SPECIALTY CHEMICALS-FERTILIZATION: A Fall Fix

Russell Stout’s fertilization program begins in the spring and wraps up in the fall. During this roughly eight-month period, a six-step program ensures his clients’ lawns are fed with the appropriate nutrients and are free of weeds and diseases. Steps five and six, which focus specifically on fall fertilization, rescue lawns from the often harsh affects of hot, dry summer weather.  

“These steps take place when droughts finally let up and the weather starts to cooperate again,” says the owner of Complete Lawn Service based in Vienna, Va. “Fall fertilization allows turf to recover from the summer blues.”
 
Fall fertilization repairs turf from summer stress and prepares it for winter dormancy. Fertilization also increases root mass and promotes root growth and carbohydrate reserves. Most every lawn care company offers some sort of fertilization program. In fact, Lawn & Landscape research shows that 68 percent of lawn care operators (LCOs) purchased fertilizer last year, spending an average of $8,500, and 58 percent plan to purchase fertilizer products this year. Whether the program is year-long or season-by-season, accurate timing during the sometimes short fall season is the most important aspect of a successful program. “Appropriate timing is important,” says Ray Buckwalter, senior marketing manager, Lebanon Turf, Bloomsbury, N.J. “You don’t want to start fall applications if the conditions are still too hot or dry.”
 
There are many tips LCOs can follow to ensure a successful fall fertilization program. By knowing the difference between cool- and warm-season turf, quick- and slow-release formulations and the importance of essential nutrients, LCOs can keep their client’s lawns green even during stressful times.

“When done right, there are only pros to offering fall fertilization services,” Stout says.

NECESSARY NUTRIENTS. When it comes to fertilization, the selling point for many clients is a lush, green lawn, and most fertilizers contain the ingredients necessary to achieve this desired effect. “Even though it’s dormant, turf is still physically alive and growing through the fall and winter so it needs plant nutrients,” says Bill Vogel, owner of Spring Valley, Jackson, Wis. “Fall fertilization provides a lawn nutrients to store as sugars during these times which it can use as extra energy to help it green and warm up in the spring.”
 
While 16 micro- and macronutrients are necessary to keep a lawn completely healthy, most fertilization programs focus on the big three: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. (Micronutrients are just as important to a lawn as macronutrients, however they are needed in smaller amounts.)
As the most abundant nutrient in plant tissue, nitrogen weighs in as the most important of the three. It helps produce chlorophyll, so the higher the nitrogen content, the greener the turf. 

Most fertilization programs are based around an annual nitrogen requirement. For fall fertilization, Stout applies about 2½ pounds of nitrogen to Virginia’s cool-season turf between two visits, which is about 2/3 the total requirement of nitrogen for the year. The first visit includes an application of 1 pound of product with 50 percent slow-release nitrogen. During the second visit, he applies 1½ pounds of nitrogen, last year using a product with 24-2-12 release. These applications are consistent with recommendations he receives from area universities, Stout says.
 
Mature, cool-season turf should receive three or more annual nitrogen applications totaling 2 to 5 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet to maintain greenness and density, says Cale Bigelow, assistant professor of agronomy and turfgrass science at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. Between 50 to 75 percent of the annual nitrogen requirements should be applied over several applications beginning in late summer and continuing throughout the fall. For both warm- and cool-season turf, apply the rest of the nitrogen in mid to late spring, and little to none during mid summer to avoid damage caused by drought or other stresses, such as disease, Bigelow says.
 For warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass or zoysiagrass, one to two annual nitrogen applications totaling 1 to 3 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet applied from June through August will meet the needs of these grasses, he says.
 Nitrogen products come in water soluble quick-release and water insoluble slow-release formulations. A good nitrogen fertilizer program utilizes both sources and various quick and slow mixtures at different points during the growing season, Bigelow says.
Quick-release nitrogen sources include urea and ammonium sulfate. Both dissolve easily in the presence of water and will green turf in just a few hours. Bigelow suggests an application rate of no more than 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turf to avoid burn and potential loss to the environment.

Common slow-release nitrogen sources include sulfur-coated urea, polymer-coated urea, methylene ureas and natural organics, such as manures. Slow-release formulations require more than just water to release their nitrogen, Bigelow says.

Mechanisms, such as protective coatings and microbial decomposition, control how quickly the nitrogen is released. LCOs can apply slow-release nitrogen at higher application rates – 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet – without a significant risk of burning, he says.  

Unlike quick-release formulations, slow-release products do not cause rapid greening, Bigelow says. However, the advantage slow-release formulations provide is extended feeding, often for two to three months or even longer.

HOW TO DO IT. During the first fertilization visit in early fall when the weather is still warm, Stout applies 1 pound of product with 50 percent slow-release nitrogen. During the second visit, which takes place later in the fall when the weather starts to cool down, he applies a product with more nitrogen and slower release. Late-fall applications in particular should consist of slow-release sources, Buckwalter says. This ensures any nitrogen unused by the plant will not be lost to leaching and will be available the following spring. Typically, applications should not be made more than two or three weeks after the last mowing or when the soil is frozen or water logged, he adds.
 
With the recent attention directed toward the lawn care industry, it’s important to consider client perception when offering chemical services
This comes into play when choosing between liquid and granular products. Stout has “dabbled” with both in the past and says both work as well as the other. Today he uses strictly granular for its flexibility and for the fact that his clients prefer granular to liquid applications.
 “People don’t like to see big tankers spraying gallons of liquid all over their lawns,” Stout says. “Many of my customers ask me what I use and they prefer granular.”
 
Granular products are more popular in the industry, particularly for fall applications, Buckwalter says. Fall morning temperatures can dip below freezing, he says, which is too cold for effective liquid applications. There are also more granular products available to LCOs on the market in slow-release formulations, which is important for this time of year.
 
Stout prices his fertilization services per 1,000 square feet and implements a 3,000-square-foot minimum. The price per square foot differs based on the type of product used, as some lawns require more expensive fertilizer to treat specific problems. However, the minimum price of an application is about $42, Stout says. An average-sized job is about 5,000 square feet, and as a lawn gets bigger, the price goes down, he adds.
 
Most of Stout’s marketing efforts for his fertilization services take place in the spring when he sends out direct-mailing fliers, but he also runs a Yellow Pages ad, keeps up with his Web site and relies on customer referrals throughout the year. If the year brings an unusually hot or dry summer, Stout focuses his fall fertilization marketing efforts on the renovation of a potential client’s lawn.
 
“In terms of marketing, we don’t really do anything exotic, but it can change from year to year depending on the weather,” Stout says. “As a full-service company, our goal is to meet all of our customers’ lawn and landscape needs.”