The Right Time to Fertilize Your Lawn

Every homeowner yearns for a lush green lawn, but a fortunate few get to own a natural carpet. One should always remember that it takes a lot of love and care to make your lawn green and beautiful.

You also need to devote time and energy and take good care of your lawn. The most important thing or the key ingredient in making your lawn green and beautiful is fertilizer.

Unfortunately, most of us do not even bother to fertilize our lawn, or you can even say we do not even know the correct way, the correct time to fertilize our lawn.

People even do not know which fertilizer whether organic or chemical and how to use it. In many cases, people fertilize their lawn without any knowledge about the fertilizer, often lands to destroying their lawn.

You must always remember that if lawn fertilizers are not applied correctly, you may do more harm to your lovely lawn.

Thumb Rules for Fertilizing Your Lawn:

Perfect Time to Fertilize your Lawn

It is assumed that the best time to fertilize your lawn in Spring. At this point of the year, you need to know about the temperature of the soil.

If you can also buy a soil thermometer that is readily available in the local market, you can also get it online.

The temperature of the soil of your lawn should be 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Most people start fertilizing their lawn by the mid of April, and so you too can plan accordingly.

Knowing About the Numbers on the Fertilizer Bag

When you buy fertilizer from the market, you will find that there are three alphabets in three different boxes at the back of the fertilizer bag and have numbers on top of each box.

Now, the three alphabets; N, P, and K, stands for Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium. The numbers given on top of the boxes say, for example, 20-5-10 are 20% Nitrogen, 5% Phosphate, and 10% Potassium.

The other contents in the bag are filler materials for an even application of fertilizer.  The right essential mix for the lawn fertilizer should be 20-5-10. Excess fertilizer can lead to fertilizer burn grass.

Make Sure to Use a Slow-Release Fertilizer

When you opt for a slow-release fertilizer, it breaks down its nutrients over a more extended period and gives you enough time to wait between the application of fertilizer.

While applying the fertilizer, always remember that your aim should be to make the grasses in your lawn green and speed up their growth.

If the grass in your lawn grows too fast, then you will have to mow your lawn frequently.

Choose a Granules Fertilizer

Homeowners should always choose a granules fertilizer for their lawn. This is because it is easy to apply granular fertilizer evenly to your lawn.

When users opt for liquid fertilizer, spraying becomes a difficult task. You, too, need proper equipment, say tanker truck and spray, etc. If you are not professional, then an even application of the liquid fertilizer is a bit difficult.

Planning for Multiple Application of Fertilizer

The first feeding or application of fertilizer to your lawn should be made in the Spring, i.e., mid to late April. As discussed earlier, do not forget that the temperature of the soil should reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

The second application of fertilizer should be about four weeks after the first one. You need to fertilize every six to eight weeks after that straight through to October.

During the third feeding, try not to use traditional lawn fertilizer and go for organic material such as manure.  You can use a fall fertilizer with a slightly high content of phosphorus and Potassium, which would help in the better growth of your grass’s roots.

Importance of Water

It has been found that as the grass in your lawn grows, it uses more nutrients, and automatically, it needs more water when you give proper fertilizer to your lawn.

It would be best if you can set up an automatic sprinkler system to water your lawn without making yourself tired.

Whenever you fertilize your lawn, always read the instructions given at the back of the bag where you can find whether you should water your lawn before or after applying the fertilizer.

Granulated fertilizers need moisture to break down, and there are some fertilizers where you need to soak the lawn before applying the fertilizer.

Quantity to be Used

Whenever you bring a new fertilizer bag from the market, make it a point to read every instruction given at the back of the bag. When you are using the fertilizer for the first time on your lawn, do not hurry to apply the fertilizer in huge quantities.

Whatever quantity has been mentioned at the back of the bag, always go for half of the same. This is because you never know how the grass on your lawn is going to react to the fertilizer.

So, it is always wise to use the fertilizer in a small quantity the first time to not harm your lawn. One more precaution to be taken is to check the weather report before applying the fertilizer.

If you apply the fertilizer before a downpour, much of the fertilizer will be washed away and end up in water bodies, contaminating them. In such a case, you will be harming than good the environment.

Final Words

Taken care of a lawn requires immense patience and effort. There is no quick-fix solution to getting a rich grassy lawn. One must take care of and follow the guidelines meticulously. If done correctly, the reward will also be rich. If you’re looking for a professional landscaper for the job, Orange County Landscaping Pros is always here to help.

The beauty of your lawn depends not only on the fertilizer to be applied but also on the use of compost, the type of soil you have, the type of grass you have sowed, and the season in which you have sowed the grass.

Many factors go towards making a green lawn. Fertilizers indeed play an essential role, so when you purchase the fertilizer, you should have sufficient knowledge of the grass and soil type to buy the right kind of fertilizer for your lawn.