Get the most welfare from turf fertilizer by applying it at the right-hand sentence . This seasonal guide will lead the way of life .
Blaine Moats
Fertilizer can give a lawn a hike , but lie with when tofertilize your lawnis vital for your grass to acquire the full benefit of those vital nutrients . Feeding your greensward at the right times through the seasons can result infewer lawn sens , less insect and disease issues , and better tolerance of drouth and temperature extreme point . This guidebook will facilitate you work up a simple fertilizer calendar that will help you save money and clock time , while give you succulent , goodly grass .
Credit:Blaine Moats
Start with a Soil Test
It is essential to know the nutrient piece of music of your soil before applying lawn fertilizer . Overfertilization is a unwashed problemthat has far - reaching contrary environmental result , from groundwater contamination to degradation of waterways . Take sentence to perform a ground test through a reputable examination lab . Your local extension serving can be a resource , and there are also several online filth testing company .
A soil test will reveal levels of P ( phosphorus ) , potassium ( K ) , calcium ( Ca ) , and magnesium ( Mg ) , along withsoil pH. Turf grasses use large quantities of atomic number 7 ( N ) for growth , but there is n’t a reliable test for this nutrient . well-timed software of a lawnfertilizer with the N - P - K ratioindicated by the soil test will provide ample N . Plan to have the soil tested every two or three years to wield an accurate picture show of your lawn ’s nutrient needs .
Know Your Grass
Thetype of grass that make up your lawnhelps determinefertilizer timingby season . Lawn grass is divided into two groups : cool - time of year grass and warm - time of year grasses :
Homeowners in moderate coastal mood and the lower Midwest might be growing coolheaded - season or warm - season dope . But in general , if winter brings snow to your landscape painting , you ’re belike grow cool - season grass , such as Kentucky bluegrass or marvellous fescue . These weed have a mild texture and stay light-green deep into the declivity .
If you live in a region that does n’t receive snow in the wintertime , your lawn is belike a warm - time of year gage , such as bermudagrass , St. Augustinegrass , or zoysiagrass . These grasses have a rough-cut grain and quickly wrick brown in cool weather .
When to Fertilize Cool-Season Lawns
Only fertilize a lawn when it is actively growing . Cool - season lawns vigorously expand their roots and blades in spring and twilight , making these the ripe sentence to fertilize them .
Spring
practice a balanced lawn fertilizer as indicated by the soil test in springafter the second mowing . apply a slow - release fertiliser to limit surplus growing and bring home the bacon nutrients over the course of several weeks . Apply up to 1 pound of boring - release fertiliser per 1,000 square feet in springtime .
Word of precaution : avoid overfertilizing in the spring . A sudden influx of N will make grass to grow tight at the expense of ascendant wellness . Too much nitrogen in the spring can make a rickety root system that is n’t able to withstand the warmth and drouth in summertime .
Summer
Apply little or no plant food in summer . The lawn grow more slowly in summer and utilise fewer nutrient . drouth and heatmight push the lawn into dormancy . No amount of fertilizer will green up a abeyant lawn . Fertilizing a rut - accent or drouth - stressed lawn can breed the problem as fertilizer goad the dope to grow , but it may not have equal wet to do so .
Fall
assuredness - season pasture do good most from fertiliser apply in the fall . Fertilizing help oneself the grass recover from the stress of summer by provide the necessary nutrients for root word and shoot down outgrowth . feed in fall leads to a denser carpet of turf andprepares the locoweed for wintertime . Apply about 1 pound of atomic number 7 - containing fertilizer per 1,000 square foot two or three prison term at one - month time interval begin in other crepuscule .
Winter
Do not fertilize a cool - season lawn in winter . It is inactive and not actively arise . fertilize in winter is wasteful and harmful to the sod .
When to Fertilize Warm-Season Lawns
Always fecundate a warm - time of year lawn when it is actively raise . broadly , warm - season sens get when nighttime temperature are above 70 ° degree Fahrenheit . The maintenance requirements and overall appearance of ardent - season skunk are greatly influenced by the amount of fertilizer applied over the course of a year .
More plant food will belike bring about a mellow timber lawn , but along with that carpeting - like appearance comeshigher urine demands , more mowing , and in some sheath , a greater susceptibility to pests and diseases . The recommendations share here are for a low-toned - maintenance lawn ; it will look not bad but not demand a lot of extra attention .
await to fertilize in spring until after you have mow the grass two or three times . fertilise a quick - season lawn too early on is a surefire fashion to cause turf dieback and lawn trouble for months ahead . Bermudagrass , St. Augustinegrass , and zoysiagrass do well with a saltation coating of 1 pound of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet . Do n’t inseminate centipedegrass and buffalograss in spring ; they get well with just onefertilizer applicationin the fall .
Fuel the rampant summer growth of quick - time of year grass by fertilizingBermudagrass , St. Augustinegrass , andzoysiagrasswith an additional pound of slow - release nitrogen - containing fertilizer per 1,000 satisfying feet . Choose a dim - release formula to avoid surges of growth . Just like in spring , do n’t fertilise centipedegrass and buffalograss .
summertime fertiliser is not essential for good growth ; warm - season grasses can easily be maintained with a outflow and fall fertiliser practical software . fertilize in summer will ensue in a greener lawn , provided rainfall is tolerable . If drouth experimental condition develop and quick - time of year grass go dormant in summer , do not feed . Fertilizing hibernating sens can kill the turf .
Fall is the most good clip to fertilize warm - season lawns . If you could only fecundate your sward once a year , do it in the descent . Applying lawn fertiliser in twilight spurs warm - season grasses to increase density , which helps them dissent wintertime weeds . fecundate in the fall also better the color of the grass and ready the sward for strong increase in spring .
Make a drop lotion of 1 pound of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of lawnat least six weeks before frostis require . The turf needs this lead time to take in the nutrient before growth cease in winter . Use a water - soluble or quick - access form of nitrogen .
Do not fertilize a warm - time of year lawn in winter .
