Nutrition
Good fertilisation is necessary for perfect grass cover. People cannot live without nutrition, and neither can plants. A fertilisation plan is based on a soil analysis and the specific needs of the turf grass. Remember that various elements are washed away during the year or are consumed by the grass.
The kind and amount of fertilisation depends on different aspects: grass species and cultivars (the mixture), purpose of the turf (golf, landscape, football, rugby, …), soil texture, organic matter content (%).
When overseeding, it is more beneficial to the emerging new seedlings to apply fertiliser after germination rather than applying a pre-seed fertiliser. This may help to reduce the competition from the existing plants in the sod (especially undesirable grasses) and will assist establishment.
Guidelines for turf nutrition
The table below shows the % of the total N P K, to be applied to the different species during the year in the specific climate zone for top quality of lawn (approximately -g/sqm-: N =15; P = 5; K = 15) The total applications is split in three four applications due to the use of CRF (Control release fertilisers) or SRF (Slow release fertilisers) or OF (organic fertilisers with high N content) If ready-soluble fertilisers are used, the application of N has to be split in 5-6 applications.
| Sportmixtures with Lp and Pp | |||
| N | P | K | |
| February | |||
| March | |||
| April | 30 | 50 | 20 |
| May | |||
| June | 30 | 30 | |
| July | |||
| August | 20 | ||
| September | |||
| October | 20 | 50 | 50 |
| November | |||
| 100 | 100 | 100 | |