How to Create a Lawn Care Schedule

Lawn Fertilizer and Weed Control: How to Achieve the Perfect Recipe for a Healthy Lawn

A lush, green lawn is the ultimate dream of every homeowner. However, to most people, having this dream come true tends to require a lot more than just watering your grass.

Fertilization and weed control are two of the critical components in making a lawn healthy. While the former ensures that your grass has the required nutrients to grow well, the latter ensures that unwanted plants do not get to steal those nutrients.

In this article, we will go into detail about lawn fertilization and how that, in turn, interacts with weed control to produce a beautiful, weed-free outdoor space.

We will take up everything from the science of fertilizing to the best ways of controlling weeds and show you how you can master both for a picture-perfect lawn.

Why Lawn Fertilization Is Important

Your lawn, like everything else alive, needs nourishment to be at its best. Fertilizer is a type of nourishment that you give your turf to build healthy roots and blades and to ensure overall development. But why can’t it just live off sunlight and water? 

Here’s why:

1. Soil Nutrient Depletion

Over time, the soil beneath your lawn becomes devoid of the crucial nutrients. The rainwater can take away the much-needed minerals, and as the grass grows, it may just deplete whatever nutrients might be available for it in the soil. When such nutrients are not replaced, then the lawn may turn thin and weak and may catch various diseases. Fertilization simply replays those nutrients into your lawn, adding vital things to your lawn’s diet.

2. Produces Strong Roots

Fertilizer helps to develop deep and solid roots. The anchoring effect given by strong roots makes grass more resistant to environmental pressures, such as drought, intense heat, or even people trampling on it. Lawns having healthy roots recover much sooner from damages caused by insects or diseases.

3. Increases Color and Growth

Probably the most evident effect of fertilization is that it gives your lawn a deep, richly green color. Fertilizers contain nitrogen-a very crucial ingredient for leaf growth and general greening of grass. If you want a lawn that looks healthy and rich, frequent fertilization will be in order.

4. Improves Resistance to Disease

Much like a well-fed body resists disease, a well-fed lawn resists disease but all too often lawns come down with diseases such as root rot, brown patch and rust. The fertilizer fortifies the grass so it can defend itself against pathogens and remain healthy during every season of the year.

Types of Lawn Fertilizer

Fertilizers come in different compositions and types, each having its best purpose; knowing these will help you choose the right one depending on your lawn needs. The most common types of fertilizers are discussed below.

1. Slow-Release vs. Quick-Release Fertilizers

Slow-release types of fertilizers provide a steady supply of nutrients over longer periods. This reduces the risk of “burning” your lawn-patches of dead grass from excess nitrogen. It reduces the number of times one has to apply it, too. They are often preferred because they promote steady, even growth.

Quick-release fertilizers give the lawn almost immediate nutrition and should be used when quick results are needed, such as for greening up before an event. However, they may be subject to leaching due to rainfall, and the resultant rapid growth might lead to a surge in mowing needs.

2. Organic vs. Synthetic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are manufactured from natural materials: compost, bone meal, or fish emulsion.

Organic fertilizers generally tend to work with the structure and microbial activity of the soil to achieve long-lasting, long-term health. Organic fertilizers often take much longer to produce effects compared to synthetics.

Synthetic fertilizers are chemically prepared so that they can avail the plants with precisely the amount of nutrients required. They start working rather fast but are normally cheaper when compared to organic fertilizers.

Overapplication, on the other hand, causes nutrient runoff, which may be hazardous to the environment and water supplies.

3. Balanced Fertilizers

A balanced fertilizer would be one that had equal parts of the three most important nutrients grass requires, which are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Sometimes these are referred to as NPK fertilizers. Nitrogen encourages leaf growth, phosphorus promotes root growth, and potassium strengthens the grass, allowing it to survive under drought conditions, helping it to be more resistant to disease. In general, a balanced fertilizer is a good all-purpose fertilizer for most lawns.

How Often Should You Fertilize Your Lawn?

How frequently you fertilize your lawn may be determined by such factors as grass type, climate, and soil condition. However, here is a general rule:

1. CoolSeason Grasses

Cool-season grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, grow most prolifically during the coolest months of spring and fall. The usual practice for these types of lawns requires fertilization at the beginning and end of their growing season, normally at the beginning of spring and late into fall.

2. Warm-Season Grasses

Warm-season grasses such as Bermuda and St. Augustine, on the other hand, peak during the hottest summer months. Such types should be fertilized during their growing season, which is usually late spring to midsummer.

