I have just always thought that you fertilize when a plant is actively growing to help it along or right before it starts actively growing. But fertilizing in winter (or late fall depending on your climate) can actually offer nutrients to strengthen roots (that do often continue to grow in winter despite dormancy.)
Don't apply winterizer too late—Generally, winter fertilizer should be applied in November or earlier, depending on your climate. Try to avoid applying in early December, as the nutrients within the formula may not take hold in time to protect the grass from the harsh conditions.
If you've just had a heavy rain or are expecting that type of stormy weather, we recommend waiting until the lawn has had a chance to dry out a little before applying the fertilizer. You also don't want to fertilize the lawn during drought conditions, since they grass will not be ready for it to work.
Although you won't need to fertilize your lawn in the winter when it's not actively growing, there are things you can do to care for the lawn in all seasons. Jonathan Green's New American Lawn Care Plan is an easy way to know when and what to feed your lawn and how to do it.
The November application also provides for early spring green-up without excessive top growth. Simply put: a beautiful green lawn with less mowing. But applications of fertilizer in late winter or early spring are converted directly to top growth.
FERTILIZATION: Plants damaged by freezing should not be fertilized until active growth resumes in the spring. The loss of growing tissue and leaves experienced by most freeze or frost damaged plants inhibits their ability to metabolize and use fertilizers.
1. Water your lawn a few days before fertilizing so your soil is ready to accept the fertilizer. 2. Following the directions on the bag, pour the fertilizer into your spreader and adjust the spreader settings.
You can usually apply most non-liquid granular fertilizers to wet grass, but not saturated ground. If there are ponds or heavy rain, it's best to wait until the ground processes the water before applying any type of fertilizer. If there's light rain, it's okay to spread dry granular fertilizer.
Mowing and fertilization are essential aspects of lawn care during your grass's growing season, and the time to do both can sometimes overlap. Although it's tempting to mow and fertilize on the same day to save time, it's far better to mow a few days before fertilizing.
According to Daly, “Perma-Green typically applies winterizer fertilizer about four to five weeks after the application of the fall fertilizer. This usually occurs at some point in October or November, but factors need to be considered in determining the optimal time.
The good news about rain or snow is that both are very good for your fertilization treatment. Fertilizer needs to reach the root system and it needs to mix with water. The fertilizer breaks down with either rain or snow. Now the fertilizer will begin to feed the root system and green up the lawn.
Potassium gives your lawn the nutrients it needs in preparation for winter and again first thing in the spring to fend off stressors, like cold weather and snow mold activity. Two good choices are Greenview Fall Lawn Food and Jonathan Green Winter Survival.
Application of any fertilizer source should not occur when the ground is still frozen, especially on top of snow.
Early Spring (February through Early April)
Pre-emergent exception: You may apply a low nitrogen fertilizer and pre-emergent combo from late February to early March to prevent weed seeds from germinating. An example of a low nitrogen ratio is 0-0-7 with pre-emergent.
At Master Lawn, we typically say to wait 24 hours before watering your lawn after fertilizing. But it is important to make sure that it does receive a good watering session soon after that 24 hour waiting period. Watering helps the fertilizer to activate and to break down and begin feeding nutrients to the lawn.
Fertilizers are not accessible to plants in very dry soils. Water the soil before applying fertilizer, allowing water to soak into the ground. Water again immediately after fertilizing.
If your lawn gets liquid fertilizer, wait until it dries before watering, about 2-4 hours. If it's granular fertilizer, water right away.
Applying fertilizer at the same time you seed your lawn is not a recommended idea. Many experts will tell you that doing so you could risk to destroy a large part of your lawn where the soil was heavily fertilized.
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.
Don't fertilize when it's winter or early spring
The ideal temperature to fertilize your lawn is 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Any lower than this, your lawn will struggle to maintain nutrients. In most cases, you'll want to fertilize your lawn from April to May (spring) when temperatures get warmer.
Apply fall lawn fertilizer once between August and November, right before winter hits, 6 to 8 weeks after the summer feeding.
This means the temperature can't be below freezing, so the task is typically handled sometime in early November in most places in the north. If you live in a warmer area, however, December can be a great time to fertilize your lawn.