Gorgeous lawns don’t just happen by chance.
Your lawn requires some tender loving care in the form of nourishment or fertilizer. Lawns that don’t receive any fertilizer have to rely solely on what’s available in your soil for nourishment, and many times soil nutrition is inadequate or diminishing in suburban Maryland neighborhoods.
You want a lush, thick, thriving lawn, so fertilization is what you need. Watch this video about fertilizing.
You might not understand everything involved with fertilization or even how it contributes to that green lawn you’re seeking. In fact, we bet there are some fertilization benefits you aren’t aware exist.
To help you better understand your lawn’s needs, let’s discuss some things you may not know regarding fertilizing lawns in Maryland.
5 Surprising Facts About Maryland Lawn Care & Fertilization
Your lawn needs the proper nutrients to provide that thick stand that you want to sink your bare feet into. 
A dense lawn also defends itself against weeds and drought. A stronger lawn can better resist common troubles. An annual fertilization program can provide your lawn with the nutrients it needs.
Here are the 5 reasons properly fertilizing your lawn in Maryland is so important.
1. A Soil Test & Proper pH Are Essential to Fertilization
If a lawn care professional shows up to your property and fertilizes your lawn without first conducting a soil test, that fertilizer could be going nowhere. 
A proper pH is critical to a lawn being able to absorb fertilizer properly. If your pH is too low, your lawn won't take up fertilizer, so it’s being wasted. You can raise the soil pH with lime, but you have to know the proper amount of lime to add so you don’t raise it too high. A lawn with a high pH also can’t utilize fertilizer.
A soil test reveals your soil’s current pH so we can get it to the right levels in order to maximize the benefits of fertilizing lawns in Maryland.
2. Fall Fertilization is Just as Important as Spring Fertilization
While you mostly think about your lawn in spring and summer, you can’t neglect fall. 
Fertilizing grass in Maryland is important all year long. Springtime fertilization gives your lawn that top growth it needs to fill in thick and green. But fertilizing in the fall provides your lawn with nutrients to the roots so it can build a strong base and enable that spring growth.
3. You Don’t Need Too Much Fertilizer
Many times, you’ll see homeowners who do their own fertilization put extra on their lawns because they believe “more is better.”
With fertilizer, you only need a certain amount based on your lawn’s specific needs. 
When we fertilize your lawn, for instance, we do a soil test and find out what your lawn is missing and then we spoon-feed your lawn, adjusting applications for environmental and seasonal times of year.
4. Fertilization Makes Your Lawn A Great Filter
Properly maintaining your lawn makes it thick, green, and healthy. 
Correct care includes fertilization. A lawn that receives the right amount of attention also becomes an excellent filter. So when it rains, your lawn protects your land from erosion and filters any impurities as rainfall runs through it, making that water cleaner when it reaches nearby waterways.
5. Maryland Lawn Care Laws Limit Fertilization
A Maryland Nutrient Management Law exists that blacks out dates for fertilizer applications.
This means that between December 1 and March 1 each year, you are not allowed to apply fertilizer to your lawn based on this Maryland fertilizer law. 
There are also limitations set during the season. No one is allowed to apply more than 3.5 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet at any time. This means if you do the math wrong, you could be accidentally breaking the law.
To keep your lawn and our Maryland waterways healthy, following these fertilizer laws is important.
How to Practice Better Maryland Lawn Care
You want a great looking lawn -- one your neighbors envy. We understand. We all want that.
We hope these fertilization facts help you better understand what your lawn needs to serve you best all year long.
Still stumped at how fertilizer can make the difference between a weedy, mediocre lawn full of bare spots and one that beams green, resisting weeds and offering a great space to enjoy? Give Natural Green Systems a call. We can help you better understand what your Central or Southern Maryland lawn is lacking and what it needs to thrive.
Looking to improve the look of your lawn in Central or Southern Maryland? We’d love to help. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll prepare a customized plan so you can have the kind of lawn you love.
