Texas Fertilizer Basics
This article is part of a series on Central Texas lawn care. The hub page contains articles on watering, mowing and more.
Texas Fertilizer Basics
The Analysis:
All fertilizers are labeled with three numbers that represent the percentage, by weight, of the three major nutrients used to stimulate plant growth: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K).
This ratio, the ‘analysis’ of the fertilizer, represents the percentages of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium contained in the fertilizer.
Bermuda Grass by WWWorks
How much fertilizer?
For the most common lawn grasses in Texas, here’s how much fertilizer your lawn needs:
- St. Augustine: 4-5 pounds of Nitrogen, per thousand square feet, per year
- Bermuda: 4-5 pounds of Nitrogen, per thousand square feet, per year
- Zoysia: 3-4 pounds of Nitrogen, per thousand square feet, per year
For a table with more grass types, see the AggieTurf page on fertilizers
Knowing the Nitrogen is the first percentage listed with a fertilizers ‘analysis,’ you can calculate the pounds of Nitrogen in a given fertilizer. Multiply the amount of Nitrogen (as a percentage) by the weight of the bag: a 40 pound bag with 10% Nitrogen would have 4 pounds of Nitrogen in it; (0.1 x 40 = 4)
When to Fertilize
Fertilize your yard shortly after green-up in the spring. This will usually occur in late February or early March, but be sure not to apply the first years fertilizer prior to your grass greening up. Most fertilizers will also be most effective followed by watering within 24 hours, so know Austin’s water use restrictions so that you can stay within the restrictions but still get the most out of your fertilizer. Fertilizing prior to a rainstorm is a good way to use nature to help further keep your lawn healthy.
Applying Fertilizer
You should apply the fertilizer with some regularity. Applying just once or twice per year may mean that you give your grass more Nitrogen than they are capable of absorbing at one time. Spreading out the amount of Nitrogen application 4-5 times through the year will help to keep your grass looking healthy year-round. So if your grass needs 4-5 pounds of fertilizer and you’ve got a 40 pound bag with 10% Nitrogen, you can spread it out 4 times a year.
Proper fertilizing improves your homes marketability. Photo by Gregs Landscaping
Summer Fertilizers
Use slow release fertilizer during the summer months. Slow release fertilizers are usually in the ratio of 3-1-2 (so 15-5-10 would be a good ratio) but use a less-soluble coating to lengthen the decomposition process. Check the time on your slow release fertilizers and make sure that you don’t overlap. Buying a 9-month slow release fertilizer and applying it 4 times a year would be a bit redundant, as the previous application of fertilizer would not have had time to fully release its nutrients before another fertilizer layer was laid on top of it.
Winter Fertilizers
Around October or November, apply a winterizing fertilizer to hardy up your plants for the winter. These will usually contain a higher percentage of Phosphorus and Potassium than summer fertilizers. Ratios vary though, so make sure the bag is labeled as a winterizing fertilizer and that it’s designed for southern climates.
Thatch
Thatch accumulates when dead plant parts are created faster than microorganisms can consume then. Thatch should be removed before fertilization so that the nutrients will reach the soil and not get caught in the layers of thatch.
Hopefully this article helped explain some basics of fertilizers in Texas to you. For more detailed discussions of fertilizers in Texas, we’ve found the following websites to have plenty of useful information:
Home Lawns at AggieTurf
Lawn Care at RealGreenLawns.com
Image Attribution: Grass image by WWWorks, home image by Gregs Lanscaping.
