You might think that if you apply the fertilizer yourself, you are saving money by not hiring a professional lawn care company to do it for you. But if you do not know what you are doing, you might be doing more damage than good. Then you will have to spend more money to reverse the damage that you may have caused.

It's important to know what fertilizer your lawn and landscape need and how much of it to apply to achieve the desired effect. Check out how you could be damaging your lawn by applying fertilizer yourself.

Using the wrong type of fertilizer for your grass type can cause more harm than good.

Not all grass requires the same amount of nutrients. You cannot take a guess and apply a random fertilizer ratio and hope that it answers the need of your lawn. Fertilizers contain different nutrients, which often include nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. You could be wasting your money if you apply just any fertilizer because your lawn may not even need those nutrients. Instead of helping, it can actually damage your lawn. Too much fertilizer can cause salt and nitrogen levels to rapidly increase and result in major damage or even kill your lawn. In order to know what fertilizer your lawn needs, we recommend professional soil testing to find out what nutrients your soil is lacking.

Applying fertilizer during the wrong times of the year can cause severe damage to your lawn.

Dead, brown lawn grass at a home in Carmel, Indiana.

You cannot just apply a fertilizer anytime you want. Our lawn care program will make sure that your lawn gets the proper nutrients throughout the year. The type of grass that you have will have different needs too. For example, cool-season grass will need extra support during summer. When you fertilize at the wrong times or use too much fertilizer you can burn the grass and encourage weed growth.

Our first fertilization application will be applied in late February to early March. This spring application gives your lawn all the nutrients it needs in the initial growth stage after the winter dormancy. Fertilization application must be done periodically until early November into late December. Each treatment will require different blends of fertilizer depending on the time of year and the needs of your lawn.

Our professionals know the exact amount of fertilizer to apply to your lawn.

There are so many fertilizer variants in the market because not all lawns are the same, and each lawn will have a different need. If you do not apply the right amounts of fertilizer and use the right ratios of nutrients the lawn will suffer from nutrient deficiency. But if too much fertilizer is applied, leaving an excess buildup of nutrients will burn your grass and leave unsightly, yellowed, withered grass blades.

If you overfertilize your lawn, it can lead to fertilizer burn. Your grass will get scorched, turning yellow or brown due to the presence of too much nitrogen and salt in the soil. While the grass may still recover from fertilizer burn, you may have to spend more money in order to repair the damage done. There's also the possibility that the excess fertilizer will make its way to waterways, causing algae bloom.

Professional lawn care companies know exactly what fertilizer to apply and when to apply it, and how much to apply. It's better to defer to their expertise.

We are lawn care experts and we know exactly what nutrients your lawn needs. Call us today to sign up for our fertilization program.

Precision Cutz Lawn Care offers a comprehensive fertilization program that will ensure that your lawn is healthy, lush, and green all season long. If your residential or commercial property is located in Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, or other nearby areas in Indiana, give us a call at 317-965-7868 to sign up for our lawn care program.