Fertilizing and Watering Lawns in a Drought by Doug Fox

In times of drought, we often have a tendency to apply more water to our lawns in an effort to maintain appearance.  However, with water becoming less available, we need to approach this differently.  We must first understand how we fertilize lawns, gardens, pastures, etc.

Let's take a closer look at fertilizer and what it does for plant growth.

Let's say we go to the store and purchase a standard bag of fertilizer.  For this discussion, I will use Scotts brand Turf Builder fertilizer, which is a 32-0-4 fertilizer, as an example.  The numbers on the fertilizer bag represent (in order): nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash or potassium. Nitrogen stimulates top growth; phosphorus helps with root growth; and potassium promotes all around plant health.  As you can see, only top growth is addressed in this fertilizer formula, with no nutrients for the roots, and very little for all around health.

Do you find a need to mow your lawn frequently?  In our example, this fertilizer formula is stimulating top growth.  That is due to the nitrogen.  This also requires more water to keep your grass green.  You can add nitrogen to your lawn by mulching cut grass.  Seasonal aeration will help too. 

After taking care of the detention facility in Cedar City for 27 years and growing grass on clay and shale, I worked with many sources to find what fertilizer works and what doesn't in southwest Utah.  I have attended the Scott's Turf Training in Denver, Colorado.  Scott manufactures a universal fertilizer coated for slow release as a regular product for all areas.  They will custom make fertilizer to specifications for a 1 pallet minimum (40 -50 lb bags). They have also indicated that until daytime temperatures are at or above 70° for three days in a row, watering is not needed.  Bringing grass out of dormancy too early will lead to fungus and other lawn disease.

Living in Iron County, our soil has plenty of Iron, however plants cannot absorb it.  So, we need to add iron to our fertilizer routine to improve health.  

Over many years I have discovered a very simple and effective way to make lawns green and conserve water.  I use a regular commercial fertilizer in good quantity in the fall (October-November) to feed lawns over the winter.  In the spring, I use 16-16-8, 16-16-16, or 19-19-19 plus 3 or 4%iron while still cool.  Then, as temperatures get into the 80°- 90°, I utilize Ironite and Epsom Salt (magnesium sulphate), which is a micronutrient and also helps lawns absorb the iron.  Sadly, this formulation is not easy to find.  Starter fertilizer is the next best option.

Most lawns have roots that only go down a few inches.  They get dry without frequent watering.  If we water longer and less frequently, this will train roots to go deeper, which will benefit health and use less water.

A simple and effective homemade summer fertilizer that was used in Las Vegas for years is a garden hose sprayer container filled with 1/3 ammonia (nitrogen), 1/3 beer (phosphorus from hops),  1/4 cup liquid soap (potassium), and finish filling the container with water.  At a rate of 1 oz. per gallon of water, this formula will act as an all purpose fertilizer applied directly to the lawn.