For more information about soil tests or fertilizer, contact the Rock County UW Extension at (608) 757-5676.
JANESVILLE — Leave your grass clippings on the lawn.
Fertilize selectively.
Or, open your wallet and get out the big bills.
Fertilizer prices have risen significantly, leaving homeowners wondering if their emerald green lawns are worth it.
“Fertilizer is tied to the cost of petroleum and commodities,” said Dave Riemer co-owner of five Ace Hardware stores in Janesville, Beloit and Monroe. “We ordered our fertilizers last fall, when the prices were still high.”
Here’s how it works: Petroleum is used in the manufacture, processing and transportation of most fertilizers, explained Jim Stute, UW Extension soils and crops agent.
Most people remember when the cost of oil rose to an unprecedented $150 a barrel in July 2008.
Now add farm commodities to the mix. The price for corn and soybeans started to rise in 2006, driving up the demand for fertilizer. In July 2008, commodity prices peaked and then plunged, cutting the demand for fertilizer and leaving companies with fertilizer that had been expensive to manufacture but with few buyers.
It was this expensive fertilizer that most retailers had to order last fall.
So what’s a smart homeowner to do? Let their lawns go from plush to pathetic?
Actually, they’ve got plenty of choices
-- First, watch for rebates
“Fertilizer prices have come back down since last fall, and manufactures have been good about offering rebates,” said Riemer. “They’re a little bit higher cost initially. But with the rebates, fertilizers come down in price to about what they were last year.”
Rebates range from $3 to more than $30.
“One of the four-step fertilizer programs has a $35 rebate,” Riemer said. “That’s the biggest rebate I can recall.”
Phyliss Williams, of K&W Greenery, cautioned against grabbing up the cheaper, off brands.
“Companies that are not quite scrupulous are making fertilizer overly hot,” Williams said. “People wanting to be economical can save a buck, but ruin their lawns.”
A “hot” fertilizer means the ingredients are in a raw form that can damage or kill plants.
-- Next, consider cutbacks carefully.
“Sod is a heavy feeding plant,” said Williams.
Ideally, grass should be fed four times a year.
Mike Maddox, UW Extension and Rotary Gardens horticulture educator, recommends the holiday plan: Memorial Day, July 4—unless it’s very hot and dry—Labor Day and Halloween.
If you can only afford to fertilize once, Halloween is best, said Maddox.
“The grass is still growing at that time and will suck up the nutrients right away,” Maddox said. “Then in the spring, it will be nice and healthy.”
If you can fertilize more than once, work your way back through the holidays. For established lawns, fertilizing in the spring is the lowest priority.
In addition, be sure to leave the grass clippings on your lawn after mowing. The clippings provide extra nitrogen and other nutrients.
-- Buy the right product.
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for sod. Fertilizer bags contain three letters, N, P, and K, and they stand for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Pick a fertilizer with high nitrogen number, even if it’s more expensive. Cheaper fertilizers with lower numbers mean you’ll have to use more to get the same effect, Maddox explained.
Consider using a “maintenance blend,” which is usually less expensive than a targeted blend.
However, if you’re starting new grass, fertilizer labeled for grass starting has the best mix of ingredients.
-- Leave off the lime.
Plenty of people add lime to “sweeten” their lawns.
“Our soils tend to have plenty of lime in them already,” Maddox said.
Before adding lime, spend $15 on a soil test to see what nutrients your lawn really needs.