If the lawn lacks nutrients, it loses competition against moss and weeds. Well-dosed lawn fertilization specifically prevents deficiency symptoms. The timing is just as important as the fertilizer itself. The 10 best tips show how to do it right.
How do you properly fertilize the lawn with the 10 best tips?
In order to optimally fertilize the lawn, you should carry out a soil analysis, apply short-term fertilizer in the spring, distribute long-term fertilizer evenly, plan fertilization dates depending on the type of lawn and conditions, scarify the lawn area, fertilize naturally if necessary, sow lawn seeds and Apply fertilizer at the same time, fertilize with potassium in the fall and ensure careful water supply.
No beautiful lawn without nutrients – plea for fertilizer
A velvety green, even carpet of lawn does not thrive on its own. As part of regular lawn cutting, a large proportion of the available nutrients are used up and transported away in the grass catcher basket. Although lawn grasses have a dense root network, the main root mass is in the upper soil layer. During the growing season, adequate compensation through targeted lawn fertilization is therefore required. These nutrients are mainly to be supplied later:
- Nitrogen (N) for constant growth, lush green grass and strengthening of cells
- Phosphorus (P) for he althy, strong roots and to regulate the energy balance
- Potassium (K) for promoting resistance, strengthening metabolism and improving frost hardiness
Moreover, minerals and trace elements are important so that the noble grasses in the lawn are not at a loss against weeds and moss.
Soil analysis ensures transparency
If a lawn suffers from a lack of nutrients, this deficiency can be visually recognized by stunted growth or a pale color. Only a professional soil analysis will reveal what exactly is wrong. To do this, take soil samples from the upper soil layer in 10-12 places on the lawn. These are mixed in a bucket to send 500 grams to an appropriate laboratory.
After 3-4 weeks you will receive a definitive result about the soil condition including a fertilizer recommendation. Carry out a soil analysis every 4-5 years and know the weak points in the nutrient supply. When fertilizing your lawn, you compensate for the deficiencies biologically or minerally and avoid the risk of over-fertilization.
Short-term fertilizers cheer up tired lawns
In order to stimulate the growth of the lawn in spring, the use of lime ammonium nitrate (KAS) has proven to be effective. This is a fertilizer that predominantly contains nitrogen (28%). At the time of fertilizing the lawn, lime ammonium nitrate triggers rapid growth, which gives weeds and moss no chance.
- Advantages of KAS: immediate effect, while displacing moss and weeds
- Disadvantages of KAS: contains neither phosphorus nor potassium, high risk of burns from noble grasses
Calcium nitrate is therefore a short-term fertilizer that cannot replace full-fledged lawn fertilization. In addition, the active ingredient is dangerous for the environment due to the rapid leaching of nitrate into groundwater.
Tip
Common weed killers only really work when there is a large leaf mass of unwanted plants. The larger the dandelions and their colleagues are at the time the herbicide is applied, the more effective the control will be. Experienced hobby gardeners therefore fertilize the weed-infested lawn with lime ammonium nitrate two weeks in advance in order to then deal a devastating blow to the emerging weeds.
Add complete fertilizer to the lawn at most once a year
When fertilizing mineral lawns, take the path of least resistance with a complete fertilizer, such as Blaukorn. In use since 1927, this purely chemical preparation is still used in kitchen and ornamental gardens today. The fertilizer is ideally dosed according to the findings of a soil analysis. For a normally stressed lawn, a single application in spring between March and April is sufficient. How to proceed:
- Applying fertilizer with the spreader on dry lawn
- It is essential to avoid overlapping distribution
- Water the lawn extensively immediately after fertilizing
The harmful effect on the environment results primarily from the rapid leaching of the nitrate into groundwater and drinking water within 2 weeks. The newly developed product Blaukorn Entec extends this period to 8 weeks, which is intended to reduce nitrate pollution and increase the fertilizer effect.
The best long-term fertilizers for the lawn
If you are not satisfied with short-term lawn fertilization, turn your attention to mineral-organic fertilizers with a long-term effect. These preparations combine an immediate effect with a long-lasting supply of nutrients for up to 120 days. The advantage is that the grasses don't just shoot up. Rather, they develop into width at the same time, which results in a velvety green carpet.
