Fertilizing in Wisconsin....
Originally posted by red-n-green
Tractorguy,
An early fall shot of K will help better than a winter shot, the grass should be growing to get the affect of helping the grass get good roots. Dormant grass does not grow and to get good strong roots the grass should be growing. If you don't put down K till winter, it will not be utilized until next spring when grass growth begins.
I am not trying to make you change you habits because it's not my place, I am just trying to make you understand my point of view.
Jay
red-n-green-
I guess you don't understand what I was saying.... When I talked about Winter Fertilizer, I meant that I apply P & K about Mid-September, as it will help the roots harden before winter. We usually have growing grass until mid-late October, then it starts to go dormant... If we don't have snow yet, it'll just sit there without growing until the ground freezes OR it gets covered by snow. When the snow melts in the spring (sometime between March & May), the grass is usually dead looking, but IF I'VE FERTILIZED IN THE FALL, the roots are very much alive, and green grass comes up by Memorial Day. If I haven't bothered to fertilize, It had better have been a mild winter, or everything will be DEAD! Obviously, my definition of Mild Winter would be different than yours, because of our Geographic Distance.
As for your 100-50-50 Fertilizer... I've never heard of a blend that high, and it would be cost prohibitive too, I suppose. I generally use about 40 lbs per acre, and the bill for that is about $50.00. I can't imagine using 394, as you do. I doubt the DNR would even let me .... as that would cause pollution of our water supply. I actually use fertilizer sparingly, as the shot of P & K about now will make my grass healthy when I next see it in March or April.
I'm sure you are a terrific farmer, but conditions here are different then wher you live... Here's a few examples of our differences ...
YOU--"When the soil temps drop down below 65 to 70 degrees, warm season grasses slow down tremendously. "
Me -- My soil temps are only above 65-70 dergrees for July & August!!! In the spring, my grass greens up as soon as it's above 50 degrees, and we plant the garden at 55.... After Warming to 65-70 in mid-summer, the temps are already falling by Labor Day... Today, it's 41 degees and raining outside. I imagine the soil temp is still in the upper 40's, but by late October, the ground could be frozen. As you see, we have an entirely different situation than you.
YOU--"I apply spring fetrilizer and give the grass all summer to get strong roots."
Me -- Around here, people use Notrogen in the spring for Lush Green Growth, but use Potash and Phosphorus for strong root growth. It works better in the fall, but some apply in the spring too. Fertilizing to promote Root growth works best when the grass is starting to get ready for winter , as that's when nature tells the grass to grow strong roots. Again, grass here will behave differently than in Tennessee or Oklahoma.
YOU--"When you put down fall N, you are just feeding the winter weeds and grasses that you don't want. "
Me -- I don't put down N by itself (EVER), as it's highly toxic, and almost unnecessary for our soil. I will occasionally use a blend like 10-25-40, as that gives my soil the Potash and Phosphorus that it TRUELY needs.. I don't worry about winter weeds and grasses because, here in Wisconsin, my lawn doesn't grow in the winter. It's under 4' of snow!!!!
YOU--"I am not trying to make you change you habits because it's not my place, I am just trying to make you understand my point of view."
Me -- I had the impression you were telling me fall fertilization was foolish, and frankly, you don't have enough knowledge of my local conditions to do so... I understand why you fertilize as you do, because that's what seems to work best with your local conditions. You need to trust that I also know what's best in my yard...
Our situations are vastly different.. I've stopped mowing already, and you won't start to prepare for winter for awhile yet. I'm awaiting the first snowfall, which is preficted for Monday or Tuesday, and you can't conceive of such an early snow....
I know how Geography clouds our perceptions... My wife's Ex lives in Phoenix, and visits his (our) son here several times each year.
He can't imagine why our son would choose to live with us in Wisconsin, instead of in Arizona with him. He thinks we have a terrible climate, while we delight in the blue skies, fresh air, and Beautiful lakes. We think of Arizona as a horrible place of no trees, no real grass, and 100+ temps from March to November.
We have a saying.. "our Lakes were made by God.. Arizona lakes were made by Caterpiller Tractor"
I guess you think things are strange here, but we're glad you do. We like the privacy......
Tractorguy