PPDL Picture of the Week
June 12, 2017
Fertilizer Application, Don't Get Burned!
John Orick, Purdue Master Gardener State Coordinator, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
A healthy lawn requires supplemental
nutrients delivered through fertilizer applications to maintain growth. Applying
fertilizer evenly and at the appropriate rate is critical for an effective
application. The photo in this article shows turf that has been damaged by a
fertilizer spill. Mineral fertilizers are salt based products. When a mineral fertilizer
is spilled on turf, it causes “burning” of the plants because the high salt
concentration draws water out of plant cells causing them to die. Likely, the
only way to repair the damage depicted in this photo is to reseed or sod the
area. But, there are effective ways to prevent this damage and mitigate a
fertilizer spill on turf.
Here are some important tips:
Become familiar with how to operate
your fertilizer spreader. When using a spreader to make a fertilizer application,
begin walking before you engage the lever to release the product for
distribution. Consider a short “practice run” with your spreader before filling
the hopper with fertilizer to become more familiar with how the spreader
operates, your walking speed, and the terrain.
Select the proper setting for the
fertilizer product and recommended rate of nitrogen for the application. The
fertilizer label and/or your spreader operator manual may be helpful in determining
the appropriate setting for your spreader model. Be sure to always read the
fertilizer label!
If fertilizer is spilled on turf or
some other surface. Use a shop vacuum or some other method to pick up as much
fertilizer as possible. If spilled on turf, flush the area with water after
vacuuming to dilute the remaining product. Watch the area to see if the spill
damages the turf. Fertilizer removed from the area can be returned to the
original bag or the spreader hopper for application to the lawn at a later
time.
For more information on proper lawn
fertilization, seeding, and other lawn care practices, visit www.turf.purdue.edu.
Resources:
Fertilizing Established Cool-season
Lawns: Maximizing Turf Health with Environmentally Responsible Programs
(AY-22-W), https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-22-W.pdf
Purdue
Turf Fertilizer Calculator
https://turf.purdue.edu/fertilizerCalculator/index.html
Establishing Turfgrass Areas from
Seed (AY-3-W) https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-3-W.pdf
Establishing a Lawn from Sod
(AY-28-W) https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-28-W.pdf