How much Nitrogen per year? Tall Fescue.

[Daren]

How much nitrogen do you guys put down per year on tall fescue? I am going to do apps. every 6 to 8 weeks. thanks!

Daren

[lawrence stone]

Two lbs. or less unless you want to cut it every 5 days.

[Ricky]

According to the University of Ky. (for Ky. lawns)

Sept. 1 lb. per K
Oct - Mid Nov. 1-1 1/2 lb.
Mid Nov.- Jan. 1-1 1/2 lb.
Mid May - Mid June 1/2 lb.

[lsylvain]

The best way to figure how much it needs is a soil test. then you will know for sure how much it really needs. but in general it will need 4-6 pounds of nitrogen per year per 1000 sf.

A lawn that is baged needs about 2 extra poundds of nitrogen per year.

I hope this helps

[accuratelawn]

Is a soil test going to tell you how much N is present??
6 to 8 pounds.....you must get paid by the hour to mow!

[Davis TLC]

Daren,

I use 4-6 lbs of Nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. on the majority of my lawns. I apply it using a slow release nitrogen fertilizer, so I'm applying the fertilizer about every 10-12 weeks. Now in the summer I do apply a lower N ratio fertilizer to apply 1/2# of N per 1,000 sq ft., due to the fescue growing less in the summer heat. Early spring and fall I use a higher N ratio fertilizer to get about 1 1/2# of N per app, per 1,000 sq ft. An ppp of 1# per 1,000 sq ft is done in the late fall to carry over into the spring.

[lawrence stone]

Originally posted by accuratelawn
Is a soil test going to tell you how much N is present??


NO!!

A good contractor can just look at the turf to tell if it needs N.

Since I am a real LCO with a PSU soil test result in my hand
(they recommend 3-5lb/1k on blue/rye)the message on the soil test is as folows:

There is no reliable test for evaluating the amount of actual N in soils that is available to turfgrasses over the growing season.

[Nitro]

Best answer here is from Ricky. Several university horticulture departments have excellent turfgrass programs, including UK. NC State for warm season grass, and VA Tech for cool season, are two of the best.

[Strawbridge Lawn]

4-6 lbs of N p/1000 sqr ft? Holy Nitro Batman. Using all the University sources I can find, I see 1.5-2.5 Lbs per 1000 SQ FT per year as the range. Here in SE Virginia, any Fescue lawn will burn up in the summer hear with that amount of Nitrogen even with proper irrigation. I apply a 10/10/10 early in Feb at a .25-.50 LB rate, and then a faster release mid March to Mid April at 1lb. I do not fertilize again til the early Fall and it is then that I add another 1 l-1.25 lbs p/1K Sqr Ft.

[Mr.Ziffel]

The following is directly from the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service, Pullman, WA and is specifically aimed at Washington turf.

"The intended use of the lawn determines the amount of fertilizer required to maintain turf of a high quality. HIGH QUALITY LAWNS and intensively used playfields and football fields should be fertilized more than other turfgrass areas. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT GRASS REMOVES NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL IN A RATIO OF 6 PARTS OF NITROGEN TO 1 PART PHOSPHORUS TO 4 PARTS POTASSIUM. Since clippings are rarely removed from school turf, some nutrients are returned to the soil from clippings. Some soils have high levels of phospohorus and potassium and may require only nitrogen for many years.

Football fields, intensively used playfields and HIGH QUALITY TURF AREAS should receive about 8 pounds of available nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. The following example can be used to compute fertilizer needs: assume a 21-7-14 formula; in order to obtain 8 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year, divide 0.21 [21%] into 8, resulting in 38 pounds. While providing 8 pounds of nitrogen, this formula will also yield 2.66 pounds of P2O5 phosphorus, and 5.32 pounds of K2O potassium [38 lbs. x .07 = 2.66 and 38 x .14 = 5.32]. Any fertilizer formula can be computed in a similar manner. Since it was determined that the above quantity was sufficient for an entire year, the total amount [38 lbs.] should be divided into 5 or 6 equal applications, 7.6 lbs. or 6.3 lbs. of 21-7-14 per 1,000 square feet per application."

[Strawbridge Lawn]

Obviously the amounts calculated by these universities is predicated to a large extent on annual rainfall rates.
Washington receives the highest annual rainfall rates in the lower 48 (except this past year) so I can understand a little better why so much N is needed.
You folks may want to cut it back a little this year if the drought persists. Very interesting..

[Nitro]

Gary, the key is to apply about 2/3 of the yearly requirement in the fall. I apply 1#/1000 three times in the fall, Sept, Oct, & Nov, with a slow release methylene urea based fertilizer which produces excellent results. This builds up the root system and carbohydrate level within the plant which produces excellent winter color and very quick spring greenup. Wait til after the flush in the spring before applying fertilizer, or you will mow yourself to death, and apply sparingly in early summer if the grass needs a little kick. Another interesting university turfgrass report from Texas A&M indicates that bluegrass which is fertilized heavily in spring, but not fertilized in the fall will have 40% fewer roots by July than a comparable stand which was properly fertilized in the fall. The folks at Landscape Supply in Roanake, VA (800)876-2151 work very closely with the staff at Virginia Tech and are also excellent sources for turfcare information for contractors. They provide many premiun products at very reasonable prices, and I have always been very pleased with their services. You might want to contact them for more information.