Fertilizing Your Lawn
We at McPheeters Turf Inc., use a formulated blend of fertilizer on our turf fields. Fertilizer is applied before planting and throughout harvest. This special blend allows even distribution, contains immediate and slow-release nutrients, and the price per pound of nutrient is less.
McPheeters fertilizer is a high quality slow release fertilizer that combines a polyurethane coat with a durable overcoat. This fertilizer coating process creates a more uniform and consistent release of nutrients while remaining cost effective.
We sell four basic fertilizer blends. Our “Starter Fertilizer” is 16-16-16-7S (Pink), which is ideal for establishing new sod, gardens, shrubs and trees. Once your lawn is established, you can choose from our three formulations. 20-10-10 comes in a “Slow Release” form, and the “Slow Release” comes with iron (Red) or without iron (Blue). The iron is non-staining. Our third formulation is “Standard” release, 20-6-6-10S-2Fe (Yellow), and is great for all your turf grass and landscape needs, and it is especially helpful for greening up your lawn following the long winter. Our “Slow Release” forms of 20-10-10 are perfect for maintaining your lawn during the year while reducing clippings and surges in growth. The 20-10-10 and 20-6-6 blends also use calcium in the formula. Calcium helps with disease resistance, improves soil structure, aeration and drainage and is an essential nutrient that is not sufficiently abundant in our local soils. We have formulations to meet whatever fertilizer need that you might have. We believe in our fertilizer line and have confidence in the company that manufactures, blends, and bags these quality products.
Fertilizer Options
We have color-coded labels for all of our fertilizer varieties in order to make it easier for everyone to remember what fertilizer to use, and what fertilizer you have used in the past. The fertilizers we offer and their colors are:
RED 20-10-10-5S-2Fe w/ 50% of N is slow release
BLUE 20-10-10-6S w/ 50% of N is slow release
YELLOW 20-6-6-10S-2Fe
PINK 16-16-16-7S
What each number stands for:
1st # = Nitrogen – vegetative growth and color
2nd # = Phosphorous – energy, root growth, plant growth in cold weather
3rd # = Potassium – encourages root growth and increases plant resistance to disease
4th # = Sulfur – color, plant vigor
5th # = Iron – color in turf, certain trees, and ornamentals
When Do You Need to Fertilize Your Lawn???
We have correlated our fertilizing times with holidays, as a general guideline. During the summer months especially, you must evaluate the condition of your lawn in order to determine a proper fertilizer schedule and amount of fertilizer. If your lawn does not require mowing at least once a week or if it lacks a rich dark green color, it should be fertilized immediately.
*After installing your new sod, wait 3 to 4 weeks and apply 5 pounds per 1000 square feet (sq. ft.) of RED or BLUE fertilizer.
*First sign of Spring – Easter: 6 to 7 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. of YELLOW or RED (Iron in these blends give a quick green burst.)
*Summer – Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day: 6 to 7 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. of RED or BLUE
*First sign of Winter – Halloween: 6 to 7 pounds per 1000 sq. ft. of BLUE (Slow release in the fall will feed the lawn through the fall and winter depending on the temperature and moisture, and will get your lawn started in the Spring when the temperatures start to warm up.)
Watering After Fertilizing
We recommend watering your lawn with 1 inch of water after applying any fertilizer (your lawn should always be watered with 1″ of water per irrigation – deeper, less frequent waterings conserve water and prove to be better for your lawn and plants). Complimentary watering gauges are available at McPheeters Turf for measuring the water you apply.
Fertilizer Spreaders
A spinner broadcast spreader (either a hand, shoulder bag or a push type) works most effectively for spreading fertilizer. Doing your lawn twice in a criss-cross pattern will insure an even distribution. Settings will vary with type of spreader and fertilizer. Follow the pounds per square foot recommendations above.
Fertilizer is generally available at Instant Landscaping Company in Bend, Central Oregon Ranch Supply in Redmond, and N & S Tractor Supply in Madras. We are always well stocked at the farm in Culver, call ahead if you are wanting large quantities.
For questions or comments, please call McPheeters Turf, Inc. @ 541-546-9081.