Phosphorous
Phosphorous is an important nutrient for your lawn. It assures good leaf and plant growth and also improves turf density which reduces water runoff and pollution. In this article, we’ll go over how this element helps your lawn.
Phosphorous is an essential macronutrient. Many associate phosphorous with healthy root development. In truth, plants use phosphorous for much more. It’s found in plant cells and energy-rich phosphate is used to fuel the cells’ metabolic machinery. Without phosphorous, leaf, root and stem growth slows down. Phosphorous is also active in transferring energy in plants and is a vital component of ATP, the fuel used to energize plants that’s formed during photosynthesis.
Phosphorous assists plants in developing a strong root filter system in the soil by efficiently picking up other nutrients including water. As a macronutrient it is attributed to flower formation, seed production and a faster growth process in plants. In addition it strengthens plant DNA, genetic memory units and build proteins by reading DNA code and other essential compounds to bridge any gaps between components and help the plant grow.
You do need to be careful about excessive phosphorous in your soil. Excess can enter surface waters from a number of sources and can cause algae build-up making the water unsafe to drink. That’s why it’s important to have just the right amount of phosphorous in your lawn. Too much is unsafe, not enough and your plants won’t grow properly and efficiently.
For more information on soil nutrients, check out our other blog posts. If you have any questions about lawn nutrition and how to improve it, give us a call at 512-990-2199. We’ll be happy to help!
