Best fertilizer for Kentucky 31- Top 6 reviews and buying guide

A well-manicured lawn with a thick and healthy turf of grass is the perfect addition to any landscape; home or otherwise. This reality is the reason behind the rising popularity of Kentucky 31 grass. It has an impressive tolerance for traffic with low maintenance and requirements, while offering a great appearance. Like any other grass, there is the need to determine which fertilizer you should choose to ensure that your Kentucky 31 grass is well taken care of and continues to seed and spread out, covering more ground and digging deeper roots. This review and buying guide is structured to not only give you a couple of fertilizer suggestions but also equip you with a little of the knowledge that should go into choosing the right one for your Kentucky 31 lawn.

Comparison table

Fertilizer	Area covered	N-P-K ratio	Price
Espoma LS7	N/A	N/A	Check Price
Scotts Turf Builder	5000 Square meters	24-25-4	Check Price
Black Beauty Ultra	10000 Square meters	N/A	Check Price
Scotts – 3 in 1 Lawn Fertilizer	4000 Square meters	N/A	Check Price
Scotts Green Max Lawn Food	N/A	N/A	Check Price
Scotts 30075	N/A	N/A	Check Price

Espoma LS7 – Top general organic fertilizer pick

This organic fertilizer is the top pick of its kind because of its affordability, eco-friendliness and reliable high quality.

Specs

• N-P-K ratio: N/A
• Area covered: N/A
• Weight: 7.25 lbs.

This Espoma fertilizer is an all-natural lawn starter that is said and proven to promote the growth of thick new grass. This is because it is high in phosphorus to promote root development and has a little nitrogen to boost the overall growth of the grass and make its leaves wider and greener. It is granulated for easy spreading and is environmentally friendly, on top of being safe for kids and animals. Its organic nature allows it to break down gradually, in order to provide a safe and long lasting reservoir of nutrients for the grass.

This fertilizer has no N-P-K ratio because it is organic, making it a general fertilizer. This makes it impossible to target a specific nutrient to improve eon in the soil. In addition to this, it is slow acting, taking a longer time than inorganic fertilizers to show results, as would be expected from an organic fertilizer.

Pros

• It is environmentally friendly
• It is affordable
• It provides a lasting supply of nutrients for the plants
• It is a good starter fertilizer
• It can be used on any type of grass

Cons

• It is slow acting
• It has no N-P-K ratio

Verdict

This product would be a good pick for an environmental friendly grower of Kentucky 31, particularly in the early growing stages, because it acts well as a starter fertilizer.

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Scotts Turf Builder – Top inorganic starter fertilizer pick

This inorganic fertilizer is the top starter because of its affordability combined with its great quality and impressive blend of nutrients that are ideal for a young Kentucky 31 plant.

Specs

• N-P-K ratio: 24-25-4
• Area covered: 5000 square meters
• Weight: lbs.

This Scotts starter fertilizer has an N-P-K ratio of 24-25-4 which ensures that your grass gets a healthy amount of phosphorus to guarantee healthy and strong root system development as well as nitrogen to boost leaf growth and make your lawn a nice shade of luscious green. It is advertised to grow grass 31 percent quicker than with no fertilizer, which is quite impressive, especially with the slow spread out rate of Kentucky 31. In addition to this, it is suitable for any grass type, during planting a new lawn or reseeding an existing one that may be in decline.

This fertilizer is rather strong and requires watering down immediately it is applied. Some users have taken to applying it on their grass in the late afternoon, when the sun is almost down to avoid burns that could be aggravated by sunlight and heat. Therefore it is important that it is handled carefully and that the user ensures that they have completely watered it down after application.

Pros

• It is affordable
• It is of high quality
• It is a good starter fertilizer
• It is fast acting

Cons

• It may burn the soil or patches of the grass if used inappropriately

Verdict

This inorganic fertilizer would be a great pick for a potential user with newly planted Kentucky 31 seedlings that need a little boost to ensure that they have rapid and healthy growth, allowing them to mature into a full and attractive lawn.