3. Soil Testing

Testing your soil before you come up with your fertilization schedule can help you know the nutrients required by your lawn and thereby help you select the right type of fertilizer based on your lawn’s specific needs. The tests also help you avoid overfertilizing. Overfertilizing has been linked to nutrient runoff that causes damage to the environment.

Weed Control: The Other Half of Lawn Care

While fertilization ensures your lawn is getting the necessary nutrients, weed control ensures those nutrients aren’t being stolen by unwanted plants.

Weeds have gained notoriety for competing with grasses for water and sunlight and even the nutrients within the soil, often to come out on top and leaving your lawn patchy and thin.

A number of strategies and techniques for keeping weeds at bay follow.

 Common Lawn Weeds

Before getting into control methods, it’s necessary to know what types of weeds might invade your lawn. Generally speaking, lawn weeds fall into one of three categories:

Broadleaf weeds: Examples include dandelions, clover, and chickweed. These weeds have flat, broad leaves and are relatively easy to distinguish from surrounding grass.

Grassy weeds: These weeds are much more difficult to spot than their broadleaf counterparts. Examples include crabgrass, quackgrass, and foxtail. Grass-like weeds resemble grass but grow faster and more aggressively.

Sedges: Sedges look like grass but have triangular stems. The most common sedge is nutsedge; it has a great fondness for wet conditions.

Methods of Weed Control

Weed control effectively involves a combination of prevention, early intervention, and postemergent treatments. Here are some feasible methods to keep weeds at bay.

1. PreEmergent Herbicides

Preemergent herbicides are applied before the weed seeds have germinated, which is usually during the early spring season. The application mode involves the formation of a barrier in the soil, inhibiting the sprouting of weed seeds. They work exceptionally well against annual weeds, such as crabgrass.

Key Tip: In the case of preemergent herbicides, timing is everything. Application should be done when the soil temperature is around 55°F (13°C), a point in time where weed seeds have just started to germinate.

2. PostEmergent Herbicides

In the case of weeds that have taken root, postemergent herbicides are required. These are applied directly on the leaves of growing weeds to kill them without harming the surrounding grass. The best application of postemergent herbicides is on broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, but there are options available for grassy weeds too.

The key tip with this: selective herbicides target only certain types of weeds and leave your grass alone. Non-selective herbicides such as glyphosate will kill anything it touches.

3. Manual Weed Removal

If you’re more organic-minded or only have a few weeds to take care of, your best method will be to remove the weeds manually. Pulling by hand can also prevent the weed from spreading its seeds, especially if it’s a broadleaf variety like dandelions. Pull weeds after a rainfall when the soil is moist, taking care to pull out the entire root system for best results.

Key Tips: Make this easier by pulling them out with the aid of tools such as a weeder or garden fork.

4. Proper Mowing Techniques

Believe it or not, the manner in which you mow your lawn can either encourage or discourage weed growth. When you cut your grass too short, you’re stressing the grass and setting it up for invasion. Taller grass shades the soil, preventing the germination of weed seeds.

Key Tip: Keep your mower blade 34 inches high for most grasses. It is better for the lawn to be healthy because it develops a root system that grows deep, therefore weeds can’t find enough space and room for development.

5. Mulching

Mulching is also a very effective weed suppression in flower beds or garden areas directly next to your lawn. The application of a layer of organic mulch could block light from reaching the seeds of weeds. Mulch retains soil moisture and, upon decomposition, enriches it with its nutrients.

Key Tip: Mulching around plants and at the edges of your lawn acts to suppress weeds most effectively. Do this with a 23 inch layer.

The Synergy Between Fertilization and Weed Control

Having briefly looked at fertilization and weed control, let’s look at how these two processes work in tandem for a healthier lawn.

1. Healthy Lawns Resist Weeds

A thick, healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds. Good fertilization provides the grass with all it needs to grow back fast, thick, and dense, offering little space for weeds to grow. Such an environment offers a natural barrier to weed populations and helps keep them under some kind of control, which minimizes the use of extreme chemical applications.

2. Fertilization Helps Herbicides Work Better

A healthy lawn also seems to respond better to herbicides. A healthy lawn can have a lesser recovery time from a weed control treatment and minimize damage and stress. Fertilized lawns also absorb herbicides more efficiently, increasing the effectiveness of both preemergent and postemergent

Note: This blog is for informational purposes only.