We understand that a good lawn is an essential component to any home, office, and other building structures. A beautifully landscaped lawn adds to the beauty, charm, and character of a place, so taking good care of our grass is crucial. In this case, the grass must not be greener on the other side of the fence. Maintaining healthy grass is important because lawns serve as a centerpiece to our home’s curb appeal.
On top of that, grass helps in keeping our local ecosystem balanced. It promotes the production of oxygen while cleaning up carbon dioxide in our air. It helps prevent air pollution because it has the natural capacity to filter air. In addition to that, grass in our lawns prevents soil erosion. Eroded soil can lead to clogged sewers or worse. Excess top soil can wash into rivers causing poor water quality. This can have a negative impact on the ecosystems in the waterways near your home.
Why Use Fertilizers
Aside from regular watering and weeding, what makes grass lush is the regular use of fertilizers. Fertilizers are nutrition for our grass, which make them healthy and strong. After all, our grass is a living breathing creature that deserves to eat, just like us humans. Fertilizers are akin to multi-vitamins that ensure good growth and development. No one wants their grass to wither and die.
Fertilizers are treatments that have the capacity of making the grass even greener than ever. They help grass develop a stronger root system. This ensures that the grass gets sufficient nutrients, grows well, and remains anchored into the soil even amidst winter and other adverse soil conditions. On top of all these, fertilizers can strengthen turf and help in controlling pests.
The primary nutrients for soil are sunlight, water, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. All of these enable the soil to be healthy enough to grow plants. The basic blend of lawn fertilizers includes a good proportioning of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are the key supplements soil needs to thrive.
The secondary nutrients for soil include the following elements: calcium, cobalt, manganese, copper, iron, chlorine, zinc, nickel, boron, and molybdenum. The absences of these ingredients do not affect the soil. However, their presence can help boots lush greenery production.
In our modern world today, there are many different brands of fertilizer, claiming to be the best. Picking a good lawn fertilizer can be a tad confusing with this wide array of choices. Asking our neighbors, family, or friendly lawn care specialists can be an excellent way to get leads. Referrals from people that have actually used the product are the best source of feedback.
Types of Fertilizers
That being said, in spite of receiving this referral, it is still good to know about the product that we are going to use. Referrals, coupled with own research, are the best methods in choosing the right fertilizer suited to our home. Different fertilizers have different suitability depending on weather, soil ph, and even preference for organic or synthetic formula. With all these in mind, let us find out more about the different types of fertilizers available today because they can help us narrow down our choices:
Granular Fertilizers
When we first read the word granular, that next thing that immediately comes to mind
Liquid Fertilizers
Well, we all know what a liquid looks like. These fertilizers are soluble in water and can be applied with a hose and nozzle or a watering can. Preparatory steps of liquid fertilizers are easy and do not require any special handling. This type does not have any specific instructions when in use. Just spray when necessary. Liquid fertilizers make their way to the bottom of the garden soil with ease and are then easily absorbed by the roots embedded in the soil.
Time Release Fertilizers
As the name suggests, time is an important component of this kind of fertilizer. These help in keeping the lawn healthy over a certain period of time. The key feature about it is that you just need to use it once. After which, it will keep supplying the required nutrients that your soil needs over an extended period of time.
Gradual Release Fertilizers
Another name for this type of fertilizer is slow-release formula. It gradually releases nutrients into the soil when they need it. These allow roots to have the required nutrients when it is most beneficial to them. On top of that, these fertilizers prevent essential elements from draining pointlessly into the soil. This kind of fertilizer is easy to use and is very efficient, so there’s no chance of burning grass.
Organic Fertilizers
Not all organic items are created equal. And just because something has an organic stamp doesn’t mean it is certified. Be prepared to read the fine print, especially when purchasing organic fertilizers to ensure that what we are getting is the legit thing. Organic fertilizers are made from all natural ingredients. Usually, they are a product coming from decomposing animals and their leftover byproducts. Effects of these types of fertilizers will take time to show results, but they don’t harm the existing grass and the soil beneath it.
Synthetic Fertilizers
Synthetic is artificially made, so it comes from a combination of chemicals. The downside to this is that it can be harmful when in contact with small children and pets, who like to run around the grass. But other than that, this makes sure that there are fast results in achieving a lush garden. These also can control annoying pests and improve the quality of the soil.
Starter Fertilizers and Winterizers
These fertilizers have a heavy component of phosphorus, an element that is known to speed up the growth of healthy roots. On top of that, these provide dense nutrients that promote the preservation of grass roots. Their main job is to make sure that soil gets suitable nutrition for the winter months. Nutrients are embedded in the ground and are slowly released during the cold weather when there is
Weed and Feed
As the name suggests, this type of fertilizers can kill weeds at the same time as it feeds the lawn. A fertilizer like this is very handy for eradicating weeds like crabgrass and dandelions. It also ensures that the primary grass is in good health condition so that it will remain green, lush, and abundant.
