The nutrients included in fertilizer — generally nitrogen , phosphorus and potassium , but sometimes including tot up benefit like calcium — are sometimes the key to getting your lawn to sprout healthy and bright unripened as the spring turn into summertime . However , overfertilizing grass can conduce to serious damage that will ruin the look and find of your lawn instead of promoting optimal wellness .
Lawn Burn
Lawn burn mark is the most common unpleasant result of applying too much plant food to your grass . This occur when the grunge and grass brand themselves become overwhelmed with nitrogen , and results in ironical , chocolate-brown patches or streaks spread out all over your lawn . Lawn burn can be as small as a few brown blades that can be helped by significant watering , or as major as whole areas of your grass dying off because they have engulf too much N and can not properly absorb water .
Run Off
have excess fertilizer in a lawn can also lead to environmental dangers . excess fertilizer not draw into the soil or the leaf blade of grass will resolve and run off with water from rainfall or your sprinklers . This can leave to chemical substance from the plant food ending up in streams , lakes or germ of groundwater . These chemical substance and high - concentration nutrients are not meant for human or brute consumption , and can lead to illness or even death if a declamatory enough amount is circulate around .
Application
In general , pot needs 1 lb . of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of reporting area ; the other food can not have as much damage and are not as vital to the health of the lawn . seem at your chosen fertilizer intersection ; it will lean a per centum of nitrogen ( i.e. , 10 percent N content ) . watershed 100 by the percentage to find out how many pounds per 1,000 square feet you need to reach optimum nitrogen coverage ( an example : 100 divided by 10 match 10 pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 square foot ) . Then quantify the length and width of your lawn and multiply them together to get the square footage of your area ( example : 20 feet long by 50 feet wide equals 1,000 straight feet ) . separate the square footage of your sign by 1,000 ( 1,000 dissever by 1,000 equate one ) . Multiply that number by the telephone number of pounds you determined to bump out how much plant food to implement ( one times 10 lbs . equals 10 lb . of plant food to cover the whole area ) . Remember that you must distribute the plant food equally over the whole area ; too much fertiliser in a unmarried place can cause the same problem .
Soil Test
If in doubt about the amount of fertiliser to put on or the nutrients your lawn needs , meet a pro at a garden center , nursery or extension service for helper . These pro can conduct a soil mental testing ( or provide one for you to complete ) that will key out your lawn ’s nutrient needs , as well as any grunge amendment the green goddess might need in footing of acidity or water system assimilation .
