Talkin’ Turf with Travis

***This column is offered by the City of Mesquite to help educate residents about landscaping and pruning tips.

Turfgrass and Landscape Fertilization Tips

The month of March is one of the most important months of the year to get your landscape and turfgrass ready for the long hot summers here in Texas. Fertilizer plays an important role in any turfgrass/landscape maintenance program. The first application should be applied when your yard is starting to turn green in late March. The following are the recommended fertilization rates for this first application.

• Hybrid or Common Bermudagrass: 15-5-10 (NPK) (Slow Release)
• St. Augustine: 20-5-10 (NPK) (Slow Release)
• Shrubs/Groundcovers: 13-13-13 (NPK) (Slow Release)
• Flowering Shrubs: 15-25-10 (NPK) (Slow Release)

At the City of Mesquite we apply approximately 1.25 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turfgrass. For the fertilizer ratios listed above here are the recommended pounds of fertilizer needed per 1,000 square feet of yard.

• (15-5-10) 6.67 pounds of actual fertilizer per 1,000 square feet
• (20-5-10) 5.0 pounds of actual fertilizer per 1,000 square feet

Fertilizer should be applied in March, June, July and October. This applies Nitrogen at a rate of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet for the entire year, which falls in the recommended rate of 4-6 pounds of Nitrogen per year on most turfgrass species.

Remember, do not over apply the fertilizer as this can cause turfgrass disease, excessive growth and/or clippings and can pollute ground water with excessive water runoff. Also, as water restrictions or drought intensify cut back on fertilizer to slow the turfgrass growth rate.

Fun Fact: Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world; it can grow 35 inches in a single day.

Travis E. Sales Manager of Park Services Municipal Arborist Golf Course Superintendent About Travis Travis has a big “yard” to care for. With help of his team, he is responsible for the maintenance of 1,600 acres of park land, 72 miles of medians and rights-of-way, 27,000 trees planted in the Urban Forestry Program, 35 baseball practice fields, 12 soccer practice fields, 33 lighted and unlighted baseball/softball games fields, 27 lighted and unlighted soccer game fields, seven lighted and unlighted football game fields. Travis has a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and has various state and national certifications and licenses for irrigation, argronomy, arboriculture and landscaping. he enjoys serving on the Texas Turfgrass Association Executive Board and being active in the Mesquite Fire Corps and Mesquite Citizens Police Alumni associations. Contact: Office: 972-216-8121 E-mail: [email protected]