There are a few things you can do with lawn fertilizer to create a strong, healthy lawn that resists weeds and illness. With these tips on when to fertilize your lawn, you can have the yard you’ve always wanted!
When should you fertilize your lawn? If you only fertilize your lawn once a year, do so around the weekend. That’s when your lawn is starving and will respond best to the nutrients you provide it. Fertilizing now will assist replenish food supplies after a long, difficult year of growth and before the onset of winter’s severity.
Apply just enough fertilizer in the spring to help your lawn green-up. It will suffice to use around half of the customary amount. Even if you don’t fertilize, your lawn will grow swiftly as soon as the temperature rises consistently. Have you ever noticed how quickly grass grows in late spring and early summer? Why fertilize at this time to encourage even more growth?
Fertilizers can be a useful tool for keeping a lawn healthy, dense, and attractive, but it can also be harmful to the environment if not utilized properly.
Fertilizers can be a useful tool for keeping a lawn healthy, dense, and attractive, but they can also be harmful to the environment if not utilized properly. When it comes to fertilizing, I see far too many folks who aren’t paying attention. They’re either in a rush or don’t give a damn. They believe that the small amount of fertilizer washed off your lawn and into the street makes no difference. But what if this was shared by all of your neighbors? Or, even worse, every lawn owner in your community? We can benefit the environment not only by using less fertilizer but also by ensuring that it stays where it belongs.
Never use fertilizer close to wetlands, rivers, streams, lakes, or ponds. We’re attempting to cultivate lawn grasses rather than aquatic weeds. Excessive weed growth and algae blooms will result from high nutrient loading in these types of water features. That is something that no one desires. When applying fertilizer, keep at least 6 to 8 feet away from water.
Fertilizing your lawn in a variety of ways:
- Using a Rotary Spreader or a Broadcast Spreader
- Making Use of a Drop Spreader
- Spreading Broadcasts with a Handheld Broadcast Spreader
- Using a Pre-Calibrated, Battery-Powered Handheld Spreader
- Water and Fertilizer
- Grasscycling
- Aeration of the soil
When Should Warm-Season Grasses Be Fertilized?
The timing of fertilization is determined by the type of grass you have. Fertilizing should be done immediately before the grass reaches its peak growth period. If you reside in the south and your lawn is made up of warm-season grasses, fertilize it in the late spring or early summer, just before the grass begins to grow rapidly. Late in the summer, submit a second application. After the first of September, if your warm-season grass goes dormant in the winter, don’t fertilize it.
When Should Cool-Season Grasses Be Fertilized?
In the early fall, fertilize cool-season grasses. The term “winterize fertilizer” is frequently used to describe these fertilizers. Cool-season grasses, according to many lawn care pros, may get by with only one fertilizer application each year, in the fall. The spring green-up is accelerated thanks to the fall feeding. Fertilize in October or November in most areas where cool-season grasses flourish. Make treatments before the entrance of cold weather causes the grass to yellow. To find out the best time to plant in your area, contact your local extension office or a reputable garden center.
Fescue, bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass are examples of cool-season grasses. In locations with chilly winters, cool season grasses thrive at temperatures of 60 to 75 degrees (roughly Zones 5 and colder).
Compost is used as a fertilizer
Many people are experimenting with organic lawn care. One alternative for environmentally responsible lawn maintenance is to fertilize turf using compost. The nitrogen that compost provides to a lawn is slowly absorbed by grassroots, preventing severe nitrogen leaching. Excess lawn fertilization is a major contributor to groundwater contamination, and it is now prohibited in several states and municipalities. To learn about any unique standards for your area, contact your local extension office or a respected garden center.
When Should You Use Compost?
Compost not only feeds the grass but also helps to create and nourish the soil. Compost is made up of microorganisms, micronutrients, and organic matter, all of which help to replenish your lawn’s soil and promote a healthy subsurface habitat. When is it appropriate to use compost? Spread a thin layer of fertilizer over lawns in the early spring to encourage rapid growth. Spread compost after aerating to improve soil and give roots a boost whenever you want to aerate. Applying compost before overseeding thin turf is also an excellent idea. Add a shovelful of compost to grass in numerous locations.
Sweep up and collect any fertilizer that remains on hard surfaces, such as your driveway, sidewalk, or street, after you’ve finished fertilizing. Rains will eventually wash fertilizer into water features and storm drains if it is left on these surfaces.
Fertilizer should never be applied on frozen ground. If you’re impatient to apply your crabgrass preventer in the spring, this can easily happen. It’s too early to apply a crabgrass preventer if the ground is still frozen. In a nutshell, be a decent steward of the environment.
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