The following table shows some outstanding mineral-organic long-term fertilizers that consistently enjoy good customer reviews on the market:
| Long-term lawn fertilizer | Wolf LE 100 Premium | Floranid long-term lawn fertilizer | Cuxin DCM Special | Profi Green | Substral long-term lawn fertilizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fertilizer Type | organic-mineral | organic-mineral | organic-mineral | organic-mineral | organic-mineral |
| NPK composition | 29+5+7 | 22+5+11 | 12+4+6 | 7+5+5 | 22+5+5 |
| Duration of effect | 120 days | 180 days | 100 days | 100 days | 100 days |
| Dosage | 50 g/m² | 50 g/m² | 40 g/m² | 70 g/m² | 20 g/m² |
| Price | 39 euros for 5 kg | 28 euros for 5 kg | 36 euros for 20 kg | 25 euros for 30 kg | 31 euros for 5 kg |
Fertilization dates at a glance – when lawn fertilization makes sense
There is no silver bullet for the ideal fertilization plan. Rather, there are various factors that determine the rhythm of lawn fertilization with mineral-organic preparations. This includes the type of grass, soil condition, weather and location. The following guidelines apply as a guide:
- Time for ornamental lawns with normal use: in spring (March/April) and summer (July/August)
- Time for extremely stressed sports and playing turf: in March, May, August and October
- Time for shade lawns: in March/April, in June/July and in September/October
When exactly lawn fertilization should be carried out is determined in particular by the composition of the fertilizer chosen. The exact dosage of NPK is stated on each packaging: N for nitrogen, P for phosphorus and K for potassium.
Fertilize your lawn naturally in harmony with nature – this is how it works
If you want to fertilize your lawn naturally, a fertilizer with only biologically composed ingredients comes into focus. These are of purely plant or animal origin and are first decomposed by microorganisms before they are available for the lawn. This not only ensures the supply of nutrients; At the same time, long-term soil improvement takes place.
Of course, fertilize green areas with compost, manure, plant manure, horn meal or horse manure. When you fertilize the lawn organically depends on the specific local conditions. Basically, you do it correctly, according to the following schedule:
- In spring and summer 30 liters of compost per square meter plus 30 grams of horn meal
- Comfrey manure containing potassium in September or October to strengthen winter hardiness
- Alternatively, administer commercially available organic fertilizer in March, May, August and October
Verticutting increases the willingness to absorb fertilizer
Regardless of whether you fertilize minerally, mineral-organically or organically, you can increase the effect of lawn fertilization with the following care measure:
- Before fertilizing the lawn in March and September, scarify the grass area
- Then apply the fertilizer with the spreader, by hand or with the pressure sprayer
- Thorough watering is mandatory, even if you fertilize naturally
Lawn seed and fertilizer at the same time – the efficient new plant
If lawn seeds and natural fertilization go hand in hand, you are giving your green business card an excellent jump start. The best time to sow lawn seeds for new planting is in September or October. The ground is still warm from the sun, so that the grass roots can establish themselves well before winter.
An organic starter fertilizer can be distributed at the same time as the lawn seeds because there is no risk of burning the tender seeds. The Neudorff Azet lawn starter fertilizer, for example, has a purely biological composition, so that the microorganisms in it ensure strong root growth.
Fertilize in autumn with winter in mind – potassium does the trick
In September the lawn begins its final growth spurt before winter. In order to properly prepare it for the cold season, experienced hobby gardeners use a special fertilizer for autumn. Instead of feeding the noble grasses with nitrogen, lawn fertilization with a high potassium content is used. Biologically oriented lawn owners choose an organic NPK fertilizer with a composition of 7+3+10. How to do it right:
- In September or October, scarify the lawn lengthwise once
- Apply and water organic autumn fertilizer with the spreader
- Alternatively, fertilize naturally with home-made comfrey manure or pure wood ash
The special effect of potassium on winter hardiness is due to the fact that this nutrient specifically strengthens the cell walls in plant tissue. The lawn grasses can cope with the strenuous temperature fluctuations of winter with alternating frost and thaw much better thanks to this careful lawn fertilization.
Tips & Tricks
Don't feel like the hassle of scarifying? Then get help in the form of microorganisms that like to eat thatch and moss. The new micro lawn fertilizer from Cuxin contains lots of soil organisms that convert moss and thatch into valuable humus over a period of up to 100 days.
