Fertilizing
For fertilizing an establishing lawn it is important that you ensure that your fertilizer has a strong balance of Nitrogen (N) to get the leaves growing, Phosphorous (P) the get roots growing strong and deep and Potassium (K) to help the lawn cope with drought and be resistant to disease. Many fertilizers are all nitrogen, like ammonia nitrate, which causes the turf to grow suddenly resulting in massive leaf growth in a short time, but does not encourage any root system. After the first mowing the growth diminishes and/or the lawn will become “scalped” in that the soil underneath appears allowing evaporation and weeds to grow. The ratio for a balanced fertilizer is 11 parts N, 4 parts P and 8 parts K. See your nursery for more information.
TIP: Apply higher nitrogen fertilizers early in spring, an organic lawn food when leaf growth is at a maximum in autumn to toughen the grass before winter use a fertilizer higher in potassium, such as a granular chemical fertilizer.
When spreading fertilizer make sure that you spread it evenly across the lawn to avoid burning grass with over spreading. The Shindaiwa spreaders can help you here again to ensure even distribution. The ideal time to fertilize is just after good rainfall as many fertilizers direct you to water before spreading, while others say to water after spreading. Check directions and try and time the watering stage with the weather.
