Grasshas always played an important role in the global ecosystem . It sustains forage animals – and since thedomestication of livestockabout 10,000 yr ago , in turn sustains humans . It facilitate prevent eating away , which became particularly important in the United States follow the Dust Bowl of the 1930s [ source : Ehlke and Undersander ] . And grasses even sequester carbon dioxide ( as one part of the carbon cycle ) , farm oxygen and filter pollutants from the gentle wind .

human beings have demanded another function from grasses : ornament . After World War II , Westerners became smitten with the concept of neatly trimmed lawns . The wealth of postwar United States and Canada gave rise to the suburb . More people could give to buy their own slice of heaven – terminated with a yard . Couple this with the mid-20th C advancements in weed seeds , fertilizers and mowers , and , crony , you ’ve got a formula for lawn love [ source : Canwest ] .

In inadequate order , the audio of lawn lawn mower and the smell of grass clippings became ubiquitous piece of the suburban cultural landscape painting . And plants that formerly seemed benignant – likedandelionsand clover – were short thrust into the office of resister . It became customary to award well - manicured lawns with signs shoot a line , " Yard of the Month . "

This honour has graced your curtilage more than a few time and you ’re very proud of your lawn . But you have a dirty little mystery : You have no idea why your lawn looks as ripe as it does . You ’re clueless – it ’s all luck . Take fertiliser , for deterrent example . You circularise some on from time to fourth dimension when you think of it , but really you could n’t say whether it ’s aid or not . For all you know , fertilizing your lawn could really ache it . That ’s certainly a terrible question to pass on unreciprocated , and it ’s one you ’ve avoided asking the neighbors . You ’d be exposed as the pseudo you are , for certain . Relax , we ’re here to help . Find out on the next page whether fertilise helps or suffer your lawn .

Applying Lawn Fertilizer: Tantamount to Murdering Your Grass?

Both feed at the incorrect fourth dimension and over - fertilizing can injure your lawn and cause you plenty of heartache . Grassvarieties used for lawns at most homes can be separate into two category : fond - seasonandcool - seasongrasses . The names refer to the type of weather in which the grass has adapted to grow . Cool - season locoweed , like fescue and bluegrass , grow best when temperatures are mild , like in the early spring and fall . ardent - season grasses , like Bermuda and zoysia , do most of their growing in the oestrus of summer . It ’s when your lawn is develop its ticker out that it require fertilizer the most .

But applying fertilizer at the wrong time can wound a warm - time of year lawn . Fertilizers of all stripes – chemical substance or constitutive , gritty or swimming – are announce by a string of numbers ; for example , 22 - 3 - 14 . The numbers act the percentage of nitrogen , Lucifer and potassium present in the fertilizer by weight [ author : ace ] . So , for deterrent example , a 100 - pound bag of 22 - 3 - 14 fertilizer has 22 pounds ( 9.97 kilo ) of nitrogen , 3 pounds ( 1.36 kg ) of phosphorus and 14 Lebanese pound ( 6.35 kilogram ) of potassium in it . The eternal sleep is filler , or secondary ingredients like iron that help the crucial components spread out more equally .

Nitrogen is what harm a warm - season lawn when apply during the awry time of the twelvemonth . It ’s super plant food and promotes rapid growth – you ’ll usually see results in a few twenty-four hours after you put on it . Nitrogen promotes quicktop outgrowth , or growth ofshoots(the actual sword of grass ) . But other component part of the locoweed plant need attending too ; the P help in root growth and evolution , while atomic number 19 keeps the flora goodly and disease - resistant . When too much N is introduced to the soil , the plant sour overtime on top growing , occupy Energy Department out from beginning growth and overall plant health . This leads to weak , fragile lawns that are susceptible to pests and disease ( as well as unhappy homeowner ) .

While the libertine growth that N stimulates can be a good thing with warm - time of year eatage during the summertime month , in the fall and winter , these grass varieties go hibernating – fundamentally hibernating for the cold season . When nitrogen - based fertilizer is apply during inhuman or coolheaded temperatures , the sens will grow , whether it ’s suppose to or not . The fertilizer will wake the grass from its slumber , resulting in raw growth , which makes skunk susceptible to Robert Frost and shock [ author : LSU ] . This exposure can weaken the health of your lawn .

Even during the right meter of year , enforce fertilizer can hurt a lawn . It ’s recommend that you fertilize no more than three to four time a twelvemonth ( just three times in the summer for warm - time of year lawn and two to three in the fall , and once in the leap for cool - season grass ) . The diligence should be a calendar month apart [ source : Consumer Reports ] . While chemical fertilizers are somewhat easy to over - fertilize with , organic fertilizer incorporate much less N and do n’t pose as big a threat to your lawn if overused . If you ’re crazy about fertilizing your lawn , tryleaving your green goddess clippingsin situ , rather than bagging them . Nitrogen , atomic number 15 and K are all present in smoke clippings , and render a honest source of intellectual nourishment to have your lawn between inseminate applications [ reference : University of Minnesota ] .

For more information on horticulture and other related theme , visit the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .

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