Essential Plant Nutrients

Of the more than 100 known elements, 16 are essential plant nutrients.

The three most important to plants are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which plants receive from air, water and the organic matter in the soil. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen make up 94% of the dry weight of plants. Three key nutrients for good plant growth are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Nitrogen is a component of protein, which is essential for all plant growth. 

Phosphorus is part of nucleoproteins, which are needed for cell division and the growth of new tissue in a plant. Thus phosphorus is very important for establishing new grass. 

Potassium or potash helps increase winter hardiness, disease and drought resistance in plants. 

Fertilizer Types

If you look at a fertilizer bag, you will see three numbers on the front, for instance, 28-3-10. These numbers tell you the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (in that order) in the fertilizer. Different kinds of fertilizers are used for different situations. For instance, a fertilizer high in phosphorus will help a newly-sodded lawn develop. A fertilizer with a greater percentage of nitrogen can be used to promote growth in an established lawn.

It's not enough just to know the amount of nutrients. You also need to know what kind of nitrogen is in the fertilizer. Fast release nitrogen (water-soluble) is available to the plant immediately. Weed Man North DFW uses slow release nitrogen for a consistent steady release. 

There are two advantages to slow-release nitrogen:

1. The nitrogen is made available to the plant as the plant needs it, over a 6-8 week period. With a fast release fertilizer, it's either feast or famine for the plant and all the color to the lawn will be gone in 2-3 weeks. 

2. Since the fertilizer is used gradually, very little is wasted and your lawn achieves a consistent, balanced color throughout the growing season.

The Weed Man Fertilizer Program

Weed Man North DFW's Basic Program will feed your lawn 4 times a year at approximately 6-8 week intervals from March - September. Weed Man North DFW uses only the highest quality products, which have been specially developed for home lawns in our area.

As you can see, Weed Man North DFW fertilizer contains a small percentage of fast release fertilizer that is immediately available to your lawn. Larger quantities of slow release nitrogen will become available to the lawn as it needs the nitrogen. Weed Man fertilizer also contains phosphorus, potassium and soil conditioners.

Combined with proper mowing, watering, aerating and weed control (and in the absence of disease and insect problems), Weed Man North DFW's fertilizer program will give you a healthy, lush, green lawn.