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Black Beauty Ultra–Top Jonathan Green brand pick

This inorganic fertilizer is the top Jonathan green brand pick because of its high quality and great pest and drought resistance features

Specs

• N-P-K ratio: N/A
• Area covered: 10000 square feet
• Weight: 25 lbs.

This Jonathan Green fertilizer is a great general fertilizer for grass growers in disease and insect prone areas. It is very versatile because it can be used on any grass type and does well in a wide range of soil types; from clogged clay soil to free sandy soil. It also creates an invisible wax coating on seeds which preserve leaf moisture to protect the grass during summer and wards off disease and insects.

The N-P-K ratio on this fertilizer is not stated, which could lead to its grouping as a general fertilizer, but even that cannot be determined for certain since we do not know how the minerals balance out. This makes the product unsuitable for a user targeted at a given deficiency and blindsides even the one who isn’t as to which minerals they are enriching their soil with.

Pros

• It is fast acting
• It is suitable for a wide variety of grass types
• It does well in a wide range of soil types
• It is disease and insect resistant

Cons

• Its N-P-K ratio is not specified in its packaging

Verdict

This product would be a great choice for a grass grower whose main point of concern is disease and insect control. It has additions that help the grass grow to be insect and disease resistant.

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Scotts – 3 in 1 Lawn Fertilizer – Top 3 in one fertilizer pick

This fertilizer is the top 3 in one pick because of its guaranteed ability to give a 50 percent thicker lawn after use.

Specs

• N-P-K ratio:
• Area covered: 4000 square feet
• Weight: 40 lbs.

This 3 in one fertilizer is one of the best rated solutions to thin lawns. It includes fertilizer, seeds and soil improver. The seeds are present in the pack to help fill the gaps in your lawn, and would blend well with Kentucky 31 grass. The soil improver is made to improve the texture and quality of the soil in order to enhance root growth in terms of strength and depth. It also has fertilizer which makes your grass greener and works with the other two components to ensure that your lawn ends up 50 percent thicker than before.

This fertilizer does not have a specified N-P-K ratio, but is advertised as a general fertilizer. This makes it difficult to target and monitor the effects or deficiency of a given mineral. It also makes it an unsuitable product for a user who is seeking to nourish their plant with a specific nutrient or offset a given soil deficiency

Pros

• It is affordable
• It guarantees a thicker lawn
• It includes seed and soil improver

Cons

• It has no specified N-P-K ratio

Verdict

This product would be a great pick for a grass grower looking to thicken and expand their turf, making it greener and firmer with better root development.

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Scotts Green Max Lawn Food – Top general fertilizer pick

This is the top general fertilizer pick mainly because of its added iron and application to any grass type.

Specs

• N-P-K ratio: N/A
• Area covered: N/A
• Weight: 16.5 Lbs.
• It has Iron

This general fertilizer would be a great solution to a thinning Kentucky 31 lawn or one with patches that the user seeks to fill out. Its 2 in one formula offers the grass helpful nutrients including phosphorous for good root development and iron, which helps with the overall growth of the grass. It is also suitable for any grass type, which makes it very flexible.

This Fertilizer is rather strong and would stain the ground and grass if it is not applied in careful and exact compliance with the directions on the package. It may also need to be watered down a little bit especially in an area that experiences harsh direct sunlight.

Pros

• It is affordable
• It is fast acting
• It supplements with iron
• It can be used on any grass type

Cons

• It is strong and may stain the grass and ground

Verdict

This fertilizer would be great for a user who is looking to fill patches in their tall fescue lawn, or one who may have noticed an iron deficiency in their grass and seeks to even it out.

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Scotts 30075 – Impressive Scotts model pick

This three in one fertilizer is impressive because of its affordability and effectiveness.

Specs

• N-P-K ratio: N/A
• Area covered: N/A
• Weight: 40 lbs.

