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When is the Best Time to Fertilize the Grass?
You bought a new house
in the fall. Winter came and went and now it’s
time to haul out the lawn mower. As you’re doing
laps in the yard, you can’t help but notice all
the interesting patches of pseudo-grass. You have crabgrass;
you have weeds; you have clover; you have a boatload
of dandelions. Contrarily, your neighbor’s yard
looks like a golf course. Sometimes you sneak over there
sans shoes just to run your tootsies through the lush
greenery. No worries; can you turn your sparse excuse
for grass around in one season; and it won’t cost
you a fortune. Put the yellow pages away, you’re
not calling a service. If you fertilize at the right
time of the year, you can have your own gorgeous thick
green grass.
Let’s cut to the chase. The optimum
time to fertilize your lawn is in the fall. The time
of year when most people are considering putting away
their lawn mower, is when you should be getting out
the spreader. It’s also the time of year when you
can get an accurate picture of your lawn’s health.
After the summer stresses, you will be able to see where
the dead brown grass is and where the crabgrass is.
Changes in lawn appearance in October can reveal whether
appropriate lawn care is being practiced. Properly fertilized
lawns tend to improve in appearance, while the opposite
takes place for improperly fertilized lawns.
A November application is ideal. Although
the air temperatures will have cooled considerably by
this time, soil temperatures will remain warm enough
for some primarily-root and tiller-grass growth. This
late fall fertilization facilitates winterizing the
grass and sets the foundation for the grass to make
a quick start in the spring. Although be prepared that
fertilizing at this late date can result in an additional
mowing. However, the payback is that the grass will
have a dark green color going into winter that returns
early in the spring.
Many new lawn aficionados are under
the false impression that spring is the best time to
fertilize their grass. Actually, fertilizing at that
time may be detrimental to the long-term health of the
lawn. Sure you’ll get expedited top growth and
a beautiful lush appearance, but at what cost? Spring
fertilization discourages grass from storing food reserves
for the hard times to come during the summer. Akin to
having a chocolate snack in the afternoon to perk you
up; it works for a short while, but then you crash,
and crash much harder than if you would have maintained
your blood sugar throughout the day.
Not only will the chocolate cause your
glucose levels to sky rocket and plummet, it’ll
also wreak havoc on your teeth. Same holds true for
the grass. Not only does March-April-May fertilization
discourage storage of food reserves, the lush top growth
also provides an environment conducive for diseases
to take hold and sweep through a yard. Therefore, when
summer comes, the spring-only fertilized lawns are often
more susceptible to the summer stresses of disease and
moisture stress. Not exactly the look you were going
for.
The irony of lawn care is that at the
end of August when the appearance of one’s lawn
hits an all time season low, it is actually the best
time to fertilize or renovate a lawn. By then grasses
have endured the summer stresses and the coming cool
fall temperatures will provide an opportunity for recovery.
Fertilizing in the fall also encourages the plant’s
recovery by providing nutrients when the plant really
needs them to build food reserves going into the winter.
As a rule of thumb, Labor Day weekend is a good time
to make the first fall fertilization to lawns, as the
cool temperatures are soon to come.
Though it may be spring and you’re
envious of your neighbor’s yard, don’t try
to take a short cut and apply a boatload of fertilizer
just to jump start your lawn. Ignore your seasonal urges
and follow responsible soil management practices. Just
do it. Then start fresh this fall. This time next year,
you’ll be the envy of your neighbor on the other
side!
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