Tips for feeding your lawn nitrogen

Do you have one of those neighbors whose lawn just makes you green with envy? You know what I'm talking about, thick, lush, deep green grass without a single weed to be seen. Its one of the things every homeowner would like to have. So what's the secret?

You may know that to have a healthy lawn a good fertilization program is needed. In fact, it's probably the single most important thing you can do for your lawn. Proper nutrient levels need to be maintained for your lawn to achieve optimal performance and health. By far, the three most important nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Fertilizers are rated by these three nutrients. 20-10-10 and 24-6-6 are typical examples. But what kind and formula should I use on my lawn and when should I fertilize?

It'd be nice to think you can go out, find a good numbered lawn fertilizer, and treat your lawn, but this simply isn't true. You may hear a lawn fertilizer ratio somewhere between 3-1-2 to 5-1-2 is a good fertilizer. This is a pretty vague guideline and the only way to know for sure what your lawn needs is to have a soil sample tested. This is not expensive. Some places will actually do the test for free. Simple home soil test kits are also available. You just need to take the time to do it. Your lawn will thank you later.

One of the nutrients, nitrogen, is vital to your lawn. You need nitrogen because chlorophyll depends on it as do other proteins and amino acids. These in turn are what makes your lawn green and causes it to grow well.

Some things to look for to see if your grass has a nitrogen deficiency are; if it turns yellow despite watering, the grass doesn't grow quickly, diseases are present in your lawn, or if the grass turf starts getting thinner.

Depending on the time of year, your budget, and the climate there are three basic types of nitrogen used in fertilizers that are popular to apply.

1. You will find isobutyledenedinurea (IBDU) which decomposes slowly and will feed your grass over a longer period of time. It will often take a couple of weeks to decompose enough for you to see its effects on your lawn.
This is the most expensive form of nitrogen fertilizer because of the way it is manufactured and its uniformity. Its uniformity also makes it very easy to apply.

2. There is also sulfur-coated urea. It depends on how thick the sulfur coating is to determine how quickly it will dissolve and feed your plants.
S.C.U. will release quicker when the temperature is hotter, the lawn is wetter, or if the grass is healthier.

3. The last one I am going to mention is urea, a fairly inexpensive nitrogen. It is the cheapest nitrogen to produce as well as the fastest acting. You can often see results over night, it is that fast. But it gets depleted quickly and if you over apply it you can easily burn your yard up and kill your grass.

Your lawn is just like any other plant you might decide to grow. It requires nutritious food to look its best. And the proper nutrients will help your lawn not only look great but also become more able to adapt to drought, disease, and even pests. So the next time you go shopping for fertilizers with nitrogen (and this time of year is when everyone does) check the labels and ask lots of questions.

Feeding your lawn “by the yard”