RN
How long does liquid lawn fertiliser take to work?
How quickly do foliar application ones like Charger and Iron get absorbed and start showing results?
Comments · 3
Want to like, comment or start a new discussion? Join us in the app.
Open the NZLA App →
They take about 1-4 hours to get absorbed depending on temperature. I start seeing results within 24 hours.
Foliar uptake starts within minutes of the spray hitting the leaf, and most of the active product moves into the plant over the next few hours.
Iron+ is one of the fastest. You'll sometimes see results within 4-6 hours, and definitely within 24 hours.
Charger is a bit slower because there's more going on in the product. It's got growth promoters and a broader nutrient mix, so the plant has to use it rather than just respond to a colour fix. The speed of that response depends a lot on how fast the lawn is growing. In spring and early summer when growth is firing, Charger response shows up faster because the plant is already building new tissue and the foliar is feeding what's already happening. In late autumn and winter when temps drop and growth slows, the same Charger application takes longer to show because the plant isn't building tissue at the same rate. Sometimes you'll see something overnight, otherwise it's 2-4 days before the results start showing.
One thing worth raising. A lot of people think foliar liquids replace granular fertiliser, and the results end up underwhelming when they're solely relying on liquids. Liquids are a top-up. Your base granular is the bread and butter, the foliar is what takes the lawn to the next level.
If you look at the NZLA application guide, we've got key granular applications timed before slow-growth periods. Around now (heading into winter), the last granular for the season goes down, then we shift to liquids. That granular keeps steady nutrients running through the cooler months and the liquids top it up. Same pattern heading into summer. Granular goes down before the heat, then liquids through the warmer period. So we're never solely relying on liquids.
@Jonny Hicks thanks for the detailed response Jonny