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Lawn Care and Fertilizing Your Lawn

Lawn care is a series of processes.  One process that is often neglected is fertilizing.

Fertilizing Your Lawn 101

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As lawn care professionals we’re often asked how we fertilize a lawn. It’s actually very simple.  First off, we only use a high quality fertilizer, and we carefully measure  the right amount.  Timing is everything with fertilizer.  It must be applied at the right time of the year. Back east, a lot of people fertilize in early May, early September, and early November.

Because Arizona has a much more extreme environment, however, the times of year to fertilize differ greatly.  Generally early spring and late fall are best for a lawn care regimen including fertilizing.  Why are these times of year the best?  Simple, they help to reduce your lawn getting scorched by the fertilizer combined with the excessive heat.

Types of Fertilizer Used in Lawn Care

Fertilizer can basically be classified into three classes:  chemical-based, organic, and hybrid, and they each have their pluses and minuses where lawn care is concerned.   Chemical fertilizers contain  controlled-release nitrogen.  The amount of nitrogen to apply is about one pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn area .  You have to be careful with chemical fertilizers however, as the percentage of nitrogen can be too high and you may end up scorching your lawn.

Organic fertilizer is usually a combination of animal and/or plant waste.  It is better for the environment, however, like a lot of eco-friendly products, sometimes it isn’t as effective as it should be, generally because the nitrogen level is too low.  A hybrid uses both chemicals and organic compounds.  Often effective as a fertilizer, you have to make sure that the percentage of nitrogen is properly balanced.   Proper lawn care means that you also know what type of fertilizer works best for your lawn.

Fertilizing your lawn is an important part of keeping it up.  When you don’t know what to do, call in a professional lawn care company.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167

 

Lawn Care: Frequently Asked Questions Part III

One important process of proper lawn care is fertilizing your lawn. So let’s get started…

Lawn Care: When Should I Fertilize?

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According to most lawn care sources, early autumn is best for fertilizing your lawn. Fertilization is a basic procedure to keep your lawn green and full. If you fertilize properly, it makes your lawn beautiful. If done improperly however, it can lead to problems, such as fertilizer burn.

If you’re not careful you can over-fertilize your lawn.  Fertilizer burn occurs when the levels of nitrogen reaches toxic levels for the grass. If you do over fertilize your lawn, and you notice leaf scorch or fertilizer burn, first off, don’t panic. Be aware that your lawn can recover, but it will take time. You may need a lawn care professional to come in leech the fertilizer out by diluting it slowly and gradually.  The type of fertilizer you use can also help to prevent burning.

What Fertilizer Should I Use for Proper Lawn Care?

Even among lawn care services there is often debate about what fertilizer you should use.    Some are strong proponents of organic fertilizer, while others use a balanced nitrogen solution.  To cut through the confusion, you want to make sure that the product you’re using doesn’t have a high nitrogen percentage, and you also do not want fertilizer that has too low of  a percentage.

As you see, sometimes it is a little more complicated than you might think.  When you are in doubt, call in a lawn care service in Gilbert instead.

Part two of this series on lawn care  explored gas and electric mowers, and part one covered when and how much to mow your lawn.

If you need lawn care, call a professional. Green Servpro has been serving the Greater Phoenix area for over 25 years.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
Get Lawn Care

Lawn Care: Frequently Asked Questions Part I
Lawn Care: Frequently Asked Questions Part II
Lawn Care: Frequently Asked Questions Part III