Don’t get me wrong, urea has a place in lawn and garden care, but if you are looking for a lush, green, stress-tolerant home lawn, steer clear of urea. I have four alternatives that will make a huge difference for your Western Australian lawn.
What’s the problem with using Urea?
When you fertilise your lawn or garden, there are different macro and micro nutrients that your lawns and plants need to thrive. The three main nutrients your lawns and plants need (macro nutrients) are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). In addition, there are lots of micro nutrients like Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Sulfur (S) and many more that are useful.
Nitrogen helps leaf growth and colour. Phosphorus helps roots, fruits and flowers. Potassium helps the plant’s general health.
Urea’s nutritional break down is simply this: Lots of nitrogen, nothing else.
Because nitrogen helps your lawn grow lots of dark green leaves, on the surface it looks like some really good things are happening, but these are literally just surface level improvements.
You see, the problem with urea is not that it has no benefits; it is that it doesn’t have enough benefits and in the medium and long term, this is going to have negative consequences for your lawn.
3 common issues with urea-fertilised lawns
- Too much growth which leads to a thatchy/spongy lawn.
This thatch ultimately limits the lawn’s water and nutrient uptake which reduces colour and vibrancy in the hotter months. The only remedy for thatch is an expensive and laborious vertimowing service. - No root growth promoted.
This results in a lawns that struggle in the hotter months. It is not uncommon for these lawns to look green and beautiful until the very first heat wave comes. - Little disease resistance.
Because the lawn is lacking in key nutrients, it becomes weak and susceptible to some fungal diseases.
4 great alternatives that will give you a beautiful lawn
The following options are complete fertilisers from WA companies made for WA conditions. At Silverstone Gardening, we have used all of these products and have had great success. So, in no particular order:
Bailey’s Sure Green Gold/Maintain
This fertiliser has 50% of it’s nitrogen readily available and 50% slow release. This means that your lawn will get an instant hit AND will also not need to be fed again for 10-12 weeks post-application. A high iron content means a deep, rich colour and moderate amounts of phosphorus and potassium make this a great fertiliser for the growing season.
Click here for more information on Sure Green Gold/Maintain
Baileys 411
This product is a great winter fertiliser. It has a lot of phosphorus and a wide range of micro nutrients which is great for lawn health. It also has a form of nitrogen that is more readily available in the winter months.
Click here for more information on 411
Eco-Prime Emerald
Emerald is a complete rock mineral NPK fertiliser impregnated with beneficial microbes. It’s a very good growing season fertiliser that gives a great colour and promotes root growth.
Click here for more information on Emerald
Eco-Prime Red
Red has high potassium and very high phosphorus content which makes it great for promoting root growth and plant health. Great to use on new lawn and also on patchy lawn.
Click here for more information on Red
If choosing the right fertiliser is too complicated for you, contact us today. We can organise for an experienced gardener to diagnose exactly what you lawn need and apply the correct fertilisers to suit.
