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.
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.
Your lawns root system is active until the soil freezes, which in most cases is in mid to late December. Again, fertilizing in early to mid November allows your plants roots to continue to receive nutrients and prepare for the winter. Need More Fall Lawn Care Advice?
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.
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.
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.
Make the last fertilizer application before July 1.
New growth also needs time to "harden off" before winter. Tender new growth is at risk of cold injury if it is forced late in the season, when plants and trees should be shutting down for winter.
Winterizer Fertilizer
Winterizer helps the roots of the grass absorb and store nutrients. The roots continue to grow until the ground eventually freezes. These nutrients are stored and ready to go, so when spring comes around, your lawn hits the ground running.
The right time to apply fertilizer is when the grass is growing more roots than blades. In the Northeast and Northwest, that's usually in the fall. In the South and Southwest, it's in the late spring. So in cooler climes, don't even think about it until Labor Day.
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.
Fertilizer should not be applied to already frozen ground since it will not do any good to the lawn. Worse still, the unabsorbed nitrogen and nutrients will likely leach back into the water system. The best time to apply winterizer is in late fall, about three weeks before the ground is frozen.
If your lawn gets liquid fertilizer, wait until it dries before watering, about 2-4 hours. If it's granular fertilizer, water right away. One exception: if you also got spot weed treatments at the same time, wait for that to dry before watering, or the water will wash off the weed killer before it can work.
Why Fall and Winter Fertilizing Is A Mistake. There are lower light levels in the colder months, which means naturally, houseplants will grow at a much slower rate and need less water and food as a result. If they're not expanding as much energy, they don't need extra nutrients.
It's free fertilizer applied every time you mow the lawn. Increase the quality and improve the lawn's ability to withstand and recover from use with a second application. Apply Milorganite between mid-October and Thanksgiving but before the ground freezes.
Application of any fertilizer source should not occur when the ground is still frozen, especially on top of snow.
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.
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.
Generally speaking, you should fertilize your lawn at least twice a year to ensure good overall health and keep your grass looking its greenest. But if you fertilize at the wrong time or over-treat your lawn, you could encourage weed growth, or possibly burn the grass.
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.
If you miss the optimal lawn seeding window, you can still put down grass seed in the winter. This is called “dormant seeding.” The seed will lay dormant until the soil starts to warm up in spring when it will germinate. Dormant seeding comes with some risk but can be beneficial and save you time on seeding in spring.
Applying Fertilizer Before the First Freeze
Ensure your lawn's health come spring by applying a fertilizer application to strengthen its root system before the first frost occurs. Read on to learn more about applying a winter lawn fertilizer.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you should fertilize your lawn about every six weeks. You don't want the watering to outpace the fertilizing as that could negatively impact the lawn's growth cycle. If you don't have a sprinkler system, you can wait an additional two weeks between applications.
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. Warm-season grasses respond best when fertilized in late spring and/or early summer.
Fertilizing in the morning allows the soil to take in the most nutrients, soak in the morning dew and take advantage of cooler temperatures. That's the best time. Do not apply fertilizer on an abnormally hot day, not even in the morning. Wait until the weather cools back down to a normal temperature.