Tag: Fertilizer

Get you soil pH levels tested this Spring.

Local Soil Test Results

Soil Test Results

Located in Central Pennsylvania and just looking for a soil test service? Great! Contact us for more information. Interested in learning what it all means? Great! Read on ..

The results behind a soil test may look cumbersome, but really they are not. It comes down to three important factors based on your specified grass type.

The  Soil pH level, the Phosphorus level, and the Potassium level.

Each turf type requires an optimum blend of three nutrients, and a test is designed to show you exactly where those levels are currently at. Depending on the company or lab where your test is diagnosed, easy to understand recommendations are printed out with instructions that, if followed correctly, will balance your nutrients out  to optimum across the chart.

For an example using the following image, if your lawn is low in pH, optimal in Phosphorus, and high in Potassium, a list of fertilizers and the rate for pound per square footage the fertilizer should be spread is listed. Since the pH level is low, you will want to increase that of course. But what fertilizer are you going to need. The paper shows a 33-3-4, so lets look at what that means.

Local Soil Test Results

Soil Test Results

 

 

Every time you read a bad of fertilizer it lists three numbers,  ##-##-##. What are those three numbers? They represent three nutrients, N, P2O5 and K2O – or easily enough Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.

 

Nitrogen..

is the primary found in most fertilizers. Many times you will hear,

“If you want a green lawn, add nitrogen”

While that is true, be careful.  The greener your grass, the more photosynthesis that can occur (that is your lawn eating, BTW). Buttt to much nitrogen can easily ruin your lawn. So don’t just spread a Nitrogen rich fertilizer and expect great results. Remember, your lawn needs a complimentary blend of the Three nutrients to look (and be) its healthiest. To much nitrogen the lawn is going to grow like a bad weed, causing more cutting, which causes the grass more stress and then oh no…

To much stress…

To much nitrogen leads to stressed out turf.

Stressed turf.

 

Phosphorus

The second number that dominates fertilizer ingredients. Inside your grass there are  energy-rich phosphate bonds that  fuel the “metabolic machinery” and  ultimately growth. Without Phosphorus, leaf,  root, and stem growth slows dramatically. Phosphorus also helps keep higher quality soil, denser, absorbing more water.

The root systems of your lawn benefits greatly from Phosphorus. But be careful not to smother your lawn with to much phosphorus, that can be another factor of stress, and we know where that leads to.

Phosphorus can be dangerous not only to the lawn, but to the environment if to much is used. Some states are promoting a no P fertilizer program (No phosphorus). Phosphorus can cause algae build up in water which has caused ecological unbalancing. But did you know pollution from Phosphorus can be WORSE by letting the levels get to low? Strange, but when the soil becomes less dense, water runoff (Phosphorus run off..) is higher.

Potassium

I don’t know why, but whenever I hear Potassium the first thing I think of is bananas. Odd first thought, I know.

Potassium is key for strong root formation and plant health overall. It is responsible for playing a role in keeping your turf alive during the winter, fending off disease, and fungus problems. Let the levels get to low and you are opening the door for a ton of problems ranging from ring spot, red threat, neuritic ring spot, etc. etc. etc.

So..

Hopefully this post helps you understand test results easier and the basic needs of your lawn. Your lawn grows in soil, the key to a lush green lawn is perfectly aerated, nutrient rich, worm loving all around awesome soil. And a soil pH test – I am assuming you want a beautiful lawn, you are reading this after all – should be on your list every Spring if possible.

Need some help? Great – that is why we are in business. We can help you figure out the result & create a plan (no charge!) , or we can perform the test, diagnose the results, and formulate a plan of action for a one time low fee. Simply follow the link on the top right of the page or click here -> “Contact us

By the way, from the list above my recommendation would be the 33-3-3 fertilizer, raise Nitrogen while effecting Phosphorus and Potassium as minimal as possible.

Home Made Fertilizer

Simple solution.

Take 2 cups of water, 1 cup of beer, 1 cup of amonia, and 1/2 cup of epsom salt. Mix this together in a spray bottle of some sort and go out and spray your lawn.

The water won’t do much but equal out the mixture, the amount of water applied really doesn’t help anything.

The beer will feed the root systems.

The amonia will kill and diseases that are living on the grass.

The epsom salt will work as an aerator and help the water penatrate the soil.

Spray this on your lawn and in a couple of weeks your should notice an improvement!

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Organic Lawn Cares Tips – Save the environment, save money, save your lawn.

Mow your Grass Higher
If you mow your grass low, the weeds will grow before the grass and shade out the grass from getting sunlight. Grass turns sunlight into sugar which it needs for food. Lots of food ensures beautiful green, lush grass. Cutting it short leads to beautiful, green (sometimes), lush weeds. It also kills your grass causes dreaded brown patches and horrible looking soil.

– more shade to the soil leads to less watering
– deeper roots which leads to less watering
– thicker turf which leads to fewer weeds
– slower growth which leads to less mowing

If I Mow Low I Won’t Have To Mow as Often
Not True! Grass needs grass blades to photosynthesis; that is convert sunshine into sugar. It does this so it is able to feed the grass roots. When you destroy the blades, the grass rushes to make new blades because the roots are getting no sugar. The grass does not want to die so it tries to grow the blades as fast as it can… In the process of growing so fast, the grass uses up most of its stored sugar. Which in return causes the grass to become unhealthy. Now the grass is vulnerable to disease and pests. Tall grass is healthier and can use the extra sugar to make rhizomes (more grass plants) thus thickening the turf. Have you ever noticed that short grass in the summer is always riddled with dead brown patches?

Do you have an over-growth of weeds?
Trying mowing with the blade setting at about 3 1/2 more often than you regularly would. Your grass’s most critical growing point is at the root. While most weeds is at the top of the stem. So, it is the same as giving your grass a hair cut, and chopping off the head of the weeds.

Leave the grass clippings in the yard!
Leaving the clippings in your lawn the absolute number one way to ensure you have healthy, thick turf. Clippings toss the nutrients that are MUCH needed by your lawn right back into the soil. If you don’t leave the clippings, you will notice your soil starts to look more like dirt than soil. Some people worry about the clippings “clumping” up. This only happens if you mow to low, or don’t mow enough.

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