When is the Best Time to Start Fertilizing Your Lawn?

Did you know that depending on whether you have cool-season or warm-season grass, the optimal time to apply fertilizer in the spring varies? Yes, it is correct! The greatest time to fertilize cool season grasses, or lawns that flourish in cooler temperatures, is in the fall, when the growing season is at its peak. You can also use a little amount of slow-release fertilizer in the spring if you forgot to fertilize last fall or if your grass doesn't seem to be doing so well. It's critical to fertilize warm-season grasses that thrive in the heat once active growth begins in the spring. So, when should you fertilize your grass in the spring? Fertilizing in the spring, from mid to late, is optimal. This will maintain good development and keep weeds at bay throughout the season.

Are you ready to kick off your spring landscaping with a bang? When the optimal time to apply fertilizer in the spring arrives, here are some helpful hints for handling fertilizer properly and other ways to promote healthy grass growth.

Handle Your Fertilizer with Care

Fertilizing your lawn is critical to maintaining its green, healthy appearance. However, all fertilizers must be handled with caution and safety precautions. Before you begin, make sure you read and understand the packaging instructions. When handling fertilizer, it's also a good idea to wear gloves and safety glasses because most types include chemicals that can irritate your skin and eyes. Keep dogs and children out of the area when applying the product, and take other measures as needed. It's critical to understand fertilizer and pet safety. After you've finished applying the fertilizer, pick up any stray granules off walkways and wipe down your garden equipment and shoe bottoms. This will help to avoid unintentional exposure to the fertilizer's chemicals. Finally, keep unused fertilizer out of reach of pets and youngsters in a secure, dry location.

Grass Clippings 

If you have a lawn, you'll need a strategy for dealing with grass cuttings. While you may be tempted to simply throw them away, think about how you may put those clippings to better use! Grass clippings are an excellent natural fertilizer for lawns, allowing them to grow lush and green. You may contribute required nitrogen to the soil and use the moisture held in the clippings to help feed and irrigate the freshly cut grass by simply leaving the grass clippings on the lawn after cutting. If you have a garden, grass clippings can be used as compost to nourish a variety of plants.

Add Compost to Your Lawn 

You may also apply compost to boost grass growth and appearance for a more natural approach to a healthy lawn. Compost is defined as decomposed organic materials that plants require to grow. Compost can assist enhance the condition of a lawn or garden by breaking up compacted areas and promoting the growth of helpful microbes. Compost can be made from a variety of materials, including kitchen scraps, paper and cardboard trash, and grass clippings. You can turn a pile of otherwise unwanted organic materials into fertilizer your lawn will enjoy with a little attention and time.

Overseed 

Have you thought of overseeding your lawn if it's looking a touch patchy? Overseeding is a technique for improving the health and look of a lawn without having to entirely reseed it. It can help with brown or bare patches, as well as allowing you to vary between warm and cool season grasses for a year-round green lawn. The first step in overseeding a lawn is to prepare the ground. Mow the existing grass to a low height before raking the dirt in the areas you want to seed. Then, after adding compost or enriched soil, grass seed, and water, wait a few days for your new grass to sprout.

Crabgrass is also controlled with pre-emergent herbicides in the spring. In most cases, after a pre-emergent is applied in the spring, you won't be able to properly seed until the fall. Technically, you could seed 16 weeks after applying, but that would put you in the middle of summer in most areas. At that time, seeding is not recommended. If you're going to seed, skip the pre-emergent treatment. After the newly planted grass has been mowed numerous times, you can cure the crabgrass that emerges.

Get Professional Lawn Fertilization Assistance 

Fertilizing your lawn is a crucial aspect of regular lawn management, but it takes time and expertise to get it done correctly. It might be difficult to know when and how to fertilize yard plants and grass. If you're still unsure about when to fertilize your lawn in the spring or whether you can over fertilize your lawn, it's time to enlist the help of a professional.

Here at The Eliminator we offer a wide variety of landscaping and hardscaping services.

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