Fertilizing your lawn in Iowa is crucial to maintaining its healthy growth, but applying too much can do more harm than good. Overfertilizing your lawn can lead to several issues, such as fertilizer burn, nutrient pollution, and wasted money. Too much fertilizer causes the mineral salts in the treatment to draw out too much moisture from your lawn and dehydrate it. Excess fertilizer treatments also harm the environment because the extra nutrients will leach into the groundwater or run off to bodies of water, causing serious effects on the aquatic ecosystem there.

Additionally, you'll be wasting money applying too much fertilizer because your lawn can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients, and anything more will get wasted. To avoid overfertilization, hire professionals to fertilize your grass! They'll use the right amount of fertilizer and apply it at the right times to yield the best results.

Overfertilizing Your Lawn Can Cause Fertilizer Burn

Yellow grass in Ankeny, IA, caused by fertilizer burn.

One of the most common problems that occurs when you overfertilize your lawn is fertilizer burn. Fertilizer contains essential nutrients that promote healthy grass growth, but too much of it can have the opposite effect. Excess fertilizer contains mineral salts, and too much of it will draw water and moisture away from your grass, resulting in dehydration and damage. This can cause the grass to turn brown or yellow, and it may even kill it if not addressed promptly.

Overfertilizing Your Lawn Can Lead to Nutrient Pollution

Another issue that can occur when you overfertilize your lawn is nutrient pollution. When you apply too much fertilizer, the excess nutrients can leach into the groundwater or run off into nearby bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. This can lead to nutrient pollution, which can cause harmful algal blooms and other environmental problems. Nutrient pollution can also harm aquatic life and affect the quality of drinking water.

It Can Be a Waste of Money to Overfertilize Your Lawn

Overfertilizing your lawn is not only harmful to the environment and your turf but also a waste of money. Fertilizer is not cheap, and applying too much of it can be a costly mistake. Your lawn will only absorb a certain amount of fertilizer and anything in excess gets wasted! In addition to the cost of the fertilizer itself, you may also need to spend money on repairing the damage caused by overfertilization. By avoiding overfertilizing your lawn, you can save money and keep your grass healthy.

Hire professionals to fertilize your lawn to ensure your lawn gets just the right amount of fertilizer.

Tech in Ankeny, IA, applying granular fertilizer on grass.

The best way to avoid overfertilizing your lawn is to hire professionals to do it for you. Lawn care experts have the knowledge and expertise to apply the right amount of fertilizer at the right time. They will use a fertilizer treatment specifically designed for your grass type and soil conditions. This way, we can provide your lawn with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong without the risk of overfertilization.

Pair your fertilizer treatments with weed control to achieve a healthy, weed-free lawn!

Call us today to sign up for our lawn fertilization service!

At ETCH Outdoor Living, we offer a lawn fertilization service to ensure your grass stays healthy and beautiful throughout the year. Our team will visit your property multiple times from early spring to late fall to apply our high-quality fertilizers, giving your lawn a balanced set of nutrients that will help it thrive. This service is offered to homes and businesses, along with HOAs, in Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Waukee, and other surrounding areas in Iowa. Call us today at (515) 735-3338 to sign up for our lawn fertilization service!