You likely have an interest in keeping your property looking its best. Whether you’re a homeowner or business owner, you want the exterior areas to appeal to visitors and reflect your personal taste and style. At Ware Landscaping, we have been helping customers maintain their commercial and residential properties since 2000. Our team of landscaping specialists plays an integral role in every part of the process, from creating the perfect design to keeping every part of the property in tip-top condition.
Ware Landscaping knows the importance of adding curb appeal and increasing the value of your home or business. Fertilizer application is more than just growing beautiful grass, plants, and flowers. It’s about determining the best plan and maintaining the right schedule to keep your property looking lush and beautiful all year long. To find out more about the services we offer and how we can best serve your needs, call us at (630) 885-6370 for a free quote.
What Needs To Be Fertilized?
Fertilizer application is necessary to grow flowers and plants in gardens and crops on large farms.
You should routinely fertilize your:
- Plants
- Flowers
- Grass
- Shrubs
- Crops
- Trees
There’s a range of different fertilizers, each serving its own unique purpose. They can help lawns and plants grow and thrive while fighting off weeds and other common problems. The chemical ingredients are meant to enhance the soil’s fertility and replenish the basic nutrients plants need to flourish. These nutrients are:
- Phosphorous
- Potassium
- Nitrogen
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Sulfur
You must stick to a specific schedule when fertilizing your lawn, flowers, or plants. They each require different types of nutrients and various types of fertilizer. An expert specializing in this type of service will know the number of times a year for each application and the best time of year for it to go to good use. For example, most lawns need fertilizer in early spring, with additional applications in early fall. Annuals require fertilizer several times during a season when they’re growing.
Determining NPK Values In Plants
Plants need three primary nutrients to grow and remain healthy: phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. All fertilizer packaging contains an NPK value, representing the percentage by volume of each nutrient in the fertilizer. It’s important to determine the optimal ratio of each nutrient your soil will need. A simple test you perform yourself can confirm this.
Equal amounts – If the test results show that nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are present in the soil in equal parts, you will need a fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 1:1:1. It’s recommended that you choose an NPK value of at least 3-3-3- but the 1:1:1 ratio is available in multiple values, such as 5-5-5 or 10-10-10.
Too much or too little – If the soil contains one or more of the primary nutrients in an amount that’s too high or too low, you will need a fertilizer with a specialized ratio. For example, soil with too much nitrogen and not enough potassium and phosphorus means you should choose an NPK ratio of 3-1-2, meaning fertilizer with an NPK value of 24-8-16 should suffice. You might also need a specialized fertilizer if a particular plant needs a lower or higher amount of any one nutrient.
Types of Fertilizers
Once you determine the NPK ratio necessary for your soil, you’ll need to choose the right type of fertilizer to use. The different types of fertilizer available to choose from are:
Organic fertilizers – The remains from minerals, animals, or plants come as pellets or in raw forms. They are environmentally-friendly, meaning they contain naturally-occurring nutrients in lower concentrations than synthetic options. They prevent the fertilizer from building up and killing the plants. They have a high manurial effect and provide balanced nutrients necessary for lawns and plants to grow. Organic fertilizers are also water-insoluble, which means irrigation won’t dissolve them.
Synthetic fertilizers – Chemically processed compounds, such as urea or ammonium nitrate, formulated for synthetic fertilizers. They provide primary nutrients without adding microorganisms to the soil, keeping its water retention and structure as is. This is a more cost-effective option than organic options and works to improve plant and grass health more efficiently. Applying too much can cause microorganism destruction in the soil, run-off into water sources, or fertilizer burn, so it’s crucial to ensure that an expert determines the proper amount and how often application should occur.
Liquid fertilizers – Include dry powder and liquid concentrates, releasing nutrients into the soil quickly. They are water-soluble so diluting them in water is necessary before applying with a watering pot or hose-end sprayer. Within a few days, you could see a significant improvement in the health of your plants, but this type of fertilizer requires frequent application to maintain the nutrients.
Quick-release granular fertilizers – Made up of solid, small, water-soluble granules spread over the soil and mixed into the topsoil before watering to release the nutrients. The soil can maintain the nutrients it needs for up to four weeks, so application isn’t required as frequently as liquid fertilizers. Lawns and gardens can benefit most from this type of fertilizer, with improvement typically becoming apparent in about a week.
Slow and controlled-release granular fertilizers – Water-insoluble granules coated or uncoated with semi-permeable materials spread over the soil’s surface and covered with compost or soil. This type of fertilizer decomposes and releases the nutrients it contains into the soil over a two to nine-month period. It can improve the look of lawns and gardens around two weeks after application. Since it’s a slow-release option, you don’t risk killing your plants. It’s also low-maintenance, so you’ll only need to apply it once or twice each growing season.
Contact Ware Landscaping Today
At Ware Landscaping, our team has over two decades of experience providing dependable and affordable services to our clients. We know your property can benefit greatly from routine fertilizer application. When you meet with us, we will determine how often we should fertilize your flowers, lawn, plants, or shrubs and maintain a consistent schedule, so they stay healthy and strong. Leave the hard work to us while you reap the rewards of a pristine property with fertilized grounds that add value and create an inviting space to enjoy.
If you want to discuss your fertilizer needs with us, call (630) 885-6370 for your free quote or fill out our online contact form.
