How to Apply Lawn Fertiliser

A regular application of fertiliser to your lawn will help to provide all the essential nutrients your grass needs in order to thrive – here’s how to do it!

Your Lawn is a massive group of grass plants that are all fighting and competing to grow.

In order to be strong and healthy, each individual plant is using nutrients from within the soil that help it stay green, lush and healthy.

What is Lawn Fertiliser?

Lawn fertiliser is a mix of nutrients usually blended together which will help your lawn thrive and comes in various different forms but top level, this will either be a liquid or granule based feed.

Liquid Lawn Fertiliser

Liquid lawn fertiliser products such as Green Machine tend to be fast acting because the nutrients they provide are absorbed quickly by the grass leaves.

There is a downside though, liquid lawn feed requires more frequent applications as they don’t last as long as granular lawn feed treatments.

Liquid products also require more detailed planning and knowledge to ensure the nutrients aren’t released too quickly and the mix is correctly diluted to avoid burning the lawn.

Granular Lawn Feeds

Granular lawn feeds like our Spring Summer Lawn fertiliser contain technology that controls the release of the nutrients onto the lawn over time.

Some of the granules breakdown quickly in order to provide a quick burst of nutrients the lawn needs whilst other granules break down slowly so the feed lasts several weeks and up to 3 months!

Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium

The three basic macro nutrients the lawn needs to thrive are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

• Nitrogen provides a flush of green and encourages the plant to grow
• Phosphorus is thought to promote a healthy root system which is key to a healthy plant
• Potassium is the nutrient that can help the grass photosynthesize and the overall growth process

Garden Lawncare Guy dark green lawn fertiliser also contains magnesium and calcium which provide additional green up and support the plant cell walls.

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Types of Granular Lawn Fertiliser

As your lawn grows through the year it can need different ratios of these nutrients to get the best results

Pre Seed & Pre Turf

When growing new turf or seed we want to focus on root development

Seed Start is a high phosphorus feed for healthy root growth in seed and turf

Spring & Summer

In spring the lawn wants to grow vigorously and will benefit from additional nutrients such as calcium and magnesium to recover from damage and stress over the winter

Dark Green Lawn Spring/Summer Lawn Feed is high in nitrogen to promote new growth and green up the lawn after winter

Autumn

In autumn the lawn is also actively growing and we can focus on plant health in preparation for winter and fighting diseases from the wet weather

Dark Green Autumn Lawn Feed is a high quality autumn feed for healthy plant and improved disease resistance

How to Apply Lawn Fertiliser

The two most common methods of applying grass fertiliser are by hand or by using a broadcast spreader

If applying by hand, gloves are recommended and also following safety instructions on the label

Step 1) Cut the Lawn

Start by cutting the lawn a few days before hand

Step 2) Rake and remove debris and thatch

If required raking up any debris and thatch from the lawn surface will ensure the fertiliser can reach the soil when applied and washed in and increase it efficiency.

Step 3a) Applying Fertiliser By Hand

1. Measure the area of lawn you have in square meters. A 7m x 10m lawn would be 70m²
   
2. To be precise and help you apply the fertiliser evenly divide the lawn up into smaller sections e.g. into quarters.
   
   You can do this by eye or by using string
   As you become more familiar with using the product you may choose not to use divide the area up or divide the area into larger sections e.g. in half not quarters
   
3. Check the label for the application rate and work out how much product you need
   Example: A 70m² lawn at 35g/m² would need around 2450g or approximately 2.5kg of product
   
4. Weigh out the amount of product you need and split it evenly between the sections you divided your lawn into
   Example : If you split your 70m² lawn into quarters split the 2.5kg of product into 4 even amounts, one for each section
   
5. Evenly spread the product across each lawn section.
   TIP: If you are unsure spread the product lightly across each section doing two passes one in each direction for even application.
   

Step 3b) Applying Fertiliser with a spreader

1. Measure the area of lawn you have in square meters. A 7m x 10m lawn would be 70m²
   
2. Check the label for the application rate and work out how much product you need
   Example: A 70m² lawn at 35g/m² would need around 2450g or approximately 2.5kg of product
   
3. Check your spreader manual for the correct setting
   Example: Scotts rotary setting 26-27
   Example: Scotts drop spreader 5-6
   
4. Weigh out the product required into your spreader
   
5. Walk at an even pace to apply the product onto the lawn
   
   TIP: If you don’t use the spreader very often it’s recommended to half the application rate and do two passes
   One pass left to right and one pass up and down.
   Doing a pass in each direction at half rate will help you get an even coverage

Step 4) Water the product in

Ideally time your fertiliser application before rainfall.

If there is no rainfall within 24-48hours thoroughly water in the product to activate it!