There is no question: a vigorous green, healthy lawn is the pride of every gardener. However, such a green area needs a lot of care and, above all, the right lawn fertilizer. In this article you can find out which fertilizers are suitable, what you need to look out for when buying them and how to apply them.

Lawn should be fertilized regularly

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Which lawn fertilizer is best?
  3. Lawn fertilizer composition
  4. Recommended lawn fertilizer
  5. What else can you fertilize the lawn with?
  6. Proper use of lawn fertilizer
  7. frequently asked Questions

    8. the essentials in brief

    • A balanced composition of lawn fertilizer is important for a healthy, green lawn.
    • Regular fertilization replaces the loss of nutrients caused by mowing and loading.
    • The amount and composition of the lawn fertilizer depends on the composition of the soil, the type of grass, the local climate and the load on the lawn.
    • The right time of fertilization also determines the effect of the lawn fertilizer.

    Which lawn fertilizer is best?

    Special lawn fertilizers are indispensable for a healthy and beautiful lawn because only these have the required nutrient composition. Grasses have special needs that cannot be met by the universal fertilizers otherwise used in agriculture or horticulture. Unsuitable fertilizers, for example, lead to greater height growth, which in turn makes more frequent lawn mowing necessary. In addition, the grasses are weakened in this way and are more susceptible to diseases.

    Such universal fertilizers often have too high a nitrate content, which cannot be absorbed by the lawn plants at all and instead is washed out into the groundwater. Incidentally, the commercially available universal fertilizers for lawns do not always fulfill the purpose of providing a needs-based supply of nutrients. What your lawn actually needs depends on many different factors. This primarily includes the composition of the lawn mixture, but also that of the soil. Since the different lawn fertilizers have different mixtures, they are not equally suitable for every lawn and every soil.

    Which lawn fertilizers are there?

    Lawn fertilizer is not just lawn fertilizer

    But let's first look at what types of lawn fertilizers there are and for what purpose you can use them.

    • long-term fertilizer: These consist of up to 80 percent nitrogen, which is available over the long term. The effect sets in slowly and lasts for several weeks. These fertilizers are very suitable for a spring start-up.
    • short-term fertilizer: These fertilizers release their active ingredients within a few days and are therefore very well suited for targeted applications with a quickly desired effect. A good example of this are special lawn fertilizers with iron, which are intended to remedy an iron deficiency.
    • combination fertilizer: These fertilizer types contain both fast and slow available nitrogen compounds. Their effect sets in quickly and, depending on the proportion of slow-release fertilizer and application rate, can extend over a longer period of time.

    So-called multiple fertilizers are usually completely sufficient for your lawn. These lawn fertilizers contain all the necessary nutrients that the grasses need for healthy and optimal growth. Multiple fertilizers are available in different compositions, whereby individual components are available in different concentrations and you can use these types specifically to compensate for deficits and nutrient deficiencies.

    When should you use which lawn fertilizer?

    To ensure that there is neither an oversupply nor an undersupply of nutrients, you should generally consider the following tips when fertilizing the lawn:

    • phosphate fertilizers: Apply primarily to new seedlings and reseeding, because seedlings and young plants need phosphates for fast and healthy growth.
    • Potassium fertilizers: apply before summer dry spells and as a last fertilization in autumn. Potassium promotes the absorption and storage capacity of water in grasses.
    • Fertilizer with long-term nitrogen: are useful when the floor is warm.
    • Fertilizer with readily available nitrogen: Apply mainly in autumn and spring. Liquid fertilizers are very well suited for this, as they do not have to dissolve first - in contrast to granules - and are therefore available more quickly.
    • Nitrogen-rich fertilizers: may no longer be applied from mid-September, as they reduce the resistance of the grass to cold and diseases.
    • Fertilizer with trace elements: are useful on emaciated turf base layers or when certain elements are missing in the soil or the plants already show a deficiency. In addition, the regular administration of trace elements promotes the biological activities in the soil and thus also its composition.

    In addition to the mineral fertilizers already described, there are also organic and biological lawn fertilizers and mixed forms in the wide range of products. Organic fertilizers are very well suited as a supplement to mineral fertilizers, but simply because of their composition and form of administration they do not cover the special needs of a classic lawn. Therefore, mixed forms of organic and mineral components are the best choice.

    How should a lawn fertilizer be composed?

    Optimally, the ratio of the most important individual components in the lawn fertilizer - namely nitrogen, phosphate and potassium - is 6:2:3. This ratio has worked well on most lawns.

