Lush green lawns are what just about every homeowner yearns for -- a place to walk with bare feet, have picnics on and play catch. With so many people aiming for the same thing, you can find plenty of wisdom for producing just such a lawn. Any lawn's success depends on the health of the soil in which it is growing. Sure, nutrients exist in the soil, but since grass grows on the top layer and rain washes nutrients further into the soil, the grass can be left lacking in fertilizer. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Take a soil sample from six or seven places around the lawn, getting the soil down to about 4 inches. Combine all the samples in one bucket and stir them up with a wooden stick. Use a soil testing kit to find out what your existing ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are in the soil. Send the sample in to the address on the kit or check with your extension office to see what it recommends.
2. Use the results from your soil test to get the fertilizer ratio that you need specifically for your lawn. Look at the numbers to see what is low, like maybe nitrogen since it is leached out of the soil quickly, in which case you look for a fertilizer ratio where the first number is as high as 21 and the other two are zero. Ask for help from the office that conducted the test if you are not sure interpret your readings.
3. Apply the complete fertilizer in the late summer or early fall so the soil has time to incorporate specifically the potassium and phosphorus while the grass plant is almost dormant, and even then, only every couple of years so you don't contribute to excess phosphorus in the water supply. Pick a cool day if possible and right before a rainfall, or plan to give the lawn a good watering.
4. Supplement the full panel fertilizer with applications of nitrogen in May or June when the growth is thick and fast, then again in August to replenish the soil and one last time in October. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn to add a constant supply of nitrogen. Use only enough nitrogen for the size of your lawn, following the directions on the packaging.
Tags: fertilizer ratio, your lawn