Lawn Feed
There's a bewildering choice of lawn feed around today! But don't worry, we'll make the subject easier for you, and help you select the most suitable ones to use. Do lawns need feeding? The simple answer is, Yes! If you don't feed your lawn it will slowly get weaker, allowing moss, weed grasses and broad-leaved weeds to invade. The grass plant is no different from any other plant in needing three basic elements to thrive: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (known as N P and K). These elements are present in lawn food. When you see a figure like 27:5:5 on a fertiliser pack, it refers to the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the feed. In this case, you are getting 27% nitrogen, 5% phosphorous, and 5% potassium. This is called the fertiliser analysis. Controlled release - less mowing The good news is that the latest fertilisers use new technology to release the feed evenly over a period of several months. They're known as controlled release fertilisers. This is a great step forward because it means that your lawn won't suddenly grow like mad when you feed it. The Long-Lasting range of fertilisers we sell on Turfshop is controlled release fertiliser. We use it in the growing of our turf with fantastic results. Unlike standard fertiliser, the release of nutrient from the Turfshop Long-Lasting range is controlled partly by soil temperature. When the weather is warm in the active growing seasons of spring, summer and early autumn, plants need more food and the Long-Lasting granules release fertiliser more quickly. In winter, plants need less food because they are not growing as much, so less plant food is released. Turfshop Long-Lasting fertiliser consists of granules of high quality fertiliser encased within a biodegradable polymer and sulphur coating. Each granule contains a combination of nutrients according to the analysis. 
The coating is specially engineered to release nutrients in accordance with the plants' needs. The unique controlled release technology ensures that there is little chance of over-fertilisation and there is no surplus fertiliser run-off or leaching to pollute waterways. Because the release of nutrients is so precisely controlled, there is little or no wastage and that means more fertiliser into the plant! Once the granules have completed their task and are empty of nutrients, the shell decomposes in the soil. Stage 1: Water vapour penetrates coating of the resin coated granule that contains all essential major nutrients. 
Stage 2: Nutrients inside dissolve, and pressure forces nutrients through coating into soil. On application to the turf, the granule takes up moisture from its environment gradually dissolving the enclosed nutrients. At soil temperatures just above 0°C pressure starts to build within the granule forcing the nutrients through the semi-permeable resin membrane. The length of release is determined partly by the thickness of the coating surrounding the granule. The thicker the coating, the slower the daily release rate and so the longer the product lasts. The advantages of Turfshop Long-Lasting fertilisers are: - Long life - up to 9 months
- Slow, even growth
- Less mowing
- No scorch
- Odourless
- Dust free
- Balanced NPK analyses
- Can be applied in all conditions
- Environmentally friendly
- No waste
- Handy Tub packaging
Recommended use Programme 1 Good, well structured soils One application of Full Season in the spring Programme 2 Poor soils - i.e. very sandy, or low in organic matter. a) One application of All-Round in the spring b) One application of Pre-Winter in the autumn How to use Mow your lawn first to provide the maximum interval between mowings. This allows the granules to penetrate the grass sward. Do not apply at lower rates than advised to prevent speckling on the turf surface. Apply using a rotary spreader for best results. For smaller areas the HandyGreen is perfect.
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