Specific Leading Brands of Lawn Fertilizers
Now that we know the different types of fertilizers on the market today, it is time for us to take a look at the popular brands. Picking up a good lawn fertilizer can be quite a technical job. So being abreast of the current trends will help us choose the right one for our lawn. Here are the top five good brands of fertilizers that are in demand right now:
Miracle Gro Plant Food Fertilizer
This leading brand of fertilizer indeed delivers a miracle. As its brand name suggests, it is suitable plant food for any plant, especially for your lawn. It is compatible with any grass and is easy to use. It comes under the dry fertilizer category, which is water-soluble. After application, it lasts for about two weeks.
Miracle Gro promotes grass growth with the right combination of nutrients. This product can be used at any time of the day, in any season, and is perfect for both indoor and outdoor plants. It can be mixed easily and used with a watering can. Miracle Gro is a pretty straight forward product that will not burn our grass. Most of all, it is safe for pets and kids even if it is made from synthetic crystal. Its affordability is another factor that makes it a top choice for many of us who love our lawns.
Scotts Turf Builder
Touted a real weed killer for its triple action, Scotts is another popular choice that is easy to use. All we need to do is leave this on top of our lawns when they are dry. Then we can water the lawn as usual after application. Once in contact with the water, this activates the ingredients in Scotts.
Scott Turf Builder is a trusted company that kills dollar weeds and clovers. This turf builder comes from a company that offers a wide range of products that offer lawn health items like grass seed, spreaders, and fertilizers. This Scott Turf Builder is guaranteed to kill fire ants and other pesky critters that live and feed on our lawn. Its efficacy can last for up to six months. It is specifically crafted for Southern Types of grass such as Carpet, Centipede, Zoysia, and St. Augustine Grass. It strengthens grass by providing it with the right nutrients so that it can survive intense heat and drought.
Safer Brand Ringer Restore Fertilizer
This particular brand is organic, all plant-based, and ensures greener grass. It contains zero phosphorous and does not use any poultry litter or other biosolids. Even though it is organic, it comes with no unpleasant odor. This can cover up to five thousand square feet. This organic fertilizer immediately becomes activated upon application. It starts working instantly to make a proper balance of natural elements in the soil so that grass our grass will be healthier in a span of 3 to 5 days.
This Safer Brand is indeed safe for our kids and fur babies because it relies on all natural bacteria and fungi in promoting grass growth and maintaining their health. On top of providing proper nutrients, this particular fertilizer can eliminate weeds and help in developing a strong root system beneath the soil. It can sustain roots even during drought, making it a top choice for many lawn lovers.
Lawn Food Simple Lawn Solutions
This superior nitrogen and potash liquid lawn food supplement doesn’t contain any phosphate making it a safe choice for humans and pets. It is an all-natural fertilizer, free from chemicals. Lawn Food has the capability of encouraging soil and turf health, hardiness, and strength. It naturally enhances the greenery of our lawn, while improving soil resistance to both heat and cold. This makes it a perfect choice for any weather.
Lawn Food is a pretty straight up liquid fertilizer with bioactive organics, humic and fulvic acids, feed, grade urea, potash, and sulfur. All these added ingredients provide top nutrients to ensure grass growth by treating any grass nutrition deficiencies. We just have to make sure that we keep our lawn watered well why we are using this type of fertilizer. This surprisingly simple product can be used for home and commercial purposes.
Jonathan Green and Sons Winter Survival Fall Fertilizer
As its name suggests, the primary function of this product is to prepare your lawn for the coming winter. Jonathan Green and Sons is the touted best winterizer, which is optimally used during the fall season as an ideal companion for our fall seeding to protect our greenery even while covered in snow. It can cover five thousand square feet, promoting root growth and protection during the harsh winter climate. Its well-balanced formula promises to nourish our lawn grass even during the worst conditions.
This brand of winterizer should be applied as soon as the grass has stopped growing in the autumn season. One thing must be made clear, this cannot increase grass growth, but it guarantees that our grass has enough nutrition to re-start growing when spring comes. This product is best used with a spreader for good coverage and optimal results.
Choosing the right brand of fertilizer is an essential part of maintaining our lawns. It is vital to do our research and compare products in the market, so we can get the most suitable products to nourish our grass. Our lawns add charm and character to our homes and offices, so proper care and attention should be given to them so that they don’t die. Grass must always remain greener on our side of the fence, and we can easily make that happen when you select the best fertilizer for your grass.
Sara Butler
