When Should You Use Fertilizer?

First let me say that there are all kinds of fertilizer out there for what ails your yard. They make fertilizer for cool weather grass and warm weather grass, fertilizer to fight weeds and pests, and to make your grass greener. So, lets get down to the numbers, shall we?

Numbers That Mean Something

The three numbers on front of the fertilizer bags represent Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium and are symbolized as N-P-K

Nitrogen: Promotes foliar (flowers and leaves) growth and color

Phosphorus: Is useful for flower and root growth and early establishment

Potassium: Enhances the lawns ability to use nitrogen

When your grass and plants are starting to turn yellow it would be a good idea to get fertilizer with high Nitrogen (20+) in it. On the other hand, if you have sandy soil in your yard, then you will want to fertilize organically by using compost or lawn clippings to prevent leaching. Leaching is where the chemicals you put into the ground go straight through and into other plants that don’t need it. Too much Nitrogen will prevent your plants from blooming and may even kill them if they receive too much. One way to fertilize organically is to simply cut your grass and leaves and let them compost in the yard. The grass clippings and mowed leaves break down rather quickly if they are not clumped up.

If your plants are small or producing little or no flowers, then you need to add more Phosphorus. This can be tricky since plants have a lot of trouble absorbing Phosphorus. You can do it chemically with fertilizer, but too much Phosphorus and it can simply run down into the water supply and be considered a pollutant. In many cases, it may be better to use compost. The leaves you mow will give you the Phosphorus you need naturally; the grass clippings will also give the Nitrogen the plants need.

It is hard to tell if your plant is low on Potassium just by looking at it. If you see some browning or yellowing in the veins of the leaves you may be low on Potassium. Potassium is used to help plants grow faster, be more drought resistant, resist pests, fight off diseases, and grow stronger. If you think you are low in Potassium, then get the soil tested first to make sure. If you are indeed low on Potassium, then go by your local nursery and get some Greensand. Greensand is a natural fertilizer harvested from the ocean floor that provides Potassium and many other trace minerals that will help your plants grow. You can also use wood ash but, only lightly so as not to burn your plants. Potassium comes naturally from burned wood and is called Potash.

These are some of the times you would want to use fertilizer, chemical or organic in your yard. Most yards in our area would probably benefit from a 10/10/10 formula fertilizer. To know for sure, have your soil tested or talk to your lawn care specialist.