    The most important information at a glance

    A lawn fertilizer is ideal for supplying your lawn with nutrients if it meets the following conditions:

    • In terms of quantity and composition, it corresponds to the special requirements of the lawn.
    • If the dosage is correct and the product is used according to the manufacturer's instructions, there will be no damage from combustion.
    • The fertilizer is not used up in a short time, but releases the nutrients continuously over a longer period of time. In contrast to short-term fertilizers, an overdose is less likely here. Therefore long-term fertilizers are to be preferred.
    • The fertilizer promotes the growth of thickness in the grass and not its growth in length.

    In addition, the nitrate nitrogen contained should be available quickly and in small doses so that it is absorbed by the roots and not washed out.

    You can find out what else you should consider when caring for your lawn in this very informative video:

    youtube

    What nutrients does the lawn need? Lawn fertilizer composition

    Plants basically need water, carbon dioxide, oxygen and minerals to grow. While the first three components are absorbed from the environment, they - with the exception of water - usually do not have to be administered artificially. Minerals, on the other hand, are taken up by plants via the roots with the soil water. They are in the form of chemical compounds that are water soluble and therefore available to plants. Based on the amounts required by the plants for healthy growth, these nutrients are divided into three different groups:

    nutrient group nutrient importance
    main nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium are of essential importance for all plant life processes, deficiency quickly has serious effects and must be remedied quickly
    secondary nutrients magnesium, calcium, sulphur are required in much smaller quantities, but are still essential for plant health
    trace elements boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc only very small amounts of these substances are needed, but a prolonged deficiency can have drastic consequences

    If the lawn fertilizer is not correctly composed in terms of the composition of the main nutrients, the effects will become apparent very quickly and must be remedied just as quickly. Both oversupply and undersupply must be avoided.

    nutrient function
    nitrogen Growth, green colouration, beware of over-fertilization: culms become unstable and fall over quickly
    phosphorus Energy source, indispensable for all metabolic processes, promotes root growth
    potassium increases the resistance of plants to drought, cold and diseases
    magnesium strengthens plant health, for healthy and lush greenery

    If there is an undersupply of a secondary nutrient or a trace element, this often does not remain visible for a long time. Temporary deficiencies can usually be compensated. However, sooner or later there will be signs of deficiency. If these are not remedied, they can have serious effects over time.

    Why does the lawn have to be fertilized at all?

    If the lawn is mulched, some of the nutrients used are returned to the soil

    Basically, plants get the nutrients they need from the soil. However, a well-maintained lawn must be sufficiently fertilized, since regular mowing and the removal of clippings from the area alone removes nutrients from the soil - the natural nutrient cycle is interrupted at this point, which is why fertilization is essential. In addition, the grasses need more nutrients after a cut to compensate for the loss of leaf mass. The plants initially react to a nutrient deficiency with stunted growth and clear deficiency symptoms in the form of discolouration. In addition, they become susceptible to diseases. Another consequence of the lack of supply is foreign growth in the form of unwanted herbs and grasses, which feel comfortable on the nutrient-poor soil and compete with the original lawn types.

    How high is the fertilizer requirement?

    When and how much fertilizer you apply to a lawn depends very much on how intensively the lawn is used. An ornamental lawn that is hardly ever walked on needs less nutrients and care than one that is heavily used, for example by children playing. Other factors that determine the amount and composition of the lawn fertilizer are:

    • soil type: Some soils have the property of being able to store nutrients. Others bind them and only hesitantly release them again. Still others cannot retain nutrients at all because they are washed out very quickly. The richer in humus a soil is, the richer in nutrients it is.
    • climate: The climatic conditions of a site also influence the natural supply of nutrients. Precipitation influences the absorption of soil nutrients: the more frequently and regularly it rains, the less often you have to fertilize.
    • reseeding: Basically, newly seeded lawns have a higher nutrient requirement than existing ones. This applies in particular to the nutrients nitrogen and potassium, which can only be administered to a very limited extent as long-term doses. A stable biological soil balance and thus a lower need for fertilizer only sets in after about five years.

    The following table gives you an overview.

    lawn type fertilization dates amount of nitrogen per year
    Ornamental lawn, little stressed 1st fertilization between mid-March and early May, 2nd fertilization between mid-June and early August 5 to 8 grams per square meter
    Utility lawn, little stressed a total of 3 fertilizations: mid-April, late June / early July, mid-September 8 to 12 grams per square meter
    Utility lawn, heavily used A total of 4 fertilizations: mid-March, early to mid-May, early to mid-July, late August to mid-September 12 to 15 grams per square meter

    The rule of thumb here is that the supply of water and nutrients must be better, the more intensively a lawn is stressed and used. Conversely, this does not mean that a lot of fertilizer also helps a lot! Quite the contrary, because an oversupply of nutrients damages the plants just as much as a lack of supply and is also ecologically unacceptable due to the leaching of superfluous minerals into the groundwater.

    tips

    If you use a mulching mower, about three to five grams less nitrogen per square meter are required.

