ANSWERS: 1
  • Overfertilizing a lawn can occur for a number of reasons. Simply misreading label instructions on the fertilizer bag is the most common. The proper ways to deal with the situation are also numerous, depending on the circumstances and the season of the year.

    Effects of Overfertilizing

    Most lawn fertilizers contain nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Follow label directions to determine the proper rate of application. In the spring, the grass is growing rapidly, using stored energy from the previous year. If the grass is overfertilized at this time, especially with nitrogen, the plants will expend excess energy on the spring leaf growth, leaving the plant no energy reserves for the summer. Symptoms of this type of overfertilization would be a general decline in the lawn as the summer progresses. The grass will likely survive but not provide a lush turf during the summer. Extra watering will help the grass survive. Overfertilization during the summer months, especially in hot weather climates, can cause the grass to die. The fertilizer spurs growth at a time the plant is stressed by summer heat. Water the lawn to wash some of the fertilizer deeper into the soil below the grass root zone. If the grass dies, the lawn may need to be dug up and either reseeded or new sod put down. Fertilization in the fall puts the plant nutrients in the ground at the time the grass is absorbing nutrients for storage through the winter. Lawns overfertilized at this time may not show any effects. Most homeowners apply fertilizer using a drop spreader. In some cases, if they malfunction or the operator makes a mistake, some passes of the spreader may result in overfertilizing, which leads to a striped appearance to the lawn. Avoid this by applying the fertilizer at half the recommended rate and cover the lawn twice, working in a different direction each time. Overfertilizing can cause problems beyond the homeowner's lawn. If fertilizer washes into streams, it can increase the growth of algae. These blooms of algae throw off the balance within the body of water and can be detrimental to the ecosystem.

    Source:

    University of Idaho

    Fertilizer and the Environment

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