All plants need nutrients for growth. They must obtain these nutrients from the soil or other medium in which they are growing. Supplemental nutrients can also be provided by applying fertilizers in the form of composted organic material, packaged fertilizer or a specific mineral such as iron.
Plants have varying nutrient needs, depending on the species, age of the plant and its location. It’s not always necessary to fertilize your plants or lawns, but if you chose to fertilize, it’s important that you do so properly. Too much fertilizer can weaken a plant, promote disease and invite pests.
Most fertilizers available are blends of several elements mixed together to achieve a specific formulation of plant materials.
### Fertilizing the lawn
A properly maintain lawn filters stormwater runoff, reduces air temperatures and is aesthetically pleasing to view. Grass that receives appropriate levels of fertilizer – not too little and not too much – will be healthier and stronger and so will be able to fight off weeds, insects and diseases.
On the other hand, fertilizing incorrectly can aggravate pest problems, stimulate excessive growth and require frequent watering. Further, when too much nitrogen fertilizer is used on lawns, it can leach through the ground, past the root zones of grass and enter the water table below.
### How much fertilizer should I apply to a lawn?
No matter what kind of grass you have or where in the province you live, you should not apply more fertilizer that the rate listed on the label. How much fertilizer that translates to depends on the percentage of nitrogen in your fertilizer and the size of your landscape. Most commercial applicators will use a rotary spinner spreader (with side shields). These are best used where lawns are surrounded by other plant materials that can trap and use the fertilizer. When calculating the calibration rate, the operator must set the “opening” based on walking speed and application rate of the fertilizer.
Click on the picture above for a representation of how the operator should walk to ensure adequate coverage.
Let’s ensure that we have a lawn that is healthy and well established in 2015!
### Want to see what a healthy lawn looks like? [Check out our maintenance photo gallery!](https://gelderman.com/commercial/maintenance)
