Is Fertilizer Necessary for a Lawn in Texas?

Requirement

• A number of factors determine lawn requirement for fertilizers. These include the type of grass, climate and mowing practices. The best way to determine fertilizer requirements is to conduct a soil test. Besides providing a guideline for the three essential nutrients -- nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium -- a soil test will also let you know the soil pH so that you can add lime or other soil amendments as needed.

Amount

• The amount of fertilizer is determined by the size of the lawn or the total square feet of lawn area in the landscape. You can calculate this by multiplying the entire length of your lot by the depth and then subtracting the square footage of the house, driveway, garage and areas covered by plants.

Formulation

• Fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in ratios indicated by the N-P-K digits on the fertilizer label. Doug Welsh and Aletha St. Romain, in "Doug Welsh's Texas Garden Almanac" (2007), recommend 1-0-1 or 1-0-0 fertilizers for Texas lawns by.