Fertilizer


One would think that buying fertilizer for the lawn would be a simple process. It isn’t. I get e-mail from the county extension service about gardening and lawn care. At the appropriate time it provides advice on lawn care – when to fertilize, the proper mix for the fertilizer and tips on lawn care in general.


I have followed the advice from the service, fertilizing with a balanced blend in Spring, applying iron when things began turning yellow and being careful not to over fertilize. The advice for this time of year is to get the lawn ready for winter by using a fertilizer low in nitrogen and phosphorous and high in potash. The problem is that no one carries it. Most of the fertilizer is very high in nitrogen – which turns the lawn green but is not good for our lawns any time of year. It is what the stores carry. We don’t even have a nursery here anymore that sells fertilizer.


So after checking Lowes, Home Depot and Wal-Mart, I went to the one nursery that remains here and they suggested I go to a local fertilizer company that sells to golf courses and condos. They had what I needed. The lawn is now winterized.


The fact that the big stores don’t carry what a locality needs is disappointing. I like the fact that those stores make so much more available to us. It would be nice for them to have a section devoted to the unique needs of the area.


At least my lawn has made it through its fist year in good condition.