Soil Fertility and Fertilizers

The turf condition that Americans try to develop is not a natural system. Natural turfgrass stands are mixtures of plants including weeds. These plants are both unattractive and may not cover the soil from year to year. The density of plant population is also unnatural. We are trying to develop a turfstand with many times the normal plant population. The ideal lawn is dense and uniform in both color and texture. It is only through good nutrition of the turf plant that we enable it to outcompete the constant encroachment of weeds. The only reliable method of determining the fertilizer needs of a lawn is through a soil test to reveal the soil's native fertility. The test will pinpoint potential problems you could not be aware of. The nutrient requirement for good turfgrass growth is usually much less than the soil's total nutrient content. However, much of the nutrient supply is stored in the soil's mineral and organic matter fraction. In order for a soil nutrient to be available to the plant root, it has to be in solution. Proper soil aeration is also necessary for roots to take up the fertilizer nutrients.