How to Prevent Fertilizer Burn On Your Lawn

When there are problems with a lawn, it can sometimes be difficult to determine how they came about. A lawn suffering from fertilizer burn may take on an overall brown tint. Other times, burn is evidenced by brown streaks or spots. Fertilizers are salts. When these salts deposit in high concentrations on the lawn, they dry out foliage cells, turning them brown. Unlike many lawn problems, however, burn is preventable.

Things You'll Need

• Slow-release fertilizer
• Fertilizer spreader

Instructions

1. Use the amount of fertilizer recommended for your grass type. For instance, zoysia grass requires only 2 lbs. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet for the entire season, while Kentucky bluegrass thrives with more than twice that amount.

2. Avoid watering your lawn before fertilizing or fertilizing after recent rainfall.

3. Fertilize only when the daytime temperature is expected to remain below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Apply a slow-release fertilizer formula. A slower delivery process helps prevent burn.

5. Water the lawn after fertilizing, both to wash the fertilizer off the grass blades and to soak the fertilizer into the soil. Check the fertilizer label before watering to ensure that the particular fertilizer you use requires water and what amount to apply.

6. Use a fertilizer spreader to ensure even application. Load the fertilizer hopper on the sidewalk or driveway to avoid spillage landing on the lawn and burning it.

References

• West Virginia University Extension Service; Tips to Help Avoid Lawn Problems; John Baniecki; August 2000
• University of Idaho Extension: Fertilizing Lawns
• University of Minnesota Extension; Characteristics of Natural and Manufactured Fertilizers for Lawns; P.G. Johnson, et al.; 2007
• Cleveland.com; Brown Lawn in Summer a Symptom of Underlying Problems; Timothy J. Malinich; September 2010