Controlled-Release Lawn Fertilizers

Why they're a better choice for a healthy lawn, year-round.

Do you know the difference between an outstanding lawn fertilizer, a merely good one, and one that will offer only marginal benefits to your lawn? You should - because price isn't always a reliable guide ... and whatever your budget, you want to make sure you're getting top value for your dollars.

Make no mistake, the quality of the lawn fertilizer you choose, and the strength of your lawn feeding program, is just about the most important decision you can make concerning the quality of your lawn. A lawn that is fed right will be thicker, lusher, and much more able to fight off the stress of insect and weed competition, adverse environmental conditions and wear.

Let's look at life from a lawn's point of view. Like humans, a lawn has some essential needs that must be met in order for it to be able to survive, and thrive. These include; A healthy growing environment, Protection from harmful elements, Water, light and food.

For a lawn, a healthy growing environment includes a good bed of quality topsoil. If your soil is compacted, or poorly drained, too sandy or otherwise inhospitable, you will not be able to grow a lush lawn despite you best efforts. A lawn also needs to be protected from harmful elements: Weeds, insects, or conditions that might cause stress or promote disease will definitely prevent a lawn from reaching its full potential. They may even destroy it.

Water and light are critical ... there must be enough of each, but not too much. And it's the same with food. Too little fertilizer, and the lawn will go hungry. Its growth will be stunted. And too much food, as with humans, can be bad for turf. It can burn or, in extreme cases, kill grass.

So how do you decide which fertilizer is right for your lawn? Well, make sure it's one with enough nutrition. All green plants need higher levels of nitrogen for healthy growth. On a bag of lawn fertilizer, it's represented by the first of three numbers. (for example, 24-4-8 means 24% Nitrogen, 4% Phosphorus and 8% Potassium. While Nitrogen is the element that promotes green growth, Phosphorus encourages strong root growth, and Potassium strengthens the plant overall and helps it resist stress.)

A bag of 7-7-7 general purpose fertilizer, or even a 10-6-4 lawn fertilizer contains hardly enough nitrogen for adequate feeding. There's a reason why these formulations are usually economy-priced. They contain low nutrient levels, usually lower quality ingredients, and a lot of filler.

Higher levels of nitrogen are not a guarantee of quality either. If they are not in a "controlled-release" form, they can release nitrogen too fast, especially in wet weather, burning the plants. Most last only 6 to 8 weeks at best.

The answer: controlled-release nitrogen such as IBDU^® or Polyon^® from Vigoro. It releases nitrogen in very precise amounts, regardless of weather conditions being hot or cold, wet or dry. So there is virtually no risk of burning the lawn ... yet these feedings can last up to 10 or 12 weeks. That means a lawn with lush, even growth, with fewer applications. And with better fertilizers that contain controlled-release nitrogen, you're not paying for excess filler.

Most top-quality fertilizer lines offer a full range of formulations, too. So you can choose to control harmful elements like weeds or insects while you feed the lawn.

Ask your lawn & garden dealer to recommend a lawn feeding program that's right for your environment. You'll see a difference in a thicker, healthier lawn this season.