A Guide To Help You Choose The Right Fertiliser For Your Lawn

Lawn owners often have a misconception in mind that since the turf survived the initial growth period, it will continue the same throughout its life. Hence, they start ignoring the recommendations related to fertilizer application made by turf suppliers. Fertilizers are essential nutrients for any plant, including the turf or grass in your lawn. Its role is to provide all the missing elements to the soil to assist the right from the roots to the buds. Selecting the right fertilizer from those offered by turf suppliers is a crucial factor, and this can be done only after understanding the fertilizer purchasing guide. Let us know how to choose the right fertilizer with the help of this article here.

LEARN HOW TO READ 'NPK' RATIO

Most fertilizers recommended by turf suppliers for buffalo grass, couch grass, or any other grass have three essential elements: NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, and POTASSIUM. They are represented as N for Nitrogen, P for Phosphorus and K for Potassium and when written in this sequence, they form NPK – the three most essential nutrients for any plant or grass. Among these three, Nitrogen is considered the most important, as it helps maintain a vivid green colour. Phosphorus is like a dietary supplement or super-food that helps turfs maintain their energy and perform quick recovery, self-repair and much more. Lastly, there is Potassium, and its role is to improve the metabolism of the grass or plant and make it resistant to diseases and drought conditions.

It is important to be aware of the light NPK ratio to purchase the right fertilizer from turf suppliers. According to the experts, this ratio is based on the weight of the fertilizer bag. For example, a 50-pound bag will have 12% each of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, and this means 6 pounds each. In other words, a 50-pound bag will have 36% of NPK or the core nutrients and the rest are the inert materials and secondary nutrients.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FERTILIZER?

Soil testing is ideal for choosing the best fertilizer for your buffalo grass or couch grass. Top turf suppliers can carry out this soil test for you, as there are specialists who will give a scientific breakdown of your garden's soil. You will be able to determine the essential nutrients missing from the composition.

WHAT POINTS TO CONSIDER WHILE SELECTING A FERTILIZER?

IT MUST CATER YOUR SOILS PH LEVEL

You should shortlist only those fertilizers that contain all the essential nutrients missing from your lawn's soil. In short, they should perfectly balance your soil's pH level.

CHOOSE THE BLEND BASED ON YOUR NEEDS

After conducting a soil test, the turf suppliers can tell you the best blend needed for your lawn. For example, if it is suffering from brown grass, it will require higher nitrogen content, but if drought protection is your priority, then you must get fertilizers with Potassium as the main ingredient. You can also rely upon slow-release fertilizers that continue distributing nutrients over time to let the soil flourish slowly and develop this habit.

QUICK FERTILIZER BUYING GUIDE FOR YOU

This soil test will surely leave you confused, as you will have no idea of which fertilizer to invest in. In this situation, this fertilizer buying guide will be beneficial.

16-16-16 FERTILIZER

As mentioned above, this is the perfect blend and can be called a perfectly balanced fertilizer with equal amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. It is available in instant and slow-release formulas as well. Here are the pros of this type of fertilizer recommended by turf suppliers.

PROS

• Great for most turfs and gardens
• It comes in various formulas, from fast-acting to slow-release
• It can be used for lawns to replenish nutrients

19-19-19 FERTILIZER

This fertilizer recommended by turf suppliers has a high concentration of NPK and is mainly recommended for nutrient-deficient soils. A quick list of pros is presented below.

PROS

• Has a high concentration of NPK
• Ideal for boosting plant growth
• Offers a balanced level of nutrition
• It acts fast and is easy to activate with water

46-0-0 FERTILIZERS

This fertilizer is a highly concentrated mix of Nitrogen and inert materials. It is an organic fertilizer that boosts the nitrogen level in the soil, assisting in productivity and improving greenery in your buffalo grass or couch grass.

Here are the features of this fertilizer.

• 46% nitrogen
• Great for crops that have enough phosphorus and Potassium