    Lawn fertilizer in the test: which products can you buy?

    If you have pets, you should be particularly careful when choosing a lawn fertilizer

    “Make your own lawn fertilizer is the motto! All you need is nettle manure and rock flour or lime.”

    First of all: There is basically no such thing as the “best” lawn fertilizer, since different lawn areas naturally have different needs. A product that your friend or neighbor has had good experiences with is therefore not necessarily suitable for your lawn. In addition, the choice of product depends on whether you need pure fertilizer or one with a special effect. For example, lawn fertilizers are used on some areas

    • with weed killer
    • against moss / with moss destroyer
    • against clover
    • with or without iron

    makes sense, but not for others. In principle, you can buy good quality lawn fertilizer both on the Internet (e.g. Amazon or eBay) and in stationary stores. Not only does the specialist trade have a wide range, because you can also find many good products from retailers such as

    • Aldi
    • Lidl
    • obi
    • bauhaus
    • toom
    • Hornbach
    • Thomas Phillips

    at an affordable price. Well-established brands such as those shown in the following table have proven particularly useful for many gardeners.

    Manufacturer product Type dosage form
    COMPO Slow-release lawn fertilizer 3 months long-term fertilizer granules
    COMPO Autumn lawn long-term fertilizer 3 months long-term fertilizer granules
    COMPO FLORANID long-term lawn fertilizer 4 months long-term fertilizer granules
    COMPO FLORANID start-lawn long-term fertilizer 3 months long-term fertilizer granules
    COMPO FLORANID lawn fertilizer plus weed killer 3 months long-term fertilizer granules
    COMPO BIO natural fertilizer for lawns, natural immediate and long-term effect combination preparation granules
    WOLF garden 2-in-1: weed killer plus lawn fertilizer Long-term fertilizer up to 100 days effect granules
    WOLF garden Natura organic lawn fertilizer combination preparation granules
    NEUDORFF Acetate Lawn Fertilizer combination preparation granules
    Beckman Professional lawn fertilizer 20+5+8+(4) with long-term effect combination preparation granules
    cuxin Multi Micro Minigran combination preparation granules
    Oscorna Rasaflor lawn fertilizer Combined preparation (organic) granules
    stretcher Lawn fertilizer with long-term effect, mineral combination preparation granules
    garden crown Lawn fertilizer with weed killer combination preparation granules
    garden crown Lawn fertilizer with long-term effect Combination preparation for stressed lawns granules

    digression

    Non-toxic lawn fertilizer for dogs?

    If the fertilization is carried out properly, the applied lawn fertilizer is harmless to both humans and animals. However, you and your dog should only step onto the lawn after one or two longer watering sessions - then the granules have dissolved and seeped into the ground. Opened sacks of lawn fertilizer - packs of 20 or 25 kilograms are often commercially available - should be kept in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children and pets.

    What else can you fertilize the lawn with?

    In view of the abundance of different lawn fertilizers, the question arises as to whether other preparations than those presented here also serve their purpose.

    • Blue grain as a lawn fertilizer: chemical NPK fertiliser, which quickly produces good results (green lawn), but also quickly leads to over-fertilization and thus weakens the lawn in the long term
    • Coffee grounds as lawn fertilizer: due to the low pH value, fertilizing with coffee grounds acidifies the soil and is therefore not very suitable for grass plants, and coffee grounds do not contain all the required nutrients in the correct composition
    • Ash / wood ash as lawn fertilizer: Wood ash is very suitable as a fertilizer in acidic soil, is very effective against moss and has a high proportion of various minerals and other nutrients, only use ash from untreated wood! Ash from briquettes or coal is unsuitable
    • Horn shavings as lawn fertilizer: Due to the high nitrogen content, horn shavings are very well suited as a starter fertilizer with a long-term effect for newly sown lawns. Existing areas, on the other hand, should be better fertilized with horn meal, both of which are effective against clover, but are not sufficient as the sole fertilizer

    digression

    What helps effectively against moss in the lawn?

