What You Need to Know About Lawn Fertilizer

Beautiful grass and plants. Grasshoppers provides professional fertilizing services to homes and businesses in Orlando, FL.

Beautiful grass and plants. Grasshoppers provides professional fertilizing services to homes and businesses in Orlando, FL.Want a beautiful, green, lush lawn and fewer weeds? Consider adding fertilizer to it! Just like you need nutrients and water, so does your lawn. Read more to learn how fertilizer can bring back life to your lawn.

What is Fertilizer?

Fertilizer is comprised of three nutrients:

Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is a protein in every plant. Nitrogen helps your lawn grow and provides it with that lush green color.

Phosphorous (P): Phosphorous helps seeds sprout and stimulates root growth. If you have new grass, you may want a fertilizer high in phosphorous to stimulate growth.

Potassium (K): Potassium helps grass hold its color and shape. It keeps it healthy-looking. It also helps plants to resist drought and disease.

Fertilizers are all different. You can tell how much of a nutrient is in a bag of fertilizer by a code referred to as the fertilizer grade.

For example, if it says 24-8-16, 24 is the amount of Nitrogen it has, while 8 is the amount of Phosphorous, and 16, the amount of Potassium. They are always read in that order, (NPK).

Types of Lawn Fertilizer

There are an array of options when it comes to lawn fertilizer.

  • Organic: compost, manure
  • Water-soluble: provide quick release
  • Granular: are slow-releasing, you can wait longer between applications

What is the Best Fertilizer for My Lawn?

Here in Florida, we have warm-season grasses including Bermuda, Zoysia, Bahia, Buffalo, Centipede, and St. Augustine. These types of grass go dormant in the winter. If you live further up north, Bentgrass and Kentucky Bluegrass are common. These types of grasses typically remain green year-round and will grow up until winter.

When Should You Fertilize Your Lawn?

If you live in Florida where you have warm-season grass, we recommend having your lawn fertilized in early spring when your grass begins to grow, then again in late spring, and once more in late summer. People with cool-season grass are suggested to fertilize their lawn in the spring and twice during fall.

Can You Over Fertilize Your Lawn?

As with anything else, too much of a good thing can be bad. If too much fertilizer is applied to your lawn, the salt and nitrogen levels in your soil will increase and potentially kill or grass. This is called fertilizer burn. Below are the signs of fertilizer burn.

  • Patches of dead grass
  • Browning or yellowing of grass
  • Withering of grass

A lot of factors come into play when it comes to lawn fertilizer, but choosing the right one and applying it correctly will leave you with a beautiful, thick and green lawn that will have your neighbors green with envy. That’s why it’s important to hire a landscaping company to take care of it all for you. Landscaping contractors know grass, understand the local area, and have the equipment to properly apply your fertilizer. They will also work with you to come up with a schedule so you don’t have to remember when to fertilize your lawn again.

Improve Your Commercial Image With Landscape Design

Palm trees and flowers around building. Grasshoppers talks about improving your commercial image with landscape design in Orlando FL.

Palm trees and flowers around building. Grasshoppers talks about improving your commercial image with landscape design in Orlando FL.As a business owner, you pay very close attention to detail when it comes to your brand from logos to brochures and advertising to interior decor. But what about the exterior of your business? The outside of your business, including your landscaping, is just as important. This is the first thing a potential customer sees. In this article, we’ll talk about ways the right landscaping can boost your commercial image.

Landscape Design Can Attract Customers

A great first impression starts outside of your business. If your exterior looks old and rundown, a passerby may not even give a second glance at your location. Adding a beautiful landscape design outside will not only create a more inviting atmosphere but it will also help provide potential customers, tenants or investors with a taste of your company’s values.

Beautiful Landscaping Creates a Safe and Fun Environment

With the right plants, trees, palms, and shrubs your outdoor landscaping will also promote social interaction. Your employees may want to take a break from being inside and enjoy the wonderful weather. Florida isn’t called “The Sunshine State” for nothing.

For clients or customers, they may find a bench or shady spot to lay down and read a book, sip on coffee or just relax and unwind.

Incorporating pathway lighting, natural barriers, and strategically placed bushes will help to improve security. This not only helps make the area safer, but it also aids in deterring criminals and thus lowers crime in the area.

Landscaping Sets a Final Impression

In addition to a first impression, the right landscaping can also provide customers with a final, lasting impression that will keep them returning for more of your services.

Landscaping Can Increase Your Property Value

When you add landscape design to your commercial property, you are helping it look its best. Well-Maintained landscaping has a significant price advantage to another that has no landscaping and is an added feature potential tenants are drawn to. Your increased property value can also help encourage improvement in the vicinity or neighborhood of your business.

What If I Already Have Landscaping?

Maybe you have a couple of plants and pavers outside of your property now. Landscape design like any other industry is continually changing, so it’s important to keep up with the trends and not remain stagnant. The right plants, trees, palms, and shrubs can mean the world of difference to your current landscaping.

Professionals in Commercial Landscape Design

Landscaping involves a lot more than just planting a couple of flowers and shrubs here and there. Landscaping is a well thought out design concept that incorporates science and art. Different flowers and plants require different amounts of sunlight, shade, and water. Flowers also bloom in different seasons. During the initial phases of working with a landscape design professional, they will take environment, weather, and elevation aspects into consideration as well as create an aesthetically pleasing and inviting first impression to someone walking or driving by.

We understand you already spend a great deal of time with your business and that last thing you may want to worry about is landscape maintenance and lawn care. At Grasshoppers, our designs are second to none. We’ll not only professionally design your landscaping according to your needs, but we’ll also regularly maintain it. This includes lawn care, irrigation, tree trimming, pruning, and other maintenance services. So if you’re interested in boosting your business with a new landscape design, contact us today, we’d love to help!