Apply starter fertilizer only once you've lightly raked your soil and before you sow your grass seed. Once your grass has seeded, the next round should be a regular fertilizer application – this round should only occur four to eight weeks after the first, starter application.
Fertilizing in the Fall
So you want to help those roots grow by fertilizing. Your best bet is to feed once in early fall (if you are overseeding, your starter fertilizer counts) and once more about 6 to 8 weeks later, around Thanksgiving.
Fall is the best time. The autumn season comes with a mix of warm soil and cool air, perfect for planting grass seed and allowing time for new grass roots to develop before winter sets in. It is also a good time to fertilize to build stronger, deeper roots for winter, resulting in a thicker, greener lawn next spring.
For cool season grasses, count on fertilizing your yard at the end of summer or in the early fall. This will provide the nutrients your grass needs to rebound from the heat and strengthen its root system. Tip: Spread fertilizer the same day you seed your lawn.
Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food for New Grass is safe to use on any grass type. It can be applied immediately before or after planting grass. We recommend using a Scotts® spreader to apply this product. For Scotts® broadcast/rotary spreaders, use a setting of 3 ¼.
If you are fertilizing and seeding your lawn on the same day, you should broadcast the food and seed separately, one after the other, and it does not matter which order you spread them in.
Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, such as Milorganite, when overseeding. Mixing Milorganite with the seed not only makes nutrients available to the grass when it needs it, it also makes it easier to see where the tiny seeds have been broadcast. This counts as the fall fertilization.
For seed or plugs, apply fertilizer with a regular lawn spreader before you plant. If you're starting a lawn with sod, fertilize after your sod is in place. With any new lawn area, avoid using crabgrass preventer fertilizers or weed & feed fertilizers within four weeks before planting time.
Reinvigorate Your Lawn
By spreading grass seed over your existing lawn, you can thicken up the thin areas, and your lawn will start to look terrific again.
When it's October, people often wonder if it is too late to plant new seed. The good news is if you hurry, seed can still be planted in October with the hope that it will survive the upcoming winter. Although September is the best time, often we can still plant grass seed up to October 15 with good results.
Sufficient watering is the most important factor in a successful fall grass planting. The soil should remain moist throughout the germination process, and you should water enough that you get soil penetration of 6-8 inches.
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.
If you are overseeding your lawn, you can apply a starter fertilizer before or directly after seeding. Starter fertilizers are especially useful if your soil Phosphorus (P) is low, which can be determined by a soil test.
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.
Whether you're repairing bare spots, overseeding an existing lawn or starting from scratch, you can generally expect grass seedlings to emerge within seven to 21 days when grown under proper conditions. It may take another three to four weeks of growth before grass is long enough to mow.
Answer: Yes, you can apply a winterizer fertilizer such as Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Lawn Food at or around the same time as overseeding since there is no herbicide. This formulation is designed for established turf, but the boost of nutrients would only help the new seeding.
If you put down too much grass seed, you will encourage competition that will cause your grass seedlings to struggle after germination because there will be excessive competition for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water. You'll know if you seeded too heavy when the grass grows in very thick patches.
Proper watering is critical to successful overseeding. The following is a recommended watering program. Immediately after overseeding: Water heavily to wash grass seeds into slits. Until grass seeds germinate (first 10-14 days): Water lightly on a daily basis, soaking first one inch of soil.
Adding more than recommended amounts of fertilizer won't help and, in fact, can damage grass. Brown or yellowing tips and patchy dead spots are signs you are feeding too much or too often.
The answer is that you can overseed effectively without aerating. As we've just mentioned, it's all about seed-to-soil contact.
Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food for New GrassFL is safe to use on any grass type. Apply to a dry lawn. It can be applied immediately before or after planting grass; for best results, apply two weeks after seeding.
How to Tell If Grass Seed Is Germinating. The most straightforward way to know if your grass seed is germinating is to look at it. If the seed's sprout is pushing up through the soil, it has successfully germinated. If there are no sprouts after two weeks, check the seeds.
Young seedlings are easily injured. Newly seeded areas should be restricted from foot traffic for a least a month after the seed has germinated or until the new lawn has been mowed at least a couple of times.