JB Instant Lawn Blog

Fertilizer. A Healthy Lawn - Leg #2

Sep 10th, 2014

In this Blog post we will be covering Fertilizer - the second leg of our 'three leg stool' analogy. 

If you haven't read the section on Mowing - be sure to check out the previous blog post as this was the first 'leg'.

Proper fertilization is an important part of managing your lawns health and appearance - and understanding the product and timing of these applications is critical to results.

First things first- all Fertilizers are not created equal. So lets start by looking at those three numbers that always seem to be front and center on most Fertilizer bags. Those numbers let you know the percentage of three important elements within the Fertilizer blend = Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (N,P,K). These are known as 'complete fertilizers' for example a fertilizer with the analysis 25-0-10 would be considered a complete fertilizer providing all three elements. Existing lawns- in general will require higher Nitrogen and less Phosphorus/Potassium.

Now that we know we are looking to a higher Nitrogen content for best results- the fertilizer above with the analysis of 25-0-10 or something similar is looking pretty good and is indeed a great product analysis. Applied at (1#N/1000 sf) one pound of actual Nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn this may prove to be just right for many established lawn areas and in addition to having a desirable analysis- this fertilizer also has something else we should be looking for in our complete lawn fertilizer- *Slow Release Nitrogen.

Slow Release Nitrogen can be now be found in many of today's blended fertilizers and helps to insure better residual feeding of the lawn over time and also significantly reduces the potential burning of lawn surfaces that some other more immediate release products. 

Timing of these Complete Fertilizer applications can make all the difference in the success and failure in meeting your expectations. While each lawn is different and has it's own set of requirements- some sort of program to insure consistency is important. Below is a simple Fertilizer schedule that can be used as a convenient starting point- *this should not be considered every lawns perfect schedule- and in most cases will require some adjustment over time... 

The Holiday Fertilizer Schedule (1#N/1000 sf for Signature Perennial Ryegrass or slightly reduced Nitrogen for Kevlar Turf Type Tall Fescue).

• Memorial Day 
• 4th of July
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving

So lets recap-

1. In most situations Complete Fertilizers with higher Nitrogen content should be used. *(Additional Iron of 2-5% may also be desirable for color enhancement).

2. Some percentage of Nitrogen in the analysis should be Slow Release Nitrogen for residual feeding.

3. Having a Fertilizer Program in place- such as the Holiday Fertilizer Schedule or adapted version- will help insure consistent results in lawn health and appearance. 

*4. Be sure to check out our JB Signature Premium Fertilizer products!