QuestionI live in Orlando , FL and I have been following a Scots fertilizer program to help thicken my lawn up , been mowing at about 3 - 3 1/2 inches high . I've been leaving the clippings down (I have a mulching mower) and the grass just doesn't seem to be responding to anything that I've been doing . What alternatives could I try ?
Answer Do you mean that you want more grass to grow and cover the ground? Or do you want the existing lawn to look more green? Or both?
If you have been getting a lot of rain, that will certainly weaken the turf. Drying out will help. Organic products like "Milorganite" and "Black Kow" will stimulate the runners to throw out roots and the turf will 'thicken' in time.
On the other hand, if you want the turf to 'green up' and you have already put down fertilizer, then the matter requires a little more attention. Water has to be adequate because plants cannot eat solid food. Yet if water is too much, it will dissolve the fertilizer and carry it away. Then there is the fertilizer itself; slow release? Look at the label where it says 'nitrogen source'. It should indicate how much is quick release or not. Urea, ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate are very soluble and disappear quickly; such fertilizers are generally cheaper. These products can be coated or treated in other ways to make them less soluble but this will cost you more. I do not know if this answers your questions but hopefully you will be able to figure it out from here.
