Fertilizers are products with concentrated nutrients that are essential for plant growth. Common lawn fertilizers include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. While these nutrients naturally occur in the soil, air, and water, sometimes they are in low supply or otherwise out of balance. Soil testing can help you to determine the fertilizer that will work best with your lawn. All fertilizers have an N-P-K rating, which represents the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that they contain.

In addition to getting the N-P-K balance correct, you also need to determine how fast that you want the nutrients to be released. While fast-release fertilizers will cause your lawn to become green quickly, you also need to apply them more frequently and exercise caution to avoid burning your lawn. In contrast, slow-release formulas often yield the best long-term results because nutrients are released consistently over time.