PUBLICATION W161D
Turfgrass Maintenance: Essential Elements
If you have questions about this resource, contact your county Extension office.
Summary
Understand what turfgrasses need to stay healthy by learning the essential elements in plant nutrition and what deficiency symptoms can look like. This guide explains how turf gets carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from air and water, and the rest from soil minerals. It covers the primary nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the secondary nutrients calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, and key micronutrients like iron, manganese, and zinc. Includes notes on nutrient mobility in plants, typical tissue ranges, and why soil or tissue tests help prevent both deficiencies and toxic overapplication.
Publications in Series: Turfgrass Maintenance
Turfgrass Maintenance: Cultivation
Turfgrass Maintenance: Developing a Turf Fertilization Plan
Turfgrass Maintenance: Fertilizers
Turfgrass Maintenance: Irrigation
Turfgrass Maintenance: Mowers
Turfgrass Maintenance: Mowing
Turfgrass Maintenance: Rolling
Turfgrass Maintenance: Thatch
Turfgrass Maintenance: Topdressing
Harvested for You
Based on the subjects and categories of this publication, you may be interested in the following resources.
Turfgrass Selection for Tennessee Landscapes
Large Patch vs. Brown Patch in Turfgrass: How to Tell the Difference
Instructions for Collecting and Packing Turfgrass Sample for Diagnostic Lab