    If moss spreads in the lawn, this can have various causes. This is often due to acidification of the soil, which you can quickly find out with the help of a simple pH test from the hardware store. Optimally, the pH should be between 5.5 and 7.5 - if the value is lower, the soil is acidic and you need to lime it. The best time to do this is fall or early spring. In addition, however, a lack of light or a heavily compacted soil also lead to increased moss growth. In these cases you should provide more light and loosen the soil, for example by scarifying, aerating and then sanding.

    About the correct application of lawn fertilizer

    So that the applied lawn fertilizer can develop its full effect, the “what” as well as the “when” and “how” are important questions.

    When to apply lawn fertilizer?

    Lawn fertilizer should not be applied when it is hot or very dry

    The best time to fertilize the lawn is in the evening, preferably before a heavy downpour. On the other hand, the most unfavorable is dry and hot weather, especially if the fertilizer is applied on dry soil. In this way, burn damage will occur with absolute certainty, which can even completely kill the plants on the affected area.

    This damage only disappears again when healthy grass grows back or when the grass is reseeded. So be sure to water fertilized areas to avoid such unpleasant surprises. The fertilizer is only dissolved by the water and flows into the root area, where it can be absorbed by the plants. This applies equally to organic or liquid fertilizers.

    How is fertilized?

    It is important that the fertilizer is evenly distributed so that the lawn stays evenly green and there are no unsightly irregularities in the form of differently colored spots and stripes or sparsely overgrown or bare spots. It is best to use a spreader for this purpose, as is also used for sowing.

    When filling in the fertilizer, make sure that the holes are closed. It also makes sense not to fill the spreader on the (future) lawn area: the fertilizer could fall through the collection device and then practically over-fertilize a spot. The required amount of fertilizer per square meter is usually specified by the manufacturer or you can calculate it yourself.

    You can achieve maximum uniformity if you fertilize the lawn twice, each time with half the amount of fertilizer. The second pass is carried out across the first to avoid unfertilized empty spaces. On the other hand, you can avoid overlapping lanes on longer routes by using optical markings.

    digression

    To keep the lawn healthy: Remove leaves in autumn

    Fallen leaves should be carefully removed, especially in autumn. Moisture and heat often create a climate under a layer of leaves that causes and promotes fungal diseases. In addition, the grasses lying under the foliage cannot “breathe” and receive too little sunlight due to the shading. The result is unsightly bald spots that have to be filled in with great effort. For this reason, you should also make sure not to cover the lawn with objects for a long time or to store them on the green area.

    frequently asked Questions

    What should you water the lawn, before or after fertilizing?

    When is the best time to water the lawn depends primarily on the lawn fertilizer used. If you apply a pure lawn fertilizer, then only sprinkle the area with water - but vigorously for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then the fertilizer can dissolve well and penetrate into the deeper soil layers. If, on the other hand, you want to use a lawn fertilizer with weed killer, the lawn area should be well moist before application. Only then will the pesticide stick to the weeds. Water the lawn again after about two to three days.

    Why shouldn't you walk on the lawn when it's freezing?

    You should not walk on the lawn during winter frost periods. The reason is this: the water in the tissues of the grasses is also frozen, so that the plants no longer yield elastically under stress. Instead they just break. This causes tissue damage, which makes it easier for various pathogens - especially fungal spores - to penetrate. In winter it is primarily snow mold that spreads rapidly. Such an infestation later leads to gaps in the turf, which have to be closed by reseeding - otherwise weeds will spread in the green area.

    Why does it make sense to sand the lawn after scarifying?

    Scarifying in spring is important to remove thatch and allow the grass to "breathe". After this, the so-called sanding is a useful addition: the holes in the ground are filled up with sand, and the material gets into deeper layers of the ground over time as a result of further processing measures and precipitation. Due to its granular structure, sand promotes aeration of the soil and thus also the water supply to the grass roots.

    I'm thinking about getting a mulching mower. Does that really make sense?

    The purchase of a mulching mower can actually make sense, because such a device takes a lot of work off your hands. Mulching mowers shred the grass clippings and leave them on the surface as organic fertilizer, where they are in turn converted into valuable humus by soil-dwelling microorganisms. In addition to the classic mulching mower, the popular robotic lawnmowers also serve the same purpose. If you want to maintain your lawn in this way, you should mow it about every three to five days - but only when the grass is dry.

    tips

    Even after heavy, long-lasting rainfall, you should not walk on the lawn or put any other strain on it. First let the water seep into the ground and allow the surface of the green area to dry off. Otherwise the grasses are literally pressed into the ground and damaged as a result. This not only makes the lawn look unattractive, but also promotes the development and spread of diseases.

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Garden design