What Does Potassium Do for Grass in the lawn?

It helps in addressing the lawn fertility and the way it has an impact on your lawn. This article will cover the role of Potassium in grass growth and ways of applying it to your lawn to boost the health of the soil in your yard.

What does Potassium do for grass on the lawn?  

There are several ways in which Potassium can help the grass on the lawn; some of the major ones include the following: 

• Gains good growth – Potassium is among the primary macronutrients which help achieve good grass and plant growth in your lawn. It helps facilitate the development and growth of the leaves and stem (at the cellular level). It uses the photosynthesis process that allows the plants to make food with the help of water, sunlight and air with their green chlorophyll. 
• Boost-up immunity – The presence of Potassium helps improve the disease and immunity resistance, thus making the plant and grass healthier. The increased immunity helps the grass sustain attacks by fungal infections and diseases. Potassium assures a healthier lawn, thus allowing the grass and plants to be strong in your yard. 
• Boost up the stress resistance – Adding Potassium to your lawn can help with withstanding issues like heat stress, drought, and freezing temperatures. The plant’s cellular structure gains an added strength, which otherwise can get damaged with time. 
• Xylem-power enhancer – The overall water-circulation system within the plant gains strength with Potassium. It helps in adding ample water that makes plants healthy. Without the Potassium, the plants can grow yellow due to the lack of water. An adequate amount of Potassium in the grass can allow you to feed a little less water. 
• Effective root development – Potassium plays a vital role in root development and helps with good nutrient uptake. Roots are essential to grass and plants as they collect all the minerals and water from the soil. Thus they help in holding the plant and grass firmly in the soil. Also, roots are essential in the perspective of the environment as they prevent soil erosion. 
• Helps cell walls to become strong – Potassium helps make the grass strong by strengthening cell walls. Hence if you are keen on making the grass strong and hardy, adding some Potassium can help the cells grow strong. 

These are some of the main functions of Potassium, while a few minor functions are also worth noting.

What are the key Potassium Benefits for lawn Grass? 

There are several benefits Potassium can give to lawn grasses; some of these are as follows:

• Plant Metabolism: The presence of good potassium levels among grass and plants help in retaining water and act as a balance for the nutrient. It allows the plant to regulate the phosphorus and nitrogen level absorbed at any time. 
• Root Development – Generally, phosphorus plays a vital role in trading the grass and plants, which requires root development. However, Potassium also plays a crucial role in developing and shaping the roots of tender grass and plants. 
• Disease Resistance – Potassium helps develop a strong defensive system in plants and grass. It further helps in making the grass stress-resistant during extreme temperatures. It also takes care of the excessive wear and tear of the grass due to high foot traffic. 

These are some of the critical benefits Potassium offers to lawn grass. It has an important role in its growth and sustenance during extreme weather conditions.

The other Functions 

There are a few other minor functions, which come with the help of Potassium in the plant or grass, have a look: 

Potassium helps in nutrient uptake. Many lawn owners going for DIY lawn care options often use humic acid in their yards to boost nutrient uptake. However, Potassium also has similar effects. If your grass faces Potassium deficiency in the root system, it will fail to collect the other nutrients effectively. Sugars, starches, proteins, iron, and other micronutrients essential for healthy grass. 

Potassium also helps pass all the nutrients from the soil to the grass. If you find the soil too acidic (pH under 6.2), it hampers the nutrients, including Potassium, which suffers a lot. Hence, it is always good to maintain the pH level before you plan for fertilization. Thus you have another big reason to conduct the soil test before adding any other fertilizing product to your yard. 

Potassium in Nature 

Potassium is an essential nutrient that is present naturally in the soil. It is responsible for the good growth of plants and grass. It helps in withstanding issues like diseases, drought and stress. It also helps improve the capabilities that help with withstanding the extremes of elements like stress. Potassium also helps the grass to use other nutrients like nitrogen efficiently. 

As discussed, the chemical symbol of Potassium is K. It is mined and developed as potash, primarily salts containing Potassium in the water-soluble form. It is a common fertilizer found in inorganic versions of muriatic potash and potassium sulfate. 

Potash is available in bulk quantity in different soils, yet, these are not available for the uptake by the plant. The soils having high clay content offer hiding places for Potassium to bind, making it unavailable. We can find Potassium occurring naturally in any compost sources and organic fertilizer. These include seaweed products, animal feeds, bedding material and animal feeds.

How does lawn grass use Potassium? 

