Tips for August Fertilization

Late summer and early spring are the ideal times to fertilize with Vancouver lawn care. If you want your lawn to be strong and healthy throughout the winter, provide your lawn with all the nutrients it needs to survive. Choosing the right fertilizer is a crucial part of fertilizing your lawn. For this, you'll need to know your lawn well. Though your Nutri-Lawn Vancouver lawn care services will make sure you get the best fertilizer for your late summer lawn care, it's important that you know what to look for as well. Continue reading to discover tips from Nutri-Lawn Vancouver.

Know your numbers

First off, what are those numbers on the bag? 15-15-15? 21-7-14? It looks like a Vancouver lawn care math equation. In reality, those numbers tell you how much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively, are in that particular bag of fertilizer. This series is also known by its elemental signs, N-P-K.

Which fertilizer you decide on will depend heavily on your particular lawn. Most lawns, however, prefer a large ratio of N to smaller ratios of P and K. Nitrogen is one of the lawn's most valued elements.

Why N-P-K?

Nitrogen is important for your late summer lawn care because it offers the nutrients needed for green, lush foliage. Without enough nitrogen, your lawn will rapidly deteriorate into a yellowish green colour. Your lawn may also suffer from stunted growth.

Phosphorus, on the other hand, encourages the growth of a strong, deep root system that is important in Vancouver lawn care. Without phosphorus, your plants – flowers, seeds, fruit, grass – will see a serious deterioration in growth rates. Plants need phosphorus to mature.

Finally, potassium is important in its disease-resistant qualities. Potassium also offers the strength and energy necessary to undergo shifts in the weather – an important quality with which to provide your grass through late summer lawn care. Potassium also boosts your lawn's ability to create food, and while doing so, produces a strong cell structure.

How to know which fertilizer to use

As mentioned, most lawns prefer a fertilizer that contains a higher level of nitrogen. However, with so many options for fertilizer, how can you pick the perfect N-P-K ratio for your Nutri-Lawn Vancouver lawn care services? Besides talking to a Nutri-Lawn Vancouver specialist about fertilizer decisions, you can get a soil test. A soil test will tell you what your lawn is lacking.

What your lawn needs will also depend on the age and state of your grass. Newer lawns need a higher level of phosphorus to boost the development of a sturdy root system. Older lawns need more nitrogen than anything.

Most importantly, a lawn that is undergoing stress or Vancouver lawn care preparation for winter will need a little more potassium than phosphorus, while also still requiring a good amount of nitrogen. For this, you'll only need a small amount of phosphorus in the fertilizer.

Don't skip out on feeding your lawn this August. Begin planning for your program of Nutri-Lawn Vancouver lawn care services with a complimentary quote from Nutri-Lawn Vancouver today.