May 22, 2008
Fertilizing Turf
I will be honest with you. Turf is not my thing. I grew up on a farm. Our lawn was a modest patch of centipede because my dad didn’t have time in the summer to worry about fertilizing and mowing grass when there were hayfields to manage.
Now as an adult, turf exists to connect flower beds and to give my daughter and the dogs a place to play. We have never had a regular fertilization schedule for our Zoysia lawn that is almost as old as our 48-year-old house.
But the combination of last year’s drought, an active daughter and three active dogs has done a number on our turf particularly the backyard. Zoysia just doesn’t handle traffic and wear the way some turfs do. There are bare patches, and the grass just doesn’t look good. Plus, the weeds seem to be taking advantage of the thinning turf.
Now—I’m thinking that we really need to get on a good fertilization schedule.
Why? Well, one of the best ways to avoid weeds in your turf is to ensure you have a dense healthy stand. Weeds cannot seem to get a foothold in healthy dense turf. Fertilizers are an important element in maintaining turf density. Turf that is getting inadequate amounts of nitrogen becomes open and vulnerable to weeds.
First thing to do is get a soil test and find out where we stand in terms of overall nutrients. After that, we will need to buy the right fertilizer and get it applied.
For more information about fertilizing your turf, check out the Home Lawn Maintenance publication from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System as well as Selecting Turfgrasses for Home Lawns
With any luck, we can have a dense green lawn like this before the end of the year.