Lawn Fertiliser

[chiang mai]

My garden measures just under a rai and comprises mature trees, shrubs and flowers, recently we laid new turf (Malaysian) to half the land.

I've used 45% nitrogen (white) pellets to fed the lawn and that has worked well. A hill tribe kid who has done much work for us advises using 16 -16 -16 to feed the plants and flowers and that has also worked well.

My question is: can we not use 16 - 16 - 16 (blue pellet) around once a month to feed the entire area. lawns as well as plants/shrubs or is there a downside?

Alternatively, should I be using something else entirely different from the above?

Note: typically I spread the pellets by hand and water them in.

Thanks

[weegee]

Use the 16-16-16 for everything....the white pellets are UREA...very good for a green lawn.

[hugocnx]

triple 16 is good for many purposes, even for plain grass. Thing is that leafy plants need other nutrition than fruit plants or flower plants.

Easy to google it up.

My advice when it comes to lawns. Don't pick up the cut grass. Leave it spread on the lawn as shield for the sun as the new cut grass burns easily and secondly cut grass particals sink in quickly and form fertilizer on it's own and care for a smooth lawn to walk or sit on.

[kickstart]

Use the 16-16-16 for everything....the white pellets are UREA...very good for a green lawn.

It is a new lawn ,and the dry season is upon us ,too much urea at the wrong time ,when it is dry will burn the grass,apply after watering.

Must agree urea good for a lawn makes it green and will make it grow,then it has to be cut, often, about 1 rie is a lot to cut with a mower,

use 16-16-16,or a 20-16-8.

[Anthony5]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

[hugocnx]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Yes agree to the soil condition. If in neighborhood of Mae Jo or another agricultural university you might get a sample research.

555...most Thai soil needs no research, is quite poor if not close to a river or so.

[chiang mai]

Many thanks to everyone for your inputs, I'm grateful.

[fredge45]

Been using composted chicken manure, pellets, spread by hand a couple of times a year. Seems to work great with no nitrogen burning of the new shoots. I do remove the cuttings and compost them.

[xen]

I have always wondered why so much fertilizer is used on Malaysian or carpet grass (Axonopus compressus ) when some of the main uses of it is being able to survive in very low fertility, lower pH and in shadier areas. It basically needs water and lots of it. Using manures in a domestic situation is not a bad idea aside from the odour and mowing high rather than shaving the turf are also advisable. Many years ago we did experiments on removing carpet grass in other turf species by increasing both fertility and pH and although not completely successful the carpet grass went backwards compared with the other grasses.

Here is a good link for anybody who wishes to learn more http://www.blog.asianturfgrass.com/carpetgrass/

[JustAnotherFarang]

I have a new lawn too and bought a Euroe eat 5 to cut the grass which is seemed to do well. But I have noticed that the grass is not growing back so well and in hindsight saw that the blade underneath the mover is not sharp at all. My question is does this blade need to be sharpened?

JAF

[Anthony5]

I have a new lawn too and bought a Euroe eat 5 to cut the grass which is seemed to do well. But I have noticed that the grass is not growing back so well and in hindsight saw that the blade underneath the mover is not sharp at all. My question is does this blade need to be sharpened?

JAF

Yes the blade has to be sharpened, but depending on the model, you probably can buy replacements knifes that fit at the ends of the rotorblade.

This time of the year the grass also grows very slow, I think due to the low night temperatures, as I have to cut my lawn once in almost 3 weeks now where normally it has to be done weekly.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Anthony5

[chiang mai]

I have always wondered why so much fertilizer is used on Malaysian or carpet grass (Axonopus compressus ) when some of the main uses of it is being able to survive in very low fertility, lower pH and in shadier areas. It basically needs water and lots of it. Using manures in a domestic situation is not a bad idea aside from the odour and mowing high rather than shaving the turf are also advisable. Many years ago we did experiments on removing carpet grass in other turf species by increasing both fertility and pH and although not completely successful the carpet grass went backwards compared with the other grasses.

Here is a good link for anybody who wishes to learn more http://www.blog.asianturfgrass.com/carpetgrass/

Agreed and a good link, thanks.

On a separate but related point:

Does anyone know how/where to buy lawn aerators ? I'm on the verge of building my own, God forbid!

[xen]

You mean something like this ?

