A healthy lawn not only looks good, but it is good for the environment when properly cared for. A few simple reminders will assure you are following best management practices.
A properly maintained lawn is good for the environment. The roots hold soil together and keep it from washing away. Growing grass filters impurities out of rain and storm water. Plants of all types exchange carbon dioxide with life giving oxygen. Grass can be 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 14 degrees cooler than bare ground.
A properly maintained lawn is pleasing to the eye and good for the environment.
© Steve Trusty
Just like us, a lawn needs to be fed to be healthy. Too little or too much, or the wrong kinds of food, provide less than optimum results. A young or new lawn may need a different diet from that of an established lawn. You can determine what you’re feeding your lawn by looking at your fertilizer’s Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium, or N-P-K, percentages. N-P-K content is indicated by a series of three numbers on your bag – for example, 22-0-10.
Nitrogen, the first nutrient, is essential to the growth of all grasses. Slow-release forms of nitrogen provide paced feeding over a longer period of time. There is little or no wasted nitrogen in slow-release fertilizers such as GreenView Fairway Formula Lawn Fertilizer. Established lawns don’t need as much phosphorus (the second nutrient) as new lawns. Unless there is a definite shortage of phosphorus in your soil or you’re planting new grass, consider phosphorous-free fertilizers like those in the GreenView family of products.
The third vital nutrient, potassium, is important in plant regulatory functions. Potassium aids in photosynthesis, protein synthesis and water allocation. Lawns that are potassium deficient have lower immunity and are more vulnerable to stresses like heat, excess water and drought. Almost all balanced lawn fertilizers contain potassium. Perform a soil test if your lawn is not responding adequately to normal fertilization recommendations.
Remember, a good, thick lawn also crowds out unsightly and dangerous weeds. However, if you or your neighbors had a problem with crabgrass, other annual grassy weeds or broadleaf weeds like dandelions they are easiest to control early with a combination product like GreenView Fairway Formula Spring Fertilizer Weed & Feed and Crabgrass Preventer.
Be sure to apply fertilizer evenly according to the directions on the bag. Do not over- or under-apply. Make sure your fertilizer spreader is applying a product accurately by checking its calibration.