This three in one Scotts fertilizer is great for reviving Kentucky 31 grass lawns that have bare patches or with thinning grass. It has been proven and reviewed to help fill these patches and improve the colour and breadth of grass leaves, resulting in a beautiful revived grass lawn. It should be watered down after use to avoid scorching the ground or the grass, preferably in the evening.

This fertilizer is advertised as being suitable for all soil types, while in fact it does not do well in clay soil. This wrong advertisement would lead to the wastage of time and money by a grass grower who may have that type of soil. It also does not have a specific N-P-K ratio which makes it highly general.

Pros

• It is affordable
• It is effective, increasing turf thickness
• It is of high quality

Cons

• It does not do well in clay soil
• Its N-P-K ratio is not specified

Verdict

This general fertilizer would be great for a user in an area with loam or sandy soil

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What should you consider when choosing a fertilizer?

• Soil nutrient levels

These are the nutrient levels of the soil where you intend to plant or have already planted your grass seeds. It is important to get a fertilizer that compliments the soil composition by filling in the deficiencies while helping the plant other than saturating the soil. For example, it would be unwise to buy nitrogen fertilizer for an area where plants are already showing signs of having too much nitrogen. It is possible to buy a soil testing kit, which could help you determine which kind of fertilizer you need or to simply take a soil sample to the nearest lab for paid testing.

• N-P-K Ratio

This refers to the percentages of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, respectively that is present in a given fertilizer. It is usually found on the cover of the fertilizer bag, and should be one of the first things you look out for when buying a fertilizer, in line with your soil nutrient level and the needs and requirements of your crop.

This ratio is usually hyphenated and in percentage. For example, a fertilizer whose N-P-K ratio is 20-32-10, has a 20 percent concentration of nitrogen, a 32 percentage concentration of phosphorus and a 10 percent concentration of potassium. There are also fertilizers that have only one nutrient and they are referred to as straight fertilizers. For example, an N-P-K ratio of 0-12-0 would be for a straight phosphorous fertilizer.

• Cost Vs Quality

It is common knowledge that the finer things are more expensive, and this is no different when it comes to fertilizers. The argument that cheaper products are of poorer quality while higher priced fertilizers are better would stand. However, this does not mean that there are no affordable options for the farmer who is on a budget, making it very important for you to assess the price of each product against its quality. This can be done by reading its reviews and judging its suitability to meet your demands.

• Organic Vs synthetic fertilizers

Fertilizers can broadly be categorized as either organic or synthetic. Both types appeal to different users because of their strong points. Synthetic fertilizers are synthesized and processed from chemicals, making them faster acting, more expensive and easier to target. They typically appeal to either large scale farmers or those with very specific nutrient deficiencies in their plants. The flip side to these synthetic fertilizers is that some of them can cause environmental degradation due to poor drainage and manufacturing while others can end up burning the soil and the plant if not used properly.

Organic fertilizers are plant and animal based and are usually varying forms of feeds and compost. Their best selling points are that they are environmentally friendly, since they decompose and can be made from farm and home waste, making it a cheap alternative. The flip side to going organic is that you will be required to do a little research on which compost will give the highest percentage of which nutrient, since it does not come with a label if it is home made. Organic fertilizers are usually slow acting, taking a while to show effects since they depend on organisms in the soil to decompose them to release their nutrients, but they have longer lasting and healthier effect on the soil.

• Special purpose Vs General fertilizers.

This factor is closely tied to the N-P-K ratio in that, general fertilizers are those with an almost equal ratio, while special purpose ones target a specific nutrient. For example, starter fertilizers often have a higher phosphorus percentage, because it ensures root development, followed by a slightly lower nitrogen one for leaf development and a little potassium for weed intolerance.

Final thoughts

Choosing the right fertilizer can either make or break your Kentucky 31 lawn. Therefore it is imperative that you take the time to get your soil and seedlings or mature plants tested to identify their areas of nutrient deficiency then use this information to search the market for the best and most relevant fertilizer for you.