Lawns are a significant investment and can also be a challenge to maintain properly. In addition to watering and mowing your grass, you may also need to fertilize it. Fertilizing your lawn is a great way to keep it healthy and green, but doing so incorrectly can negatively affect your lawn’s health.
If you are trying out fertigation for the first time or just want some tips for improving your current process, here are some helpful tips:
Check Soil Moisture
Soil moisture is vital for healthy lawns. To maintain it, you must know how much water your soil needs.
The best way to check soil moisture is with a soil moisture meter, which can tell you the exact amount of water in your lawn’s top layer. Ideally, this should be between 50 and 75 percent. Anything less than that and your grass may become stressed and unhealthy.
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Figure Out What Your Grass Needs
The first thing you will want to do is figure out what your lawn needs. You can do this by checking the pH of your soil, which determines how acidic or basic it is (or how much carbon dioxide is in it).
If your lawn’s pH level is on the low end of its recommended range, you should consider adding lime to raise it; if it’s on the high end, use sulfur. Next, take a soil sample underneath your grass and test it for nutrients like nitrogen and potassium.
Finally, check out some pictures online to know what grass species best suit your climate zone. This will help determine whether or not you need fertilizer at all!
Once all these tests have been done and analyzed appropriately (don’t worry; they’re easy!), ensure enough nutrients are left for healthy growth before deciding when exactly would be the best time to start fertilizing again.
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Determine the Amount to Apply
Fertilizing a lawn can be confusing, but knowing how much fertilizer to apply in your lawn is one of the most important parts of this job. How much fertilizer you need depends on how large your area is and how many times you want to fertilize.
- Determine the size of your area. The amount of fertilizer you will need will vary depending on the size of your lawn. Larger areas require more fertilizer than smaller ones do.
- Determine what type of solution you want to use and its concentration level. If you are going with liquid or granular solutions, remember that they usually come in different concentrations — 20 percent or 40 percent. So these ratios must match up before adding water from other sources (such as rainwater).
Choose a Compatible Liquid Fertilizer
You want to choose a liquid fertilizer that is compatible with your soil type, grass type, and climate. If you need to know what kind of soil you have, ask a local nursery or an agriculture extension agent when choosing your plants for advice on this issue.
In order to get the most benefit from fertilization, you must use only those products designed specifically for lawns rather than those designed for other crops such as vegetables or flowers. The latter often contains too much nitrogen (N), which can burn your grass and cause excessive growth leading to thinning out of healthy blades in several months.
Measure and Mix the Fertilizer Solution
- Using a measuring cup, measure out the fertilizer solution suggested by your lawn care professional or home improvement store employee.
- Mix the solution thoroughly. You can do this by hand, but using an electric drill with a wire whisk attachment will be even easier. This will also help you ensure that you have mixed the solution long enough (the manufacturer’s instructions should specify how long).
- If using a timer, set it for 15 minutes; if not, keep mixing until the granules are dissolved, and there are no clumps left in your container.
Apply the Fertilizer Solution Evenly
When applying fertilizer, you want to ensure it’s applied evenly over your lawn. There are a few ways to do this:
- Use a hand sprayer. This is the most common method of fertilizing, and it’s great if you have a small lawn or don’t mind getting on your knees every time you need to fertilize. You will need to use one with adjustable settings for different lawn areas (some have up to six different settings).
- Use a drip system. A drip system is an efficient way of watering and fertilizing at once because the water travels through small tubes that disperse it evenly throughout your entire yard (or garden). However, they are only sometimes cost-effective (depending on how much work they require) or easy enough for beginners. But if you are interested in learning more about them, check out our farming guide!
- Use a spreader. A spreader is like a lawn mower, but it’s designed to cover large areas of land quickly and evenly. They are usually powered by electricity or gas (so they can get through lots of fertilizer before needing a refill), but some models are hand-cranked instead. A spreader is probably your best bet if you have a large yard or garden that needs fertilizing. They are easy to use. Just set your desired settings and let them go!
Lawn Fertigation Works Best with Liquid Fertilizers
The advantages of liquid fertilizers are many. First, liquid fertilizers are more efficient: you need less fertilizer to feed your lawn, and it’s much easier to apply the right amount evenly. Liquid fertilizers also tend to be more accurate regarding how much is being applied, which means you will have enough fertilizer on your lawn and save money.
Finally, liquid fertilizers are easier to store and handle than dry granular forms of fertilizer. Always follow label directions.
Conclusion
Fertigation is a great way to get your lawn healthy. It will help your lawn grow better and look lusher. The best part of all is that it’s easy! Just add a few drops of fertilizer to the water you are using to water your garden, and voila! You will be on your way to having green grass in no time at all.
