Late Spring Fertilizer PPLM’s Replenishment Treatment

Late spring fertilizer sets a fescue lawn up for its best success during the summer when homeowners are most active in their yards. A lawn that receives proper nourishment as well as appropriate levels of weed control is going to have a much better shot at being thick, green, and healthy during the part of the year that is the most dangerous for it. In April and May, PPLM applies our replenishment treatment to the lawns that we maintain as the second application in our turf management program. With similar basics compared to our recovery treatment, this application is different in subtle ways to make sure that it is most effective for the specific issues facing a fescue lawn at this point in the year.

Properly Balanced, Carbon Based Fertilizer

The fertility component of this late spring fertilizer application is in the same family of fertilizers as that used in round one, a carbon based fertilizer that is a sophisticated blend of fertilizer and organically based soil amending products. These include biochar, a porous carbon structure that acts as a great vehicle for nutrient transfer and adds immense surface area to a yard’s soil structure; sea kelp, a beneficial contributor of micronutrients as well as plant hormones that improve stress tolerance and root development in the lawn; and humic acid, an organic compound that increases soil surface area, improves the movement of water, air, and nutrients through the soil, and promotes root development.

On top of these invaluable contributors to total plant health and soil development, this application still has a traditional fertilizer component within the “NPK” model. NPK is the three part number sequence attributed to fertilizer that shows the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizer. Nitrogen is what makes the lawn grow and turn green. Phosphorus supports root development. Potassium, often overlooked, supports the whole health of the plant through metabolic functions, cell wall development, and more. Because we are focused on building the lawn’s health before the end of the spring, this application of spring fertilizer gives greater weight to a healthy dose of potassium for the plant and to remain in the soil. Improving the lawn’s health and resilience now through all of these fertilizer components will make it more resistant to disease and heat stress, two common issues that it may face from May to September.

Another component to this application is the inclusion of a low rate of liquid iron. Soluble Iron that can be absorbed by the plant is a great way to quickly improve the rich green color of a fescue lawn. Iron takes effect quickly, but it also wears off quickly. However, the nitrogen also being applied begins to work its own green magic around the same time that the iron leaves the stage, provide a seamless transition of healthy color. Another benefit to iron for a lawn is the regulation it provides of the turf’s growth rate. Too much reliance on heavy nitrogen applications results in a lawn that grows too quickly and has poor cell wall structure, making it highly susceptible to disease and other problems. Utilizing iron to regulate growth and provide a different source of color reduces the risk of that kind of issue this time of year.

Keeping a Firm Thumb on Weeds

As with the first application of the spring, this replenishment treatment includes pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control to build on the progress already started earlier in the season where weeds are concerned. The pre-emergent herbicide is the second half of the year’s preventive weed treatment, building on the most recent application to create a barrier that will greatly reduce the occurence of crabgrass and some broad leaf weeds come summer. The post-emergent herbicide works to further address any standard weeds that are still remaining in the lawn after the first treatment or that have broken through in recent weeks. Weed control is not a perfect science, but the spring weed control being applied here is very effective in establishing a uniform lawn.

Keep in mind, it is not too late to get signed up for round two of PPLM’s fertilizer and weed control program for this year! Be sure to contact our office to learn more about this late spring fertilizer treatment and to get on the schedule for service.