Urea Vs DP what to fertilize Lawn with in Late Winter

[Farhan Ahmed]

You are missing the point.......I am not saying that we should feed these fertilizers. Point is phosphorous is lesser in importance i.e why its absent/low in these acclaimed fertilizers, which governs that Urea/Nitrogen is basic need of grass.

Nitrogen is related to green foliage and grass is a basically foliage plant(grown for). Nitrogen is direct food for it, whereas phosphorous aids indirectly by improving root development and photosynthesis,etc......so to say Phosphorous is basically for soil improvement in turn plant, Nitrogen direct for plant, it is consumed within hours/a day when provided as Urea.

"Lawns Don't Need Phosphorus With the exception of newly seeded lawns, established lawns rarely need phosphorus to grow. While it's an essential nutrient, it's not a limiting factor to growth and it is typically replenished naturally, particularly if lawn clippings are left to decompose after mowing".....

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Yes the phosphorus is banned in many countries and in some states of US because of its creates pollution.now thats another issue.the fertilizer companies have no choice but to stop it in the market.many of my friends on About.com have discussions on this issue.what is they worrying about is the rose feed.now they are going towards organics like bone meal.but we can not deny the importance of P.Its application once a year is good for strong root system.its available here & we can easily use it.i think we need strong root system for strong & healthy plants.Faroq sb you are very right the main issue is its make pollution in the soil.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

[M Farooq]

The absence of phosphorous in lawn fertilizer and the recommendation to use phosphorous while making new lawns (only once) is mainly a legal issue. It is not a matter of good or bad feeding habit. For example according to the New York law " law prohibits the use of fertilizers that contain phosphorus on lawns except when a new lawn is being established or a soil test has indicated a need for additional phosphorus."

Farhan is right by asking why apply additional phosphates when there is NO need to. As I had said earlier, P is essential element and of course benefical but when there is enough there is no need to add more. There is enough P in the soil and the root system of grasses is pretty shallow, most of the added fertilizer material will go to the waste, eventually contaminating the underground water table. Nitrogen fertilizers are recommended because nitrogen is eventually recycled back into the air and is mostly harmless.

Umar sb when you add pictures, please a little bit of explanation so that we understand the context. Your lawn is indeed quite healthy :-)

[Farhan Ahmed]

@Umar Sb.......Beautiful Lawn. Perfectly leveled turf.

[Munir]

So..............???. now waiting for answers to the users' practical questions ie, what/which, when,how much & how ?

@ Umar, what is your routine of feeding this beautiful lawn ?

[Farhan Ahmed]

My Opinion
If your grass shows phosphorous deficiency as below you can apply P based fertilizer like DP or SSP.
Otherwise Urea/Nitrogen is enough.


Pre-Spring fertilization of grass aims to quickly revive turf from dormancy of winter. Grass benefits from light fertilization of Urea throughout active growing season which is till fall. Phosphorous based fertilizer is good for fall application as it harden offs the grass for winter.

Traditionally, Granule fertilizer is applied to grass in form of light sprinkling/chatta, followed by watering. I have observed that grass is not bothered even if you go little overboard once applying Urea, however you must provide at least 1 inch water after fertilization. Aim of sprinkling is even application and no accumulation of Fertilizer at one place.

Grass require 1 inch water, on weekly basis or will start to go dormant/yellow. Mow regularly even if its showing irregular growth. It strengthens the root system and grass gets thicker.

[jdashraf]

@Umar Sb beautiful and well laid out lawn. Congrats n keep it up. Are these pictures current? which type of grass is this, Korean?

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Yes Farhan N is most important.it stimulates green foliage.it runs out very fast from the soil,evaporates into the air & some is consumed by the plants.yes this point is very clear & grass needs N every month.in active growth season i use to feed 2 times a month.P & K only one time in the whole year that is autumn.N is of course the most important you are very right brother.Farhan too much use of DAP is not good.its making our soil arid slowly.you know what i mean.our farmers are using it too much,which is making the soil too much Alkaline.

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

Javed brother this is Bermuda grass.i have Korean also but personally i like Bermuda.Bermuda is very sensitive to cold so its hay color these days,actually it goes dormant in cold temperatures.