it-yourself soil test kit at your local home or garden
center. Once you know the levels in your soil, you can fix a
fertilizer with the right balance of elements to correct the
nutrient levels in your soil.
You can use organic
matter to fertilize, but it will be slow releasing
and will take some time to adjust the nutrient levels since it
is all done naturally. If you choose to buy a non-organic
fertilizer (which most gardeners do), then you need to keep
three letters in mind: N, P and K. These letters stand for
nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K). All three are
essential to good growing conditions and should be present in
the right balance in your soil. Nitrogen gives grass its deep
green color and also encourages growth.
Phosphorous is
responsible for promoting root growth. Finally, potassium
connects to the stress resistance of the grass. On the bag of
fertilizer you choose there will be three numbers - these
numbers represent the percentage of each element in the
fertilizer mix. The numbers will always be presented in the
order N-P-K.
When you choose a fertilizer
mix, you need to know the nutrient levels in your soil area
and you also need to know what kind of a mix your variety of
grass requires.
2. Know
When and How Often to
Fertilize
Different varieties of grass
have different fertilizer needs. For some grasses, you will
only need to fertilize in the fall. The fall is the ideal time
to fertilize because the grass can store energy for the long
winter ahead. Fertilizing in the spring can sometimes
encourage more growth than the grass roots can keep up with.
There are some varieties of grass that require fall and spring
and there are other types that require fertilization from
four to six times during the growing season. You need
to determine what kind of grass you have and then research how
often it requires fertilization.
 3. Measure Your Lawn Space
You
need to make sure that you know that size of your lawn. When
measuring how much fertilizer you need make sure that you are
only figuring out how much lawn you have. You need to subtract
the size of your house, driveway and any planted drives from
the size of your property to get the size of your lawn. The
standard ratio of nutrients to land space should be listed on
the side of the fertilizer bag.
4. Apply the Fertilizer
Evenly
You want to make sure that you
are applying the fertilizer evenly across your lawn. You do
not want to end up with too much or too late in any areas. You
should use a fertilizer spreader and if you do not own one,
you should see about borrowing one from a neighbor or renting
one from your local garden center. If you are unsure of what
setting to use on the fertilizer spreader, you should consult
the bag of fertilizer. Most fertilizers have the settings for
the most common spreaders listed on the back of bag.
5. Plenty of Water
You should water
right after you apply the fertilizer, within at least 24
hours. Water is needed to activate the fertilizer and
to prevent the fertilizer granules from burning your lawn.
Many people fertilize just before they expect it to rain, but
you need to make sure that enough water makes it onto your
grass within 24 hours of fertilizer application. This will
ensure that your lawn sustains no damage during fertilization
and that you get the lush, green color that you expect.
Go To Next
Article: 5 Lawn Problems Caused By Poor Watering
Practices
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