Plants require Potassium in a large quantity for their adequate growth of plants and grass. When the soil gets soluble potash, it helps the grass sustain stress, particularly diseases and situations like drought. Potassium helps maintain the turgor pressure found in cells of the plant. It also helps enhance the lawn grass’s drought tolerance, disease resistance and cold hardiness. 

However, the soil with Potassium deficiency can lead to issues like winter injury, vulnerability to drought conditions and disease. The grass and plants in your yard have Potassium in a mobile form. It can be offered to the soil in bulk only to maintain the optimal growth of the grass. A soil test is the best way to understand the health of the soil. However, it sometimes becomes difficult due to the deficiency of other nutrients. 

Your goal as a lawn owner should be soil with good health, which will consist of the optimal level of potassium that is naturally available. However, if you fail to get the quantity naturally, you can add it with the help of fertilizers. You can find different fertilizer blends in the market with higher Potassium content. Using such fertilizers reduces the winter damage on your lawn. 

When should you apply Potassium to Grass? 

Most lawn care experts vouch for combining traditional fertilization plans with potassium applications. Applying Potassium while fertilizing during the late spring and summer and adding it during the late fall season will only make the grass hard even before the cold frosts finally come. 

Opting for the slow-release fertilizers can also help in adding good effects to your lawn. Taking a resort in a mulching mower can help boost Potassium availability. It is done by breaking of the grass and leaves clippings that further return as Potassium to the soil. These broken-down clippings have rich Potassium and other nutrient content. They can be absorbed by the grass and plants on the lawn.

What are the common types of Potassium Fertilizers?

Most lawn owners use two versions of Potassium products for their lawn grass. You can even check the compost teas and compost as a choice for getting Potassium for applying over your lawn. However, these do not remain exact, and it only offers unknown quantities to the lawn grass. If your lawn grass is potassium deficient, you can use liquid soluble or granular fertilizer for your lawn. 

Conducting a soil sample once a year with potassium lawn fertilizer is always a good idea. Hence going for a soil test is a good idea. The best option is to consider some specifications that help quickly perform site assessment. Now, let us check the common types of potassium fertilizers listed below:

• Granular Potash – Using this fertilizer with the help of a spreader is one of the best ways to thoroughly saturate the lawn to increase the potassium numbers up to the ideal quantity. To have an excellent lush green lawn, you should have the soil test result. You can use a drop spreader or any broadcast spreader per the size of your lawn. Then you can get good coverage for fertilizer in the yard. 

Do keep in mind to apply the chosen fertilizer way before it rains. Also, you should go for fertilization before even carrying out the irrigation. You should do it before the soil reaches the root zone for adjacent plants and grass. For effective use, you can rely on a broadcast or drop spreader as per the size of your grass area and then find the appropriate coverage for the fertilization of your lawn. 

• Liquid Soluble Potash – These are the best options for small lawns that do not need any spreader. In this way, it avoids the cost of buying a spreader. You can apply the liquid fertilizers using the garden hose, and one can apply them easily while watering the grass. However, it is always a good idea to check the instructions to avoid excessive use of Potassium. It will also help you avoid wasting any product. 

If you have small grass areas, you can apply small fertilizer applications during the late spring season, in the middle of summer or in mid-fall. It helps in maintaining a healthy lawn with one extensive application. Liquid fertilizers offer several benefits, provided they are applied using water. The liquid product does not affect the root zone, provided you follow the instructions. Check for the complete grass-growing guide.

Is Too Much Potassium Bad For Your Lawn?

No, it is not. So, if you have applied excessive potassium fertilizer, you do not have to worry. However, avoiding going overboard in using these fertilizers is always recommended as you would only waste it on your lawn. Adding a bit of excess fertilizer may not impact the plant. However, you should supply a decent amount of nitrogen for optimum results. We know Potassium is soluble in water; however, using it while watering may wash away the fertilizer. 

Thus it is always a good idea to apply it throughout the year. However, you should avoid applying highly concentrated potassium doses as it can seriously affect animals and humans. Also, from the environmental perspective, adding an excessive amount of potassium fertilizer is not a big deal. The reason is simple: it is not considered a pollutant. On the other hand, adding other fertilizers in excess quantities is a bad idea compared to Potassium based fertilizers. 

In conclusion, Potassium is an important nutrient for grass and plants; and hence, you include it in your fertilization schedule. It helps the grass grow strong and defy the issues faced during the summer and winter to promote healthy soil on your lawn. 

If you are among the novices keen on having a healthy yard, start with a soil test, understand the current potassium level in your lawn and start using it effectively. You can start using the Potassium based fertilizer to maintain the lush green grass on your lawn. Or, contact Eden today for professional help.