Or if you make your own i would go to your local golf course and see if you could scavenge some of their old coring tynes - they will be much better quality steel than the mild steel in these bought ones like the one below. A garden fork will also do the job although nowhere near as well as a hollow tyne corer. The commercial models that are used on golf courses, and even the small walk behind models are on par in cost to a small car.

[chiang mai]

You mean something like this ?

Or if you make your own i would go to your local golf course and see if you could scavenge some of their old coring tynes - they will be much better quality steel than the mild steel in these bought ones like the one below. A garden fork will also do the job although nowhere near as well as a hollow tyne corer. The commercial models that are used on golf courses, and even the small walk behind models are on par in cost to a small car.

Yes, that kind of thing - although I was half way hoping for a sensibly priced motorized version, yes I know, dreaming!

As for the home made jobbies: I like this one, it's very creative:

[weegee]

I have a Heavy duty Lawn Aerator, I made, available if you want to purchase cheap....It's made for towing behind a ride-on Mower....

can put up photo if anyone is interested....I am cleaning out the shed to make way for new project....

[Jip99]

I have a Heavy duty Lawn Aerator, I made, available if you want to purchase cheap....It's made for towing behind a ride-on Mower....

can put up photo if anyone is interested....I am cleaning out the shed to make way for new project....

That sounds ominous

[Jip99]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

I think a friend sent his soil sample to a facility in Korat. Sorry, can't recall where .. but I also found this:-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/238697-soil-testing/

http://www.centrallabthai.com/web/en/main/content.php?page=content&category=28&id=249

[cooked]

There is a difference between an instrument with hollow tines that withdraws soil from the lawn's subsurface and the roller with nails stuck on it. You use the first to improve drainage, after working over the lawn surface, river sand (slightly acidic) is swept into the holes. A motorised version is very expensive, I always used to hire. The second one is to be used only for getting lawn seeds into the prepared tilth of a new lawn. The second one doesn't aerate the lawn much, the shallow holes that it might make will be surrounded by compacted earth. I did hectares of lawn in the past.

Anyway, lawn fertiliser: I doubt that you will find a slow release lawn fertiliser easily here, they also tend to be expensive. Rice is a grass and there are plenty of different fertilisers available. Back home we reckoned with a maximum of 30gm of Nitrogen (N) per M2 per year. In view of the climate here maybe you should think about something like 5 - 6 doses or more of N per year making up 30 gm, followed by watering. Once you have worked out how many square metres you have and how much fertiliser that requires, that should be easy enough. Followed by water of course, these high N fertilisers will burn easily. Don't neglect the other elements, P and K, maybe accompanied by Fe. The above mentioned 16 - 16 - 16 sounds about right. Soil analysis won't be of much use to you, if you are in Isaan, you can assume that you have alkaline soil that doesn't willingly release its nutrients... try it and see.

Edited February 18, 2015 by cooked

[Jip99]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

[Anthony5]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

Edited February 18, 2015 by Anthony5

[cooked]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

.. so that is about 24gm N per M2? Seems like a lot to me. I am always happy to learn, I can imagine that a hot climate combined with frequent watering could require much more than 30gm a year.

[Anthony5]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

.. so that is about 24gm N per M2? Seems like a lot to me. I am always happy to learn, I can imagine that a hot climate combined with frequent watering could require much more than 30gm a year.

I may calculate wrong , but in my calculation 1500 gram contains 240gr of Nitrogen x 4 times a year is 960 gram per 100m² or 9.6 gram per m².

As i said earlier, I don't pick up my clippings, and I have a high clay containing soil.

I don't water much, 16 minutes per day in the morning, which should give it a precipitation rate of about 5mm.

[chiang mai]

Or new carpet grass is now a month old and has been mowed for the first time, it looks amazingly good and not in need of any nutrients. But as was said earlier, it does require a lot of water to remain looking nice, we've been watering for an hour daily and have only just backed off to every other day with the intention of trying to find out water that level should be. We're fortunate that our water comes from a well and that the cost to run a 1 HP pump is very low, I'll post some pictures in the morning. In the meantime, many thanks for the really helpful discussion thus far, it's all really useful for this novice.

[weegee]

I use always 16-16-16 +TE, ( Weegee knows) normally about 3 - 4 times a year, and don't pick up my clippings. I have about 800 sqm to cut and it takes me less than 2 hours with a self traction Honda mower.

