What Fertilisers Can Do For Your Lawn

If you are new to fertilisers or are just looking for the right one to use on your lawn it can sometimes be quite difficult to know which is the best to use. Each fertiliser comes with an analysis of nutrients, referred to as the N:P:K ratio, which allows you to see what is included in the fertiliser and also help to gain an idea as to what you need. 

What are N:P:K ratios

N:P:K stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, each being important elements within a fertiliser. The numbers that are displayed in this ratio reflect the percentage of these elements that are present within the fertiliser. A great example of this would be the A1 Lawn Ultimate Spring Summer Lawn Fertiliser that has an N:P:K ratio of 10:4:4. This means that this fertiliser contains 10% Nitrogen, 4% Phosphorus and 4% Potassium.

What does each nutrient do to help my lawn

Each individual nutrient has a different role to play with helping your turf. Here is a run down as to what some of the main nutrients can do:

• Nitrogen (N) - This is considered to be the most important nutrient as most plants will use more nitrogen than any other nutrient. Nitrogen is essential to create the proteins that are required to help the plants grow. High doses of nitrogen will encourage soft, lush growth which can result in plants becoming prone to disease, pest and frost damage. Fertilisers with a high nitrogen percentage should be avoided during autumn and winter for this reason.
• Phosphorus (P) - This nutrient promotes plant root development which enables plants to establish quicker and become more stress tolerant. Having a stronger root system will help the plant survive during periods of drought.
  
• Potassium (K) -  Potassium, also referred to as Potash, helps plants to fight disease as well as being important for water regulation. Classic symptoms of potassium deficiency is stunted leaf growth and being overly sensitive to drought conditions. 
  

As well as the three main nutrients, many fertilisers contain other nutrients that have a great effect on lawns. Here are some of the common nutrients that you are likely to see and what they do:

• Sulphur (S) - Vital to the metabolisation of Nitrogen - without this, plants are not able to use nitrogen efficiently
• Calcium (Ca) - Important within roots and shoots and is also used in the production of cell walls
  
• Manganese - Essential for photosynthesis
  
• Magnesium (Mg) - A prominent ingredient in chlorophyll, the driver of photosynthesis. Another feature of magnesium is making leaves a darker green.
  
• Iron (Fe) - Another nutrient used in chlorophyll production. Usually there are high enough quantities of iron in the soil however it is often added for controlling moss within turf
  

How to know what fertiliser to use

From knowing what certain nutrients can do it can help you decide what fertiliser would be best for your situation. The main thing to remember is to avoid high nitrogen in the cooler months and use products such as our A1 Lawn Ultimate Autumn Winter Lawn Fertiliser. When the weather starts to warm up in the spring fertilisers such as the A1 Lawn Ultimate Spring Summer Lawn Fertiliser and A1 Lawn Weed, Feed and Moss Killer.