fertilisers

Once you have your new turf growing nicely it is very important to feed and care for the lawn so you can enjoy a lush green outdoor carpet!

During the New Zealand summer many of us are faced with water restrictions which means that sometimes our lovely lawn has to 'do it tough', however if you feed your lawn in the spring, it will have a better survival rate over the dry summer period, so it will look greener and be more resilient to pests, disease and weeds.

When it comes to fertilising your lawn, you need to ensure you select a fertiliser designed for lawns and not garden plants. Of course, if you have visited your local garden shop lately, you'll see that the choice of lawn fertilisers can be rather overwhelming. What is what when it comes to choosing an appropriate lawn food?

There are many respected brands that produce a range of lawn fertilisers to all stages of turf lawn development; from lawn starter (for developing new lawns from seed or turf) to premium lawn feeds for thick, strong turf lawns.

Your first decision is deciding what type of fertiliser you prefer. Do you want to go organic, dry, liquid or chemical.

Organic lawn fertilisers aren't just about purchasing natural 'Blood & Bone', there are now many top name brands that produce organic lawn foods, including Yates. 'Blood and Bone' are natural products derived from ingredients such as seaweed, rock minerals, animal manure and fish. Blood and Bone is good because it slowly feeds the grass over a period of months.

Chemical fertilisers cover a wide variety of lawn foods, including synthetic granularfertilisers which contain a mix of major and trace elements designed to green up your grass in record time, while combination fertilisers are organic and synthetic fertiliser ingredients combined into one product.

If you are looking for a quick 'pick-me-up' for your lawn, then you may want to try a liquid hose-on fertiliser. These are the most fast acting of all fertilisers, however they don't offer long term soil nutrition.

It is recommended that you apply a fertiliser higher in nitrogen in spring, while during autumn you should consider a lawn feed that is higher in potassium to help your lawn 'tough it out' over winter.

Of course there is more to lawn fertilising then just throwing some powder around here and there! For the best results you need to apply your lawn product in the correct manner.

Therefore, if your soil is compacted you will need to aerate the ground to ensure the fertiliser can penetrate the soil well. You will also need to remove any pesky weeds as you don't want to be fertilising these and encouraging growth!

When you are spreading your fertiliser try and have a pre-planned route around your lawn to eliminate any double up on fertiliser as this may burn the grass. The easiest way is to set up a string line or lay out the garden hose in a line to guide you around the lawn. Apply half the fertiliser in horizontal rows and the other half in vertical rows.

If you are planning on using an organic fertiliser you may want to ensure you aren't having an outdoor party shortly as this type of lawn food can often be quite smelly!

Make sure you follow the watering instructions with your selected fertiliser, as many suggest you spread when the soil is wet (after a good rainfall), however some suggest you water after!

Whatever choice of fertiliser you choose, we always recommend you obtain professional advice and always follow the recommended guidelines.

Website editor - Rachael de Hek