Lawn Fertiliser

I've fed my lawn twice this summer with...
Everris Spring and Summer Sportsmaster Grass Fertiliser 9-7-7.

It's been 8 weeks between feeds so perhaps I should have fed it every 6 weeks but I've obviously missed one.

Just wondered if I should use another 9-7-7 feed or change to an Autumn 4-12-12 for this weekend? And how many times to use the Autumn 4-12-12 please.

Thanks

 

Too late now for summer lawn feed Chris
Yes,,change to autumn feed now. Once is sufficient. I feed my lawn generously from spring through to mid August, no autumn feed but do top dress then.

 

Cool, thanks. I'll just give it a generous feed of Autumn fertiliser then. I've noticed that 10 days growth wasn't very much at all on when I cut yesterday. I guess this is evidence that growing has slowed right down now due to time of the year?

My other question is... with the shady areas.... where the moss is. If I use moss killer, it'll turn the whole area black so... how do I deal with this?

Thanks

 

Temporary only Chris so the grass should correspondingly turn green as moss turns black.
Down here grass never stops growing...or hardly. Twice a week still needed reduced to once a week or two in winter

 

I was planning on using an Autumn feed on my lawns this month . It's not that easy to find on the shelves at garden centres - must admit only tried one and Wilkos . I am passing B and Q tomorrow so will have a look there.

 

Available in Aldi too ....cheaper and just as good

 

Is the shady area just moss or a mixture of grass and moss?
Normally you would remove the moss once black which is around the 2 week mark by either a hand rake or mechanically with a scarifier.
If it's all moss you will need to seed and dress the area but note the problem will return.
Iron while it deters moss iron is more beneficial to the grass plant then for moss killing. Too much iron applications are also not great for the lawn.

Another other option is to use MO Bacter which does not turn the moss black but eats it away. It's however best done when damp and temps are high but I get very good results but it's not the cheapest option. I tend to use this where a customer has pets so they can continue to use the lawn without the worry of iron stains. It's also claimed to be slow release so works longer.

Next option is at the moment you use a straight fertiliser so it's application via granular is 6 to 8 weeks dependant on weather. There are products which are slow release which work for an extended time and vary slightly. These tend to be lower N release which is good as it's promoting a more natural growth rather than a forced growth pattern. Slow release tends to be more expensive as well.

The product you use is a fine type of granular fert so with calculations you can lower the levels as well if for example you want a slower growth due to possible environment conditions. You can't do this with weed and feeds as the adjustment alters the herbicide and iron if included.

 

Aldi never crossed my mind ! They have this at £3.99 . Which applied at 55gm / m² will feed 45 m² . The NPK is 4:2:7 (rounded up)
Evergreen Autumn feed is NPK 6:5:10 ( applied at 35gm / metre )

Chris's autumn fertiliser is higher strength and proportions. I am confused again .

 

They all tend to vary, I use this one.
Greenmaster Pro-Lite Autumn
It does help to have an iron content, in basic terms it hardens the turf up.
I use this in the spring too on a few lawns.
you could get real fussy and do a soil test and try to calculate the best possible Autumn feed but in reality most domestic lawns will respond to any Autumn feed. So many variables involved and so many fertilisers it can became silly trying to work out whats best.
I stick to the above and it's been good for my needs but again not the cheapest option out there.

 

I bought Aftercut Autumn feed from B and Q . This has an NPK of 4:5:15 with some ferrous sulphate added . So the feed is high in potassium and applied at 35gm / m². There seems to be quite a large difference between NPK values over the different feeds.

 

Let's look at P and K.
P is phosphorus and a deficiency will show as dark blue-green with a purple colouration along the leaf edges.
K is Potassium and a deficiency will show leaves droop and interveinal areas turn yellow.

too much K on a low pH area restricts root growth and can be seen as reddish to brown discolouration. To correct that Calcium is required.

That's really the basics of PK where a deficiency is seen Harry.

A single application for most domestic lawns will be fine in Autumn, it will aid the grass plant. It's when people go over the top and plough on fertilisers when trouble shows up.
Personally I like low N summer feeds that don't require a herbicide and the Autumn feed I've mentioned. If I notice a problem with a lawn then I just adjust what's needed or not needed as the case can be.

 

Just to add Harry when it comes to summer feeds look for a low N feed and try it out. You can use an Autumn based feed through the year but there are summer feeds with low N.
This way you will not get lush grass growth, decrease the soil pH levels as high N rapidly decreases the soil pH levels, better tolerance to heat and drought, better root system, less thatch , less organic matter and a few more benefits.
Common grasses like Perennial Ryegrass require 1.3 to 1.9 N per month which is a good indicator on what's required.
It's also better to the environment as leaching N is not good for the water table.

It's one of the reason why I like MO Bacter, it's low N creates a nice plant that is strong and not thin and weak like a plant fed with a high N.

 

Thanks @Liz the pot , for this pro advice ! I will try the autumn feed through next year

 

Interesting info Liz the pot. Contrary to everything I do for my lawns; high N feeds in summer and, usually, NO autumn feed. Top dressing replaces the autumn feed for me. Feel autumn feed is more hyped than practical.....I think it is unnecessary.
Lawn cut is relatively high, grass stays green over summer and it is a lovely soft durable play area too. Not sure low nitrogen feed would produce anything better for me
However, I think we do over fertilise generally. The veg patch, for example, sees generous mulches and very little fertiliser (fish blood and bone or pelleted chicken manure); less lush plants less attractive to slugs and pests.
We gardeners will never agree will we? That's what makes us interesting folks

 

Green grass does not mean good grass is a good quote I've learnt.
Lush growth produces soft growth and if you were to say do half the lawn with a low N and half with a high N you would see how one is thin compared to the other.
The secret is to just keep the grass growing at a natural rate. It's different for sports but many like tennis courts, golf and football will have a purpose built sub soil structure and they require constant looking after due to activities.
A good example of lush, thin grass is when you apply a typical weed and feed. They tend to be high and short lived so you get a quick growth and it's easily seen as thin grass. It serves it's purpose but you would get better results with a low N feed and then a herbicide spray applied after 2 to 3 weeks. The grass will still have growth but the weeds also take the N and herbicides work best when a weed is in full growth.
In the sports industry lush growth is one reason careful choice of fertilisers is chosen and that can be transferred to domestic lawns. However if you purchased a fertiliser but saw very little growth you would think it's a waste so it's also marketing which plays a part in the process.

The main idea behind an Autumn feed is that it's good for recovery from mechanical techniques such as scarifying and is good for the not so well laid lawns like you see on modern builds where turf is laid incorrectly, positioning of turf in relation to building and trees or where a colouration shows up on the turf.
The other problems which I mentioned was that applying high N or too much alters the pH level and lowers it. How often do you see moss returning after a short period after the feed. Moss likes low pH levels so too much N can produce negative effects such as an increase in moss.

What you aim for is a minimum use of fertilisers and herbicides which is better all round.

Turf is an interesting subject, you can tell I love my turf and when I formed my business it's an area missed out in my area so I decided that is what I should concentrate on. I've turned down several good paid jobs in the sports industry and prefer to be my own boss and do as I please. I've had one job today and I'm taking it easy now. I think maybe a walk with the dog is on the books