How to Find the Best Lawn Fertilizer Companies in the Poughkeepsie, NY, Area
If you think that dousing your Poughkeepsie, NY, lawn with fertilizer will bring lush, healthy grass, think again! While fertilizer is necessary for strong grass growth, there are other factors that are as important. Here’s how to find the best lawn fertilizer companies to bring your lawn to life.
Harmful Effects of Too Much Fertilizer
Fertilizer is composed of three compounds. Nitrogen is for making the grass green, potassium is a slow releasing food that sustains the lawn during drought and other stresses, and phosphorus promotes strong roots.
Too much fertilizer on your grass can cause the salt and nitrogen levels to rise, making the grass die. The brown and yellow patches can appear within a day of over-fertilizing or up to a week post fertilization. This is called “fertilizer burn” because it dries out the roots so much that the grass is burned and dies.
Like any food, fertilizer must be present in the correct ratio for the soil and grass in order for the nutrients to work correctly.
Related: Why Your Commercial Lawn Maintenance Should Also Include Fertilization in Westchester County, NY
What to Know About Fertilizer
Your grass needs many nutrients to grow strong and green, but the three that are needed in the highest amounts are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. These nutrients find their way deep into the soil to feed the grass at its roots.
One of the most critical things to know is overall health of the soil, so this is where conducting a soil test can help you understand which nutrients your soil is lacking. Keep in mind, too, that each type of grass needs a certain amount of nutrients.
How fertilizer is applied matters. There needs to be an even layer over the soil so that there are no areas that have no fertilizer and others that have too much.
It is critical to water your grass after applying fertilizer because you want to wash the fertilizer off the grass blades and down into the soil where it can feed the roots. Often professionals time the application to just before a good, soaking rain. You never want to fertilize in a drought or before a heavy storm is predicted.
Finally, fertilizing works best when the ground has been aerated as this allows the nutrients to reach the roots easily, along with the oxygen and sunlight necessary for strong grass growth.
Related: How Lawn Fertilizer Service Can Help Restore Your Neglected Yard in Hopewell Junction, NY
Contact a Professional
If knowing when to fertilize, how much to fertilize, and how often to fertilize feels overwhelming, that’s likely because it is. A professional landscape service has the expertise, supplies, and tools to ensure that your grass is in peak form at any time of the year.
Since each yard is different, assessing the hardiness of the soil and the needs of the grass and plants before applying any weed, feed, or other supplement can keep you from paying for services you don’t need while benefiting from those that you do.
With a six-step lawn care program that includes several fertilizer applications spaced throughout the growing season, a professional service can prevent your Poughkeepsie, NY, lawn from suffering fertilizer burn while giving the grass what it needs to stay green and healthy. You will be pleased with the results and your lawn will be the envy of every neighbor.