What is the best lawn fertilizer and where can I buy lawn fertilizer from?
There are several different types of lawn fertilizer depending on what exactly you want it to do.
Below is a quick summary of types of lawn fertilizer available, where you might be able to buy them from and their advantages and disadvantages.
(Note this post doesn’t cover the 3 in 1 products such as feed, weed and mosskiller)
Broadly there are three MAIN types of lawn fertilizer:
Fact acting granular fertilizers- These fertilisers are often the ones that are thought of when someone goes to the garden centre for some ‘lawn fertiliser’ - they promote lush green growth for about a month and then that’s it, all the nutrients are used up.
Advantages:
Often useful in lawn renovation programmes or where a lawn needs a fast green up after scarifying or for a special event or similar occasion.
Freely and relatively cheaply available in garden centres, DIY stores etc as well as from specialist suppliers and internet sellers (note these products are heavy and bulky so delivery charges may be high)
Disadvantages:
Needs carefully calibrated spreader to apply, effects don’t last very long, gets expensive to keep reapplying throughout the season due to short lifespan, too many applications can be very bad for the environment.
Needs watering in or rainfall shortly afterwards otherwise lawn can be ‘burnt’. Left over product needs carefully storing as can be ruined by damp conditions.
Slow release granular fertilizers – these are similar to apply to the fast acting granular mentioned above but release their nutrients slowly over a longer period.
Advantages:
As little as two applications needed per year, keeps lawn looking good without excessive top growth. Can work out more cost effective in long term. Gives a good looking lawn for a longer period of time.
Disadvantages:
Slower initial effect than fast release or conventional release granular fertilisers.
Needs carefully calibrated spreader to apply, often product needs watering in or rainfall shortly afterwards otherwise lawn can be ‘burnt’.
Can be harder to get hold of in the retail market eg garden centres etc - often only available from more specialist suppliers .
Liquid fertilizers –These are often seaweed based and applied with a knapsack sprayer, they are used where a quick acting fertiliser is required, or where the lawn needs to be used quickly after application by pets such as dogs etc.
Advantages:
Some products contain iron to kill unwanted moss – often useful after scarifying.
Child and pet safe in a very short time window.
No visible granules on lawn (some granular fertilizers are very obvious for several weeks as orange or white granules spread over the lawn)
These do not last as long as slow release granule fertilizers but can be a very useful and economical method of maintaining a lawn as part of an ongoing treatment programme. The seaweed extracts can be very good for the soil, improving microbiological activity.
Useful for difficult shaped lawns where a granule spreader may be hard to use.
Disadvantages:
Need calibrated knapsack sprayer to apply – need a still, dry day to apply – rain shortly afterwards can affect results.
Spray blown or walked onto paving may stain.
Can be very difficult or sometimes impossible to obtain from garden centres and retail outlets, normally only available in large quantities eg 10 litre containers which may take a long time to use up.
So which is the right fertiliser for my specific lawn?
Before you go shopping for fertilizer for your lawn, there are a few things you need to know to make an informed choice:
A few things would include: what season it is, what size your lawn is in m2, how quick you want the initial effect of applying the lawn fertilizer to be, how long you want it to last for and what you need to apply it with (eg granule spreader, knapsack sprayer etc), what type of grass you may have, wheter you want to encourage top or root growth and much more besides.
Often you may find that you have to pay as much, if not more for the measuring and application equipment than the fertilizer product itself!
It all sounds very complicated! Is there another way?
If all of the above sounds difficult, time consuming and possibly quite confusing, perhaps it might be worth contacting your local independent lawn care professionals instead of trying to select a product yourself from the vast range available.
If you live within a 20 mile radius of Spalding, Lincolnshire, we may be able to help.
Here at South Lincs Grass Care we offer free quotations for lawn fertilizer applications of all of the above types, by trained professionals with carefully calibrated equipment.
Couple this service with our weed control, moss control, aeration and professional mowing programmes and you will be amazed at the difference to your lawn.
Why not contact us today to find out more? 01775 830250, 07745 247488 – southlincsgrasscare@yahoo.co.uk
(South Lincs Grass Care is a trading name of ANP Services Spalding Ltd)
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