Lawn fertilizer schedule: Fertilization is one of the most important things for your lawn to keep it evergreen and healthy because it supplies all essential nutrients for lawn grass and plants. Sometimes, it may be referred to as the life of your lawn grass. It maintains the desired green color of your lawn. So, for a lawn owner, it is very important to gain some primary knowledge about fertilizer schedules. It is the combined factor of some easy well-known tasks like the proper time of fertilization, the proper amount of fertilizer, and the proper way of fertilization.
If you want to be a lawn expert you must follow the schedule that you have made at the primary level of your lawn. You must make a preplanned schedule of fertilizer that will be convenient for your tasks and will make your work ease. A healthy green lawn largely depends on how you deal with your fertilization schedule. If you have made any mistake in your schedule you can not achieve your desired goal.
In this article, I will give you some special tips for your lawn about the scheduling of fertilizer. You’ll get information on what is the best lawn fertilizer for early spring? How many times do I need to fertilize my lawn? Can I fertilize my lawn every 2 weeks? What is the best fertilizer for a lawn? can I fertilize my lawn every 2 weeks? best time to fertilize lawn before or after rain? how often should you fertilize your lawn? best fertilizer for green grass? best fertilizer for grass in summer? best lawn fertilizer ratio?
If you do care, you can follow the schedule that I am going to tell you in some easy way. First of all, you must give your attention to this article and follow the schedule slowly. Don’t be so hurry. So, let’s go.
Types of fertilizer for the lawn
To make a fertilizer schedule for the first time you have to learn about which types of fertilizer you may prefer to use in your lawn. Here are some basic types of fertilizer that you can use for your lawn.
You can use both organic and inorganic fertilizer. Organics gives a slow but long-lasting result while inorganics are very fast and easy to apply. The fundamental ingredients in lawn fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, and they make up the N-P-K ratio listed on fertilizing products. Nitrogen gives the lawn its green color and vigorous growth. Phosphorous encourages healthy root growth, and potassium increases disease and weather resistance.
Slow-release fertilizer
You can use a fertilizer of “slow-release” products. This is available in the local market or lawn care company. These products supply nutrients for a long time and the main advantage of these is the grass can absorb it at the time when it needs rather than all at once. But the things that you don’t want to use slow-release fertilizer all the time because the price of these products is very high and you also get a slow result from these products.
Fast-release fertilizer
You can use fast-release products of fertilizer and can get a quick result from these. These are available in the local market and the price of these is lower than slow-release products. You have to bear in mind that you have to apply these products in a very smaller amount and more often. For these products, an overdose is strictly prohibited. Any mistake of the dose can devastate your plan. If you use an overdose it can burn your lawn very badly.
Organic fertilizers
You can also use organic substances in lieu of chemicals. You have to top-dress your lawn with a mixture of compost and organics in spring and fall. Although the abundance of essential nutrients in these fertilizers are low, you have to use a large number of organics in your lawn. Fresh cow dung is avoided because it is very harmful to your lawn grass. You must be aware that manures like horses can contain weed seeds that are also harmful to your lawn.
Liquid fertilizers
The professionals don’t suggest the use of liquid fertilizer for beginners because it is very tough to apply and it needs a frequent application.
Lawn fertilizer schedule
It is recommended that you have to fertilize your lawn at least twice in a year to keep your lawn healthy and green. But, for the wrong time fertilization, your lawn grass may burn very badly and it can stimulate different types of unwanted weed growth. So, the best time of fertilization is when your lawn grass is at the peak level of growth or an actively growing period. Although it largely depends on the place where you live and the different types of grass. So, to make a fertilizer schedule you have to know about the growing place, grass types, and the best fertilizer that is suitable for your lawn grass.
Can I fertilize my lawn every two weeks?
Many lawn owners fertilize their lawn every two weeks. But this is really harmful to your lawn. Many lawn professionals recommended that fertilization in every 6-8 weeks is best for your lawn. Many suggested that fertilization in every 4 weeks interval and some other suggestions that twice or thrice in a year is best for your lawn. But you must avoid fertilization when your lawn is going to dormant or remain dormant in cool-season. Only you fertilize your lawn when your lawn grassroots and blades are active growth.
