Weekly Insight Week 22
Growing Grass in the Desert Starts Here

May 24 - 30 , 2026

Monday, Memorial Day, is a day set aside to honor those who gave their lives in military service to our country. It falls on the last Monday of May, ensuring we pause at the start of the week to reflect on the cost of our freedoms. It’s a meaningful reminder that our everyday lives are shaped by the ultimate sacrifices of those who served.

While Memorial Day honors those who fell in service, it’s also a day when many of us reflect on others who left lasting marks on our lives. Whether it’s a loved one who guided us or shaped who we’ve become, we carry their lessons forward, too, grateful for their influence as we honor those who gave all.

Understanding Granular and Liquid Fertilizers

One of the biggest misconceptions in lawn care is that there is only one “right” fertilizer program.

The truth is, both granular and liquid fertilizers have a place in a healthy lawn program. The key is understanding what you are trying to accomplish and matching the fertilizer to the condition of the lawn.

A good fertilizer program is not just about making grass greener. It is about:

Growth.
Root development.
Recovery from stress.
Density.
Color.
Water management.
Overall plant health.

The more you understand what fertilizer actually does, the easier it becomes to make good decisions.

Start by Evaluating the Lawn

Before applying any fertilizer, step back and honestly evaluate the condition of the lawn.

I like to use a simple scale from 1 to 10.

A 1 means the lawn is thin, weak, patchy, nutrient deficient, or struggling.
A 10 means the lawn is dense, healthy, balanced, and thriving.

Most lawns usually fall somewhere in the middle.

This matters because different fertilizers accomplish different goals.

Granular Fertilizers

Building the Foundation

Granular fertilizers are usually best for lawns in the 1 - 7 range.

Granular products primarily work through the soil and root system. They are excellent for:

Building soil fertility.
Feeding the root zone.
Delivering larger amounts of nutrients.
Creating long-term improvement.

For example, a granular 16-8-8 fertilizer contains:

16% Nitrogen.
8% Phosphorus.
8% Potassium.

A simple way to estimate product rates is:

Divide 100 by the first number.
Add a zero.

So:

100 ÷ 16 = 6.25.
That means roughly 6.25 lbs of product per 1,000 sq. ft. delivers about 1 lb of nitrogen.

If Bermuda grass needs roughly 6 lbs of nitrogen annually, that may require around six properly timed granular applications throughout the growing season.

Granular fertilizers are excellent for rebuilding and maintaining lawns over time.

Liquid Fertilizers

Precision and Fine-Tuning

Liquid fertilizers are often best for lawns in the 7 - 10 range, where the goal shifts from rebuilding to fine-tuning.

Liquid fertilizers are commonly absorbed faster through plant tissue and can provide:

Faster green-up.
Faster color response.
More precise nutrient adjustments.
Improved micronutrient delivery.

For example, liquid iron can often green up turf much faster than a granular iron source because the plant absorbs it directly through the leaf blade.

That does not necessarily make liquid “better.”
It simply means it works differently.

Liquids are excellent tools when:

Fine-tuning color.
Correcting deficiencies.
Spoon-feeding nutrients.
Managing high-end lawns.

The tradeoff is that liquids usually require:

More frequent applications.
More precision.
Better calibration.
More management.

Understanding the Numbers

What N-P-K Really Means

Every fertilizer bag has three numbers.

Example:
16-8-8

Those numbers represent:

Nitrogen (N).
Phosphorus (P).
Potassium (K).

Here is an easy way to remember their jobs:

Nitrogen = UP

Nitrogen primarily drives:

Top growth.
Green color.
Leaf production.

Nitrogen makes the grass grow upward.

Too much nitrogen can create:

Excess mowing.
Puffiness.
Thatch.
Increased disease pressure.

Phosphorus = DOWN

Phosphorus supports:

Root development.
Energy movement.
Establishment.
Blooming in ornamental plants.

Phosphorus helps build what is happening below the ground.

Potassium = OUT

Potassium helps with:

Stress tolerance.
Drought tolerance.
Heat recovery.
Cold tolerance.
Overall plant hardiness.

Potassium strengthens the plant and helps it recover from environmental stress.

Measuring Matters

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is not knowing their lawn size.

Every fertilizer application is based on square footage.

Without proper measurements:

Products get overapplied.
Money gets wasted.
Lawns become stressed.
Results become inconsistent.

A simple method is:

Break the lawn into rectangles.
Multiply length × width.
Add the sections together.

Once you know the square footage, fertilizer calculations become much easier and far more accurate.

The Real Goal

At the end of the day, fertilizer is simply a tool.

There is no magic fertilizer.

The goal is understanding:

What your lawn needs.
What you are trying to accomplish.
Which fertilizer best fits the situation.

Some lawns need rebuilding.
Some lawns need fine-tuning.
Some lawns need less fertilizer, not more.

The healthiest lawns are usually not the lawns receiving the most fertilizer. They are the lawns receiving the right fertilizer, at the right rate, at the right time.

Monte Sims
BES-TEX Supply
4512 Adobe Drive
San Angelo, TX 76903
325.653.1300