Fertilization Is Central to Revitalizing Your Lawn For March/Spring Time Frame

Lawn care do-it-yourselfers can save some serious money by following a few tips from a turf specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Dollar for dollar, fertilization does more to revitalize thin, weedy lawns than any other single management practice. With more user-friendly products on the market, lawn fertilization has never been easier - provided you follow a few basic steps.

The first step is to take a soil test. Soil testing booklets are available from our office by simply giving us a call at 773-233-0476.

Next buy fertilizer. Fertilizer should be bought on the basis of its quality, not the size of the bag or the price. The value depends on the amount and source of nutrients in the bag. Fertilizer labels have three numbers that designate the percentages of nitrogen, phosphate and potash in the bag. A 30-3-10 analysis, for example, means that the product contains 30 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphate and 10 percent potash. Lawns usually require annual applications of all three of these nutrients with some lawns needing higher amounts than others. Your soil test report will provide information on which fertilizer is best for your lawn.

Some products contain "slow-release nitrogen" or "water insoluble nitrogen." It's a good idea to have some slow-release nitrogen fertilizer in the bag. This will provide longer lasting green-up and reduce the chance of fertilizer burn. However, if all or most of the product is slow-release nitrogen, green-up of the lawn can be very slow. It may take weeks or even months to occur.

Next, homeowners must buy or rent a spreader, unless they already own one. There are two types of spreaders for lawn fertilization - rotary and drop types. Rotary spreaders will do the job faster than drop spreaders since they are equipped with a rotating apparatus that throws the fertilizer out in a wide swath. Thus, fewer passes are required to cover the lawn. Drop spreaders typically are more accurate, but since they don't throw the fertilizer, the swath is narrower and more passes are needed to cover the lawn.

Rotary spreaders are more practical for larger lawns, while drop spreaders are only suitable for small to medium-sized lawns. Many lawn fertilizers now contain spreader settings on the label. The setting, usually a number or letter, controls the amount of fertilizer applied. Look for a fertilizer that lists your spreader type (rotary vs. drop type) and model on the bag, then adjust the setting accordingly.

Source: Penn State University

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