Lawn care is a continuous project that may prove to be too involved and time consuming for many homeowners. Lawn care professionals develop care plans for every lawn based on the specific needs of the landscape using their expert assessment skills. Most lawns require fertilizer; a task that seems simple, but should often be performed by lawn care professionals for best results. Here’s why fertilizer belongs in your customized lawn care plan in the Ile and Woodhaven, MI areas.
What is Fertilizer?
Fertilizer is a wide category of different materials that are either naturally produced or industrially refined chemicals. It can be as simple as refined manure or as complex as a carefully-calculated blend of chemical compounds.
Fertilizer is composed of three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These three naturally-occurring elements are necessary for the growth of plants. Over the years and as agricultural technology develops, farmers and gardeners worldwide have relied on some sort of fertilizer for providing food as well as decorating in a landscape.
The key is getting the right mix for your lawn, usually dependent on soil composition as well as other conditions.
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Which Fertilizers Are Used on Lawns?
Different fertilizers have different applications in growing both ornamental and edible plants. While lawn fertilizers are often specifically formulated to be used on grass, again it’s important to know the soil composition and which nutrients the soil is lacking.
A good lawn care company will perform regular soil testing to ensure that the correct fertilizers are used, and in the correct timing, amounts and concentrations.
How Much Fertilizer Should Be Used?
Once your lawn care professionals have selected the right fertilizer for your lawn, they will then see how much is necessary and plan accordingly. A lawn that’s healthy, yet isn’t growing very quickly may need a boost while a lawn that’s experiencing uneven growth may need different concentrations of fertilizer used in areas of low or high growth. Lawn care professionals will know exactly how much to use.
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When Should Fertilizer Be Applied?
Lawns have a cyclical growth pattern that follows the season, so it’s important to use fertilizer according to the time of year. In spring, lawn care professionals will apply fertilizer that’s formulated to give the lawn a jump start for the year; this formulation may be combined with a pre-emergent weed killer to ensure a thick, lush carpet of grass. This spring formulation will help the grass encourage deep roots that will help the grass thrive through the heat of the summer.
In fall, lawns will naturally begin to slow down their growth as their resources are transferred to root systems for the colder seasons. Lawn care professionals will apply a slow-releasing fertilizer as the weather cools to make sure that the grass can obtain the nutrients it needs while the plants enter the winter dormancy.
Why Shouldn’t I Do It Myself?
Fertilizer may seem fairly straightforward, but it really does take a professional touch. Lawn care professionals work with many different lawns and know how various fertilizers will affect a landscape.
Improper application is the most common way to damage a lawn. Fertilizer can burn the grass, and certain fertilizers may even damage or kill the plants surrounding the lawn if applied improperly. Fertilizer is concentrated and can be toxic if animals or children come in contact with it. All things considered, it’s best to let the professionals handle fertilizer.
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