re: South Louisiana lawn fertilizer schedule

And, to add another cog in the wheel of confusion over what to do, is the LSU Ag Center's take on fertilization. They say not to do anything in March ?!

Are there any Ag gurus on this board that can explain why people fertilize in March? I'm really confused, and not sure where to go at this point.

quote:

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Since our lawns begin to green up in March, many gardeners wonder why we should wait until April to fertilize. Research shows that in March turfgrasses, such as St. Augustine, centipede and bermuda, undergo spring root decline. At that time much of the old root system dies and the grass grows new roots. So turfgrasses don’t have substantial root systems during March, even though the grass blades are beginning to grow.

If fertilizer is applied during that time, it can stimulate the grass to put its efforts into early leafy growth when needs to be growing roots. That means early fertilization can lead to the grass going into the summer season with a less developed root system.

Even more, if you fertilize when fewer active roots are present, the fertilizer will not be absorbed efficiently. In addition, what nutrients are absorbed from early fertilization can make lawns more susceptible to spring infections of brown patch, a disease especially common to St. Augustine.

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