Fertilizer 101

Do you know what minerals your lawn needs?

This week, I wanted to spend some time discussing one of the more challenging aspects of lawn care-fertilizing your lawn.  Let me start off by saying, that not every lawn is alike. So, when choosing, your fertilizer program invest some time understanding your property and its specific needs.   This includes looking at the other vegetation in your property and how it could potentially impact the nutrients that are available for your lawn.

A healthy lawn starts with establishing a strong foundation including aeration, nutrient-rich soil and overseeding. However, if you really want to grow lush, green turf -you need to make sure that your property is getting the nutrients that it needs.

Understand what your Lawn Needs

Fertilizer programs are designed to provide your lawn with the minerals that are needed to encourage healthy roots, lush green turf and the ability to withstand everyday stressors.

Fertilizer programs are designed to respond to the stressors and growth needs of the lawn in each season.  These change.  Just like us, your yard has different nutrition needs in the early spring, late spring, summer, and fall.  

Early Spring
As your lawn begins to wake up, it is coping with the strains and stressors from its winter slumber, including frost damage, moles, and high periods of moisture.    The focus during this season is to establish a healthy root system ensuring that your lawn can cope with the additional challenges (weeds, pests, disease, and drought) that will be coming in the next few months.

When focusing on root growth, avoid products that are high in nitrogen. Instead, focus on building a strong foundation including healthy roots.   This means choosing a fertilizer for your grass with a boost of potassium (for general overall health) and phosphorus (for root growth).  

Late Spring  

All of that hard work in the spring has paid off, resulting in a property that has a robust, root system.  It’s now time to ramp up that growth.  

This next boost of fertilizer is going to be higher in nitrogen (N) as this aids your lawn with the photosynthesis process (and in turn helps green up your lawn).  However, be cautious, you still want to provide your lawn with a balance of minerals, so make sure that there is also some phosphorus and potassium available for continued healthy growth.

Summer



Heat, lack of rain, and an increase of traffic place a lot of stress on your lawn. To help your lawn cope with all these environmental factors, give it another fertilizer boost.   The key is to provide your turf with the nutrients it needs to help it withstand the insects, disease, and drought that may come in the next few months.  

Regular watering is critical to help maintain the health of your lawn. Water your lawn well getting the water right down into the roots or invest in an irrigation system to help keep a healthy lawn.

Watering also helps any available nutrients in the soil reach the roots directly instead of resting at the top of the grass (putting your lawn at risk for being burned).

Fall Fertilizer



A fertilizer program should include a final application in the early fall. This last treatment will help provide your roots with an extra nutrient boost to help withstand a long, harsh winter. 

This is not a time to encourage growth.  Focus on adding in additional phosphorus and potassium, providing your lawns with a balanced solution.

Are you still uncertain about what your lawn needs? Don’t worry, our team at Earth Elements is here to help.  As turf specialists, we pride ourselves in taking the time to review the specific needs of each property, providing lawn care solutions that respond to your particular challenges.  

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