3 Things To Consider Before Applying Fertilizer
Learning to apply fertilizer can seem overwhelming at first, but as I mentioned in my recent video, there are safe products on the market for beginners.
No matter what your experience level is, there are still some important items to consider before actually applying anything.
1. How old is the lawn?
This may seem like an unusual question to consider, but studies have shown that newer lawns require more nitrogen input than mature lawns. The University of Purdue considers a lawn mature around ten years (of regular applications of nitrogen), at which point they recommend omitting an application or two. To the contrary, newer lawns require more nutrition to establish themselves.
You may also consider your mowing strategy at this point as well. Are you bagging or mulching your clippings? If you are properly mulching (mowing regularly and keeping the 1/3 rule), those clippings are recycling nutrients from the grass back into the soil as they break down over time. Doing this regularly may also allow for the consideration of one less traditional application of fertilizer.
2. What does the soil need?
Before applying any product during the growing season, it’s important to understand just what’s going on beneath the grass, down in the soil. A simple soil test will provide enough information to give you an idea of where levels of certain aspects of your soil are, and from there you can choose fertilizers with the correct analysis to give your soil the best nutrients and provide the best results. I started doing this and it made lawn care much easier for me. Having an understanding of what your lawn needs, and why you are applying the products you are applying really makes life easier.
As an example, and I’ve mentioned this before, I saw my phosphorus (P) levels increasing throughout last year. Consequently, I’ve decided to change up the products I use this coming season. The products I apply to my lawn will have minimal to no phosphorus in the analysis.
3. How much nitrogen is being applied during a given application?
Nitrogen is one of the primary elements in a standard fertilizer product. Nitrogen provides top growth to the grass and promotes the process of photosynthesis. But even if you know you are following the recommended application rate according to the bag’s instructions, you should understand how much nitrogen is being applied during your application.
The formula is simple. All you do is multiply the recommended amount of product per 1,000 sq. ft. by the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. For example, if the bag has an analysis of 6-4-0, it contains 6% nitrogen. Applying that product at a recommended 5lbs/1,000 sq. ft. will yield .3lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft (or 1/3lb N).
5 x 0.06 = 0.3
Why is this important? Because there are certain limitations on how much nitrogen should be applied to your lawn during it's growing season. This of course varies by grass type. Over-applying nitrogen can result in burning, or leaf tissue damage, to name a couple of examples. According to The University of Purdue’s extension program, they recommend a window of 1-5 total pounds of nitrogen to be applied throughout the entirety of the growing season. (https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-22-W.pdf) So, keeping that in mind, it’s important to calculate and track how much nitrogen you’re applying during each application throughout the season. I generally keep notes on my phone, but I do know of others who keep notebooks or journals around the garage to track this information among other things they do in the lawn during the season.
If you want a couple of resources to handle these calculations for you, as well as provide other information regarding fertilizer applications, I can recommend the following:
- There is a fertilizer calculator that I built here on my website that calculates the amount of N being applied during an application, as well as cost per application.
- If you prefer a more traditional app format, check out the recently released TurfTherapy app in your phone’s app store. (Apple)(Android) This app was created by fellow YouTuber Robert Palmer, who runs the TurfTherapy YouTube channel.
I find that applying fertilizer to the lawn, like mowing, can be therapeutic. Hearing the granules fall out of the hopper, into the impeller, and fling out into the grass, or listening to the water flowing out of the end of a hose-end sprayer is really satisfying for me. I know I’m giving the lawn and the soil what it needs to thrive and look it’s best, and when I’m following these basic practices, I know that I’m not doing it simply for the sake of doing it, but that I’m making a conscious effort to give my lawn and soil what it needs to the best of my knowledge at the time.