Using sulphate of ammonia on lawns can quickly make them lush and green, but it is important to be aware of some potential drawbacks. According to Bob Vila, ammonium sulfate is a powerful source of nitrogen, which enhances green leaf growth in grass. However, it does not provide other essential nutrients that lawns need for overall health.
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Ammonium Sulphate for Lawns: Yes or No?
Ammonium sulphate, also known as sulphate of ammonia, is highly effective in promoting quick green leaf growth due to its high nitrogen content. Nitrogen is a key factor in lawn care, often represented as the N in the NPK ratio on fertilizer products. Despite its benefits, it is essential to consider the limitations and potential drawbacks before opting for ammonium sulphate to ensure long-term lawn health.
Impact on Lawn Health
While ammonium sulphate can stimulate rapid green growth, it may lead to other issues. For one, excessive nitrogen can cause the grass to grow too quickly, resulting in scalping during mowing. Scalping can damage the grass, making it more susceptible to pests, weeds, and diseases. Additionally, the lawn's ability to self-repair may be compromised, particularly if the crowns are damaged during mowing.
Essential Nutrients
Applying ammonium sulphate provides only nitrogen, neglecting other crucial nutrients like phosphorus and potassium. A balanced fertilization approach is vital for the lawn's overall health. Without these nutrients, your lawn may never reach its full potential. High-quality, balanced fertilizers offer a more sustainable and effective option for maintaining a healthy lawn throughout the year.
Application Tips
If you decide to use ammonium sulphate, apply it sparingly and only when necessary. Controlled application can help mitigate some of the potential negative effects. Always aim for a balanced nutrient supply to ensure the most favorable outcomes for your lawn.
For more lawn care tips and advice, contact the team at Daleys Turf, your local turf farmer.
Can I Add Ammonium Sulfate to the Lawn All Summer?
Robert Morris
Xtreme Horticulture
Question:
I was very interested in a recent article about adding ammonium sulfate to one's lawn to keep it green. Can I do this all summer long, every eight weeks?
Answer: The short answer is yes. Once a year, use a high-quality lawn fertilizer as one of the applications. The best lawn fertilizers have a ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2, with most of the nitrogen available as slow release. One example would be 21-7-14. There are many others.
The principal nutrient lawns need is nitrogen on a regular basis. Nitrogen fertilizers keep lawns green and lush. In the case of ammonium sulfate, this is 21-0-0. A bag of ammonium sulfate contains nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen in mineral form. There is no "filler" in it. Ammonium sulfate is 21 percent nitrogen. The usual recommendation for lawns is 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. This is applied with some sort of spreader, such as a drop spreader, a broadcast spreader, or a hose-end applicator. Since ammonium sulfate is 21 percent nitrogen, then 5 pounds of 21-0-0 deliver about 1 pound of nitrogen.
However, I find this rate is higher than necessary and lawns do just fine at half to three quarters of this rate. This is particularly true if mowing with a mulching mower and the clippings are allowed to fall back on the lawn. Lawn clippings are very high in nitrogen and act like an extra fertilizer application.
In about 99 percent of cases, we have two types of lawns out there: tall fescue and Bermuda grass. Both of these lawns require a high nitrogen fertilizer about every eight weeks; however, the timing of these applications is different. A fertilizer application at Thanksgiving is extremely important if you want a dark green lawn through the winter for tall fescue. It is unnecessary for Bermuda grass. For simplicity, I recommend applying lawn fertilizers to tall fescue on Labor Day, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving. For Bermuda grass, switch the Thanksgiving application to the Fourth of July.
There is no problem applying a fourth application to tall fescue during the heat around the Fourth of July as well, but it is probably unnecessary. Any application to tall fescue during the summer should be at the half rate I mentioned earlier.
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