“Once spring arrives, your lawn will quickly tap into these nutrients for a beautiful burst of green. In fact, a lawn fed twice in the fall will stay green longer into winter and be the first to green up in the spring.”
When To Fertilizer Your Lawn in the Fall. The best time to apply your last fertilizer application is between August 15 and October 1. Ideally, your last lawn feeding should take place six to eight weeks before the average first frost in your area.
Similarly, your grass will react negatively to excessive fertilization. This burst of nutrients will cause your grass to (initially) grow very quickly. If you give your turf too much of a boost, you risk allowing the structure of your grass blades to grow much faster than its root system below.
Can I put too much fertilizer on my lawn? There is the idea of “too much of a good thing,” and that definitely applies when it comes to fertilizing your lawn! Applying too much fertilizer to your lawn will cause the nitrogen and salt levels in the soil to increase rapidly, which can damage or even kill the grass.
Because the recommended lawn fertilizer is slow-release, it is not applied more than twice, maximum three times a year, in the spring and late summer, and sometimes in the fall to winterize the lawn.
Fertilizing provides the nitrogen that grass needs to better withstand pests and extreme heat and cold. But how frequently you fertilize your lawn can make the difference between a well-kept yard and one that looks worse for wear. Overfertilizing can damage roots and cause scorching, leaving grass brown and patchy.
Timing: Apply late spring lawn fertilizer once between April and June, 6 to 8 weeks after the early spring feeding.
Apply fall lawn fertilizer 2 to 3 weeks before the ground freezes. To find an exact date, look for the first frost date in your area. That date is typically a good time to fertilize since the ground hasn't frozen yet. More generally, mid-October is a good time to apply lawn fertilizer.
A complete fertilizer with a high ratio of both nitrogen and potassium is essential for enhanced rooting, cold hardiness, disease resistance, and wear tolerance. An ideal fall fertilizer blend has a nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium (N:P:K) ratio of 24-4-12 with isobutylidene diurea (IBDU).
Best Fall Lawn Fertilizer
While this fall lawn fertilizer dose is important, an application at the end of October or early November is essential. At that time, apply a fertilizer with a formula of 13-25-12. The push of phosphorus will stimulate root growth through November and even into early December.
Giving your lawn extra water helps to dilute and wash away the excess fertilizer. This remedy works best if done promptly after over-fertilizing but even if you already notice some browning or yellowing of the grass, water helps it to recover and bounce back.
Signs You Over-fertilized Your Lawn
But days or even weeks later, you'll notice the yellowing dead patches or stripes in the areas that got too much fertilizer. You might notice more subtle changes sooner. Maybe you're not seeing new growth. Or maybe just the tips of your grass blades are yellow or brown.
Fertilizing your lawn up to seven times a year will give your grass the foundation it needs. How often to fertilize depends on the type of grass you have. No matter which kind of grass, you want to fertilize your lawn while it's actively growing. For cool-season grasses, that means in spring and/or fall.
Ideally, you'll want to mow and rake before fertilizing, so that excess lawn waste is removed and the fertilizer will have an easier time reaching the soil. Aerating your soil before fertilizing can also help; the best times to aerate are when your grass is actively growing, such as in spring or early fall.
The November fertilizer application is the second most important time for cultivating a cool season bluegrass or tall fescue lawn, with September being the most important application. The November application helps the lawn flourish in several ways.
Watering after fertilizing washes the fertilizer off of the grass blades and into the soil, where it can get to work nourishing your lawn. It's also important because if fertilizer sits too long without being watered in, it can burn the grass.
Fall Fertilizer Timing
For the majority of cool-season lawn owners, apply fertilizer anywhere from September through early November. The further north you garden, the sooner you'll feed your lawn. Fine-tune the timing for your locale by talking with your local extension service or garden center.
It's best to wait a few weeks after fertilizing before seeding, to allow the fertilizer to fully penetrate the soil and avoid the risk of burning the new grass. ' 1. This starter feed is suitable for spring or fall application and will help to establish new grass seed and encourage strong root systems.
Treat weeds and feed your lawn with Scotts® Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Weed & Feed3 in the fall for a better lawn next spring. This weed killer plus lawn fertilizer controls over 50 listed lawn weeds, including clover, dandelion, plantain, morningglory, chicory, eveningprimrose, and purslane.
Fertilizing in the fall helps plants be hardier when the temperatures drop. We also recommend applying fertilizer in the late fall, toward the end of October or early November. This application will catalyze one last frenzy of root growth and really give your plants some staying power through the cold months.
Fertilize your lawn in early fall and again 6 to 8 weeks later with Scotts® Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Weed & Feed. Not only will it help build strong, deep grass roots for a thicker, better lawn come spring, but it also provides nutrients to help repair damage from summer heat, drought, and activity.
The first thing to know about fertilizer is the formula. It is represented by three numbers, such as the most common 5-10-5. *Note: What these numbers represent are: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Early fall fertilizers should be a 20-8-8 formula, while a late fall fertilizer application might require 13-25-12 mixture.
The label of the fertilizer will tell you the rate (amount) of fertilizer to apply and how often it should be used. Soluble fertilizers, for instance, are applied every two weeks during the growing season. Granular fertilizers are generally applied about every six to eight weeks.
Quick release fertilizers usually last about 4 - 6 weeks and can be applied at 4 - 6 week intervals during the period of active growth. Slow release fertilizers may last up to 8 weeks. Apply at 6 - 8 week intervals during the period of active growth.
Always follow the manufacturers recommended rates and application methods. Fertilize outdoor plants in the coolest part of the day, such as early morning or late evening, especially in hot summer weather. Always water in fertilizers well to distribute nutrients throughout the soil profile and to prevent burning.