Identify your lawn grass
There is a multitude of grass varieties. You should know how to grow grass for lawn. Among all of them, you can find the major two types of lawn grass are grown in any region. These are-
Cool-season grasses
These types of grasses are mainly grown well in low temperatures that means grow rapidly in early spring and early fall. If the temperature is high and the availability of water is low, these grasses may remain dormant. Major types of cool-season grasses are Bentgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Red Fescue, Annual, and Perennial Ryegrass, etc.
Best lawn fertilizer for early spring or cool-season grasses
You can get a good result by choosing the best lawn fertilizer for early spring. Commercial fertilizer can supply many of the nutrients for your lawn grass but among all of them, 3 are more crucial for your lawn grass. They are N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium). You can use different kinds of combinations of these nutrients.
You are suggested to use 25-0-10 ratios of N-P-K fertilizer. Here 25-0-10 indicates the percentage of N-P-K. You can also use 15-5-10 or 20-5-10 ratios of N-P-K for your lawn in spring and fall.
Warm-season grasses
These types of grasses are tropical and grown well in warm temperatures that means these grasses grow well in mid-summer. These grasses are tough enough and become denser over time. Major types of warm-season grasses are Bermuda grass, Centipede grass, Kikuyu grass, and Zoysia grass.
Best lawn fertilizer for summer or warm-season grasses
You are suggested to use a combination of 32-0-4 ratios of N-P-K fertilizer for mid-summer. You can find this combination of N-P-K fertilizer in the local market or lawn care company. You can also use a combination of 10-5-10 ratios of N-P-K fertilizer when your lawn is active summer growth.
If the place where you live is a combination of both cool and warm-season grass, you will need different care on your lawn at different times.
Best lawn fertilizer for green grass
Many experts suggested that the best fertilizer that is suitable for the green grass of your lawn is a mixture of 8-2-6 or 16-4-8 ratios of N-P-K fertilizer. You can find it a combination in any local market or lawn care company.
How often to fertilize a lawn
Different
types of grasses have their own growing season and you must make a different
fertilizer schedule for different types.
Schedule for cool-season grass
Cool-season grasses are actively grown in spring and fall when the average temperature fluctuates between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You have to follow heavy fertilizer in fall and light fertilizer in early spring. You can use either slow-release or fast-release fertilizer.
You must apply these fertilizers before the very high temperature in summer when the grass will remain in dormant conditions. One pound of N-rich fertilizer is very effective for 500 square feet area of your lawn for cool-season grasses. Special cool-season fertilizers are available in the local market which facilitates your lawn to protect your grass during the winter season.
Schedule for warm-season grass
Warm-season grasses (Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, Centipedegrass, Zoysiagrass, Bahiagrass, and Carpetgrass, etc.) are actively grown when the average temperature fluctuates between 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit that means in late spring and summer. You might notice that your lawn grass turns green in the late spring and this is the best time to fertilize your lawn. Slow or fast release fertilizer can be used for these warm-season grasses.
You must apply these fertilizers before the onset of high temperatures. Two pounds of N-rich fertilizer is very effective for 500 squares feet area per year for warm-season grass. The second trial of fertilizer will have to apply when the extreme summer heat has passed. You must water the grass thoroughly after every time application of fertilizer.
Best time to fertilize lawn before or after the rain?
When you make a fertilizer schedule you have to think about the time of your fertilization whether it is done before rainfall or after rainfall. Many lawn owners fertilize their lawn before rainfall because after fertilization it needs heavy water and rainfall make it perfectly in a natural way that is effective for your lawn. But many of the time it is harmful to your lawn and environment because of heavy rainfall that may wash away your fertilizer and make water pollution which then flows into near rivers, ponds, lakes, springs, and bays.
On the other hand, after heavy rainfall fertilization, gives an effective result for your lawn. It helps to reduce the chance of fertilizing running off that can not pollute near water sources and rest environment clean.
Precautions
- When your lawn grass is in dormant conditions, must avoid the application of fertilizer mainly N-rich fertilizer because it can stimulate the growth of unwanted weeds.
- The label of the fertilizer should read carefully and also avoid fertilizer that has a slow release of nutrients.
- You must avoid drought conditions for fertilization.
Keyword: Best Lawn Fertilizer Schedule: How Often To Fertilize A Lawn