How to Use Lawn Fertilizer Responsibly?

Although applying the right lawn fertilizer is an easy way to keep your lawn looking fresh and green throughout the growing season, it is important to understand that the chemical runoff from an improperly fertilized lawn can have a very negative impact upon the local environment. Thankfully, it is not necessary to go completely organic in order to enjoy a nice green lawn. Instead, simply using a reasonable amount of lawn fertilizer in a responsible manner will provide your grass with all of the extra nutrients that it needs while minimizing the amount of excess fertilizer that makes it into the local waterways. Here is what you need to know in order to use lawn fertilizer responsibly.

The first thing to understand about using lawn fertilizer responsibly is that grass has evolved to take a considerable amount of its nutrients from Natural Resources. There are three main nutrients that are included in lawn fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Phosphorous and potassium help ensure that the grass in your lawn has healthy roots so that it can get what it needs from natural sources throughout the year. Nitrogen is the most important nutrient to most home owners due to the fact that nitrogen is responsible for the development of chlorophyll in the grass, which gives a lawn the healthy green color that so many people enjoy.

The problem that many people encounter when they are applying nitrogen to their grass is that they make the mistake of applying too much fertilizer that is high in nitrogen in the effort to get their lawn green as quickly as possible. While a heavy dose of nitrogen will make a lawn turn bright green for a few days, this overdose of nitrogen will soon burn the roots of the grass, causing the lawn to develop unsightly patches of brown. People then make the mistake of simply adding more fertilizer to their property, nearly all of which runs off and contaminates the water that local flora and fauna need in order to survive.

Instead of becoming hooked on an endless cycle of lawn fertilizer, simply leave you grass clippings in the lawn every time that you mow your yard. These clippings are high in natural, organic nitrogen that will not run off from your property and will promote healthy green grass. Under ideal conditions, synthetic lawn fertilizer should only be used once in the fall and once in the very early spring.