Updated Mar 14, 2023
Updated Mar 14, 2023
Fertilizer brings much-needed nutrients to the soil. A good fertilizer will control weeds, promote plant growth, and ensure high-quality soil, allowing you to grow healthy, dense grass for your lawn. Applying fertilizer is an essential step in maintaining a healthy and beautiful yard. But timing is everything—otherwise, you’re wasting money or causing environmental damage to your local ecosystem.
Here’s the essential information for learning when and how to fertilize your lawn.
Don’t overfeed your lawn—fertilizer is expensive, can damage the environment, and won’t necessarily help your grass grow. You’ll need to apply fertilizer only once or twice per year for most yards. When planning to apply fertilizer, check the weather report.
The best time to fertilize is the day after a rainstorm—you can simulate with a heavy watering—so the ground is ready and able to absorb the nutrients. The worst time is right before a heavy downpour, as the fertilizer would wash away and potentially cause environmental harm due to runoff in stream systems and tributaries.
However, the key determinant is not based on season—it’s based on the type of grass you’re growing. There are two primary types of grass, and your lawn will be one, the other, or both.
These grasses grow best in cooler weather and are common in the northern United States. All cool-season grasses perform best when fertilized between the end of summer and the first frost; depending on how your lawn fares during winter, you may decide to fertilize lightly in late spring before the rainy season. To determine if this is necessary, give your lawn the look test—if it looks healthy, don’t fertilize. Common cool-season grasses include Kentucky bluegrass, bentgrass, fescue, and ryegrass.
These grasses are dormant in the winter. They’re common in the southern United States and other warmer climate zones. It’s best to fertilize in the early summer, as most of their growth occurs during the summer months. You can add another lighter application of fertilizer in the late summer—if your lawn appears to need it. Common warm-season grasses include Bermuda, zoysia, buffalo, and St. Augustine grass.
There are dozens of fertilizers on the market. But what is the best fertilizer for your lawn? You’ll want to test the soil’s pH with pH strips to determine this. These strips are affordable and can be found in drug stores and online. Test your soil’s pH less than an hour before buying fertilizer for your lawn.
Based on the pH content of your soil, you’ll be able to determine which fertilizers provide the nutrients that your lawn needs to grow and thrive. Armed with the knowledge of your soil’s pH balance—ideally between 6 and 7—you’ll be able to ask the staff at your local garden store for a fertilizer recommendation.
Buying an organic fertilizer vs. a chemical fertilizer is up to your preference. Organic fertilizers tend not to do as well of a job as chemical fertilizers do, but inorganic fertilizers can be harmful to insects and pets and not be child-safe.
There’s one other variable that you’ll need to know to maximize your investment in fertilizing your lawn—the square footage of your yard. Fertilizer is often sold by the square foot or by the cubic foot. To determine how much you’ll need, multiply the length of your lawn by its width in feet and subtract any area covered by your home, driveway, or other structures—plan to purchase 5%–10% more than your estimate.
The best time to buy fertilizer is within a few days of when you plan to use it. You’ll be able to purchase fertilizer from most big-box stores with garden sections, home and garden shops, and even some hardware stores. Depending on your region, you may also be able to buy fertilizer directly from a farmer or supplier—but they may know less about the nutrient content and whether it’s a good fit for your lawn.
If you prefer to do lawn work yourself, you won’t need a landscaper to fertilize your lawn. Depending on the size of your property and the method of fertilizing you plan to deploy, allow for 2–6 hours to complete the project. Here are the four most common methods for fertilizing a lawn.
It’s OK to seek advice on how to fertilize your lawn—either from store employees or a member of a garden cooperative. They’ll be able to help answer questions about which fertilizer is best for your yard based on your pH content and the type of grass—and how to apply it.
Whatever method you select, spread fertilizer with care. There are environmental considerations and consequences for misapplying fertilizer after you’re done fertilizing your lawn; rake or collect any fertilizer that remains on hard surfaces like the street, driveway, or sidewalks to prevent fertilizer runoff into water systems.
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