How to Fertilize Your Lawn

Grass is a plant, so it needs sun, water, and nutrients to thrive. While grass may be able to grow on its own to some degree, it likely won’t grow strong without proper lawn care. This is especially true in the Springfield, IL area where snowy winters and dry summers can take their toll on a lawn. One of the key components of lawn maintenance is adding important nutrients back into the soil by fertilizing our yards. The following will discuss some of the different options to choose from so that you can begin to fertilize your lawn.

Do a Soil Test Before You Fertilize Your Grass

Choosing the right fertilizer is far easier if you first have a soil test performed. Rather than guessing at which nutrients your lawn needs, you will have data that tells you exactly what your soil is missing. Talk to a residential lawn care company in your area for advice on how to order a soil test. Folks living in the Springfield, IL area can contact Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape for help.

Choose a Fertilizer

Taking a stroll through the fertilizer aisle of your local landscaping supply store can be intimidating and confusing, so this article will summarize some of the basic types of fertilizers available for grass maintenance. Visit our website for more information or give them a call at (217) 306-4215.

Balanced vs. Specific Nutrients

Read the label on the bag of fertilizer and it will tell you what kind of nutrients are in the product. If your soil is low on all nutrients, or you want to skip the soil test, then you will likely end up buying an all-purpose fertilizer with an even ratio of all nutrients. If you followed our advice and did a soil test, then choose a product that has higher amounts of the nutrients your soil is missing.

Organic vs. Chemical

The label on the fertilizer package should tell you if it is organic or not. An organic fertilizer will be made of natural materials, usually, manure, with no chemicals added. Whereas a chemical fertilizer was invented in a lab using synthetic chemicals. You will find that chemical fertilizer is usually cheaper than organic, have larger amounts of nutrients, and does not have to be applied to the lawn as frequently. Also, a chemical fertilizer won’t smell like manure.

Fast Release vs. Slow Release

A fast-release fertilizer will break down quickly and push a surge of nutrients rapidly into the soil. This can give a new or damaged lawn a nice boost of energy. However, the effects may be short-lived, and you may need to re-apply more fertilizer in a few weeks. A slow-release fertilizer will release its nutrients slowly, giving your lawn small boosts of nutrients for several weeks. This is great as maintenance for established lawns.

Hire a Professional to Fertilize Your Lawn

The best way to make your lawn healthy is to hire a lawn care expert to do the work for you.  Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape in Springfield, IL has over 24 years of landscaping experience. We offer a variety of lawn maintenance services, including fertilizing. Contact Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape today to schedule a consultation and soil test.