Fertilizing your lawn is one of the most important things that a lot of people forget to do. Generally, about 4 times per year is enough.

Mainly done in the spring and summer. Fertilizing provides much needed nutrition to your grass. Most people eat three meals a day as opposed to your lawn which only needs 4 major meals per year. Not fertilizing at all would be like you or I not eating all day. Our bodies would go into "starvation" mode. This means that your body turns inward and saps all the nutrition that is already there. We would get tired, weak, and our immune system does not work as well. The same can be said for what happens if you don't fertilize your lawn.

There are three main nutrients that your lawn needs. These are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen gives your grass that beautiful dark green color and helps produce a thick, lush turf. Phosphorus strengthens the roots and causes proper seed formation.

Potassium (Yes, the same kind that comes from bananas. Which is why banana peel makes a great part of natural compost.) helps foster vigorous growth and helps grass resist diseases.

The three numbers on a bag of fertilizer represent the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that the bag contains. Organic fertilizer is best because not all of the nutrient is available at one time. Some nutrients are available when the fertilizer is first spread and the rest acts as a "slow-release formula" that are released with the help of warm temperature, moisture, and other naturally occuring factors.

The main problem with chemical fertilizer is that all the nutrients are released at once. The grass may not have time to absorb the nutrients before the fertilizer is leached out of the soil (ie. heavy rain, lawn traffic etc.). Chemical fertilizers can also create what I like to call the "Hollywood" effect. It contains much more of a nutrient such as nitrogen than your lawn needs. If the grass is able to absorb it all it gets very green and beautiful for a short time and then all of a sudden it's yellow again. Too much nitrogen can also cause excessive foliage growth instead of just enough to help the grass grow.

Finally, let's talk weeds. Yes, I realize it's not as fun as talking about sports or the latest great movie but I promise we're almost done. Fertilizing your lawn also helps in the prevention of weeds. Weeds unlike most grasses can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. A poorly maintained lawn is a weed paradise. They often thrive quite well in dry, highly acidic soil. Fertilizing helps the soil maintain a good balance of nutrients. This discourages weeds from growing in the first place.

However, if they do start to grow your grass should be healthy enough to choke out the weeds instead of the other way around. I look forward to helping you have a healthy, happy lawn. I hope if nothing else that you are as convinced as I am about the importance of fertilizer.