Some of the direst dilemmas people see with administering their own lawn care programs come from fertilization. It is a very sensitive issue, with a lot of consideration to make to ensure you are do the proper treatment. Not only can you waste your money on expensive fertilizer if you go wrong, but you can completely destroy your lawn…all in the name of trying to make it nicer.
When spring time hits Martin County, one of the most tempting things is to go outside and fertilize your lawn in
You also want to be very careful of the “Weed and Feed” types of products that are sold at big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes. These are fertilizers that try to kill two birds with one stone, doubling as both a fertilizer, but also a pre-emergent herbicide to kill weeds. The whole issue of herbicides is even more complex than fertilization, and the State of Florida requires you
The Proper Nutrients for Your Grass
Fertilizers generally consist of three main ingredients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (you see these labeled on fertilizers as #-#-# with respect to the percentage of that particular fertilizers make-up).
Nitrogen is arguably the most important nutrient for grass. Chlorophyll in your grass requires nitrogen and it is what facilitates the lawns growth (like proteins for humans) and promotes its deep green color.
Phosphorus is beneficial to the grasses energy transfer systems but is needed in much less quantity. In fact, soils in Palm City, Stuart, Jensen Beach,
Potassium is very important and your fertilizer should have a good amount of it. Potassium is responsible for the development of the grasses cell walls and its ability to withstand stress, disease, pests, drought,
It is best to try and find a fertilizer with a slow release of nitrogen. A lot of big box products go for quick results and have extremely soluble nitrogen in their products…this puts a smile on your face quickly, as the lawn becomes green in a matter of weeks (or burns from too much nitrogen). Slow release nitrogen continues to work for months, building a healthier lawn with each rain/watering. (Another consideration to make is that when you elect to keep your grass clippings on your lawn, you are actually reducing your need to fertilize by up to 25 percent because you are returning the clippings nutrients to your soil).
Southern grasses like those throughout Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound (Bahia, Bermuda, Saint Augustine, Floratam) really take off in the summer months when sunlight is abundant and so is rain. It is recommended to give your lawn a jump start in the springtime, but then to apply its main fertilizer application come June. The spring application should be high in nitrogen, with the early summer application should have more even levels of nitrogen and potassium. This promotes both a healthy root system that is disease and stress resistant, as well as a healthy, lush, deep green lawn, without too much leaf growth.
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