But normally you should have your soil analyzed to know which formula is ideal, only I don't know where in Thailand they can do that.

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

.. so that is about 24gm N per M2? Seems like a lot to me. I am always happy to learn, I can imagine that a hot climate combined with frequent watering could require much more than 30gm a year.

@cooked...you're right with what you post. But here i have found, it has to have more a lot more often. Watering is probably the most important thing here in my area, followed up with a dose of 16-16-16 alternating with Urea every 2 months....

Thanks to another member and his advice i figured out where i may have done it wrong in the beginning...

[Jip99]

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

.. so that is about 24gm N per M2? Seems like a lot to me. I am always happy to learn, I can imagine that a hot climate combined with frequent watering could require much more than 30gm a year.

@cooked...you're right with what you post. But here i have found, it has to have more a lot more often. Watering is probably the most important thing here in my area, followed up with a dose of 16-16-16 alternating with Urea every 2 months....

Thanks to another member and his advice i figured out where i may have done it wrong in the beginning...

Thanks to all of you for sharing experiences of the numbers.

I have about 1,600 sqm of grass and I said I would put nothing on it for at least a year. It is now time to see what works best and I think I will try with 16-16-16 using Anthony's 1.5kg/100m2. Alternating with urea every 2/3 months also sounds sensible.

[Anthony5]

Can I ask - how much fertilser do you apply each time ?

I measure about 1.5 kg/100m²

.. so that is about 24gm N per M2? Seems like a lot to me. I am always happy to learn, I can imagine that a hot climate combined with frequent watering could require much more than 30gm a year.

I may calculate wrong , but in my calculation 1500 gram contains 240gr of Nitrogen x 4 times a year is 960 gram per 100m² or 9.6 gram per m².

As i said earlier, I don't pick up my clippings, and I have a high clay containing soil.

I don't water much, 16 minutes per day in the morning, which should give it a precipitation rate of about 5mm.

IMG_20141213_093523.jpg

I just checked my irrigation schedule again, and in fact I water only 2 x 6 minutes for a total of 12 minutes every morning. Instead of going from the precipitation rate as documented with the sprays, I measured today manually, and found that in those 12 minutes the lawn gets close to 15mm of water.

This will translate to about 2" a week, which I think is excessive. I consider now to change the schedule to every other day, and maybe increase the total time by 2 minutes.

What you think?

[weegee]

@Anthony5....above sounds fairly right....depends on your area also.

I have found that watering only just before dark is the best for me to get a all around result....The ground has a chance to stay damp during the night, whereas in the morning it's gone quickly through evaporation....

Thats the fun of doing it....experimenting until you get the results you want.....

Been away for a week, and now I am going to be busy just to catch up...and it's got to be from no water for a week.....what a mess !!!

[Anthony5]

@Anthony5....above sounds fairly right....depends on your area also.

I have found that watering only just before dark is the best for me to get a all around result....The ground has a chance to stay damp during the night, whereas in the morning it's gone quickly through evaporation....

Thats the fun of doing it....experimenting until you get the results you want.....

Been away for a week, and now I am going to be busy just to catch up...and it's got to be from no water for a week.....what a mess !!!

My problem is that the soil stays wet all day, probably due to the high clay content, so I don't think that can be good for the grass either.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Anthony5

[weegee]

@Anthony5....above sounds fairly right....depends on your area also.

I have found that watering only just before dark is the best for me to get a all around result....The ground has a chance to stay damp during the night, whereas in the morning it's gone quickly through evaporation....

Thats the fun of doing it....experimenting until you get the results you want.....

Been away for a week, and now I am going to be busy just to catch up...and it's got to be from no water for a week.....what a mess !!!

My problem is that the soil stays wet all day, probably due to the high clay content, so I don't think that can be good for the grass either.

Well....my opinion...only water every other day. Too much may be the the same as too little...

I would like to hear "cooked" comments on this, when he has time also......

[cooked]

I have to go by my experiences in Switzerland, where summer temperatures can also reach over 35. Different grass but you can develop an 'Eye' for a lawn that is thirsty. New lawn: 10mm a day. Measured by laying down a large flat tin. If it needs two hours to fill, thay's how much you water. The problem with a clay substrate is that if drainage is inadequate, you may turn the lawn yellow by over watering. Here again you have to experiment and adjust watering to the season. Fertiliser don't work without water.