Is It Ok To Fertilize Lawn In Summer

How Often To Fertilize Your Lawn

A well-fed lawn not only looks better, but also stands up to drought, insects, foot traffic, and other stress better. Your lawn needs both the right fertilizer and the right fertilization schedule to help it make the most of good growing weather and survive dormancy.

Most lawns benefit from fertilization two to four times a year, but how often youll need to feed your lawn depends on your grass type, climate, and how much time you want to invest.

Avoid Burning Your Lawn

When choosing lawn fertilizer, you must make sure you have the right mix. Years ago, people used primarily liquid, synthetic, fast-release, and agriculture-grade fertilizers on their lawns.;

The idea behind quick-release fertilizer is to give your lawn a quick boost by releasing nutrients into the soil almost instantly . But these products often applied too much nitrogen at one time, and the microbes in the soil couldnt break it all down and the excess nitrogen often dried out grass blades and causes a burned look on the lawn.

For cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue turfgrasses commonly used in Michigan, the quick release will not be applied during the summer months. Thats because synthetic fertilizer thats not watered into the lawn completely will cause stress and often result in lawn burn.

Can You Over Fertilize Your Lawn

Can I put too much fertilizer on my lawn? Applying too much fertilizer to your lawn will cause the nitrogen and salt levels in the soil to increase rapidly, which can damage or even kill the grass. When this happens, it is known as fertilizer burn and looks like yellow and brown strips or patches of dead grass.

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What To Do After Your First Use Of Lawn Fertilizer

After you apply fertilizers, keep these tips in mind.

• Dont use the lawn for at least 24 hours.;Keep pets and children away from the grass until its completely dry and the soil has absorbed the fertilizers.
• Dont mow for 48 hours. Avoid mowing the lawn for the first couple of days after fertilizing, because it can move the fertilizer around before its set.

Choose The Right Fertilizer For A Greener Spring Lawn

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The Spruce

Keep your lawn or garden healthy before it goes into a period of winter dormancy with an application of fertilizer in the late fall. This is the time when cool-season;grasses recover from;summer stresses,;such as drought, heat, and disease and turfgrass can begin to store carbohydrate reserves in the stems, rhizomes, and stolons. These carbohydrate reserves help grass resist winter injury and disease, as well as serve as a source of energy for root and shoot growth the following spring. Late-fall fertilization will also provide better winter color, enhanced spring green-up, and increased rooting. Additionally, a mild feeding of ornamental garden beds or vegetable gardens can also replenish soil that has been heavily depleted by growing plants over the season.;

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Scotts Green Max Lawn Food

Looking for grass food which will work in only three days? The company Scotts will be of support. The Green Max lawn food can in a few days turn the grass greener.

The drug uses a dual-action process comprising iron and necessary additives. Hence, if you use it right, youll get the performance you like without any stains.

It can be applied to all types of grass in the fall, spring, or summer months. In fact, you can use it as a full maintenance routine, in conjunction with other Scotts products.

When it is uniformly distributed across the grass, you can step through the yard automatically. Which ensures you can play and walk your kids and pets without fear of toxic chemicals. Plus, you wont risk moving the food around or tracking it back into the house where it doesnt do anything well.

There are two forms accessible for Florida citizens namely one basic and one optional. Two styles can also be found: bags of 5,000 and 10,000 square feet.

How Soon Can I Fertilize A Lawn After Already Fertilizing

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• Overfertilizing Your Yard

A well-kept lawn adds greatly to the charm and beauty of a garden. While being attractive on its own, a well-kept lawn is also the perfect setting for shrubs, ornamental plants, flowers and other garden features. Fertilizing the grass regularly helps to maintain dense, lush growth, and a monthly dose of a 10-5-10 fertilizer is ideal during active summer growth. However, the type of fertilizer you use and the season can determine how often you need to feed the lawn.

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Milorganite 0636 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer

Were you aware that your plants and grasses require nitrogen for coloring and growing? The brand Milorganite is organic and has nitrogen and iron in it. Iron is required for photosynthesis so that the blades are not black.

This drug is a fertilizer dependent on nitrogen and thus does not contain potassium and phosphorus. Even if your only concern is with rusty, patchy turf, thats the plant food you need.

It may also be used strategically to make the vegetation remain lush and dark green on golf courses. Homeowners like it too, of course, because it gives them a perfect picture-lawn.

You can notice that, when you use this drug, you need to water your lawn less. Note, after the fertilizer has been spread it is suitable to drink. Then, you would only need to water it once a month.

You may not have to do anything watering yourself if it rains. Youll consider the grass rising too, just not overly. So, you dont have to mow too much, even when you do, it wont take too long.

Dormant Lawns In Summer

Growth of cool-season grass slows as summer weather becomes hot and dry. Lawns not watered during extended dry conditions will go into a dormant state and grass becomes brown. Dormancy is a protective mechanism allowing a lawn to survive during unfavorably dry conditions. During an extended drought of 3 to 4 weeks along with temperatures in the mid-80s or higher, dormant grasses continue to lose moisture from the crowns of the plants. Continued loss of water in the crown can cause the plants to die. To prevent death of dormant plants, apply about ½ inch of water every 2 to 3 weeks. This amount will not green up the lawn but provides enough moisture to keep plants alive until temperatures begin to cool and rain becomes more consistent.

Turfgrass drought tolerance

Fine-leaved fescues include hard fescue, creeping red fescue and Chewings fescue. Sheep fescue is a fine fescue that has excellent drought tolerance but is more suitable for areas mown only once or twice per year.;

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Do You Need To Fertilize The Grass In The Hot Summer Months

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• How Often Should You Feed a Lawn?

Proper watering and fertilizing of lawn grass can promote healthier turf, with deep roots and a lush feel. Generally, you should not be grass fertilizing in hot weather. Overfertilizing can lead to the need to mow more often, and fertilizing at the wrong time can irreversibly damage your lawn. A summer lawn care schedule should mostly focus on watering and mowing as needed.

Tip

In general, fertilizing in hot weather is not recommended.

What Not To Do

There are some things you should not about a lawn going dormant. First, if you have a new lawn, either from seed or from sod, dont let it go dormant. In your lawns first year especially, it is important to give it the water it needs for the roots to get well established. Second, your lawn is not resilient when it is dormant. You should limit activity on your lawn to a minimum. A lot of traffic could actually cause bare spots or kill parts of your stressed lawn.

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How Often Should You Fertilize Your Lawn In The Summer

While the most important times to fertilize your lawn are the spring and fall, these shouldnt necessarily be the only times. For both types of grasses, a second feeding should follow about six weeks after the first. Depending on the date of your first round of fertilizing, this might be very late spring or early summer. However, make sure to read the manufacturers guidelines on the fertilizer you use, as the recommended interval between feedings may be longer or shorter.;

It is usually best to avoid fertilizing during the hottest months, but if you have to do it, make sure to use the correct fertilizer type.

Water Is Key In Summer

Ill address some of the recent weather conditions around the country but in general, if you are able to keep your lawn irrigated during the summer and therefore not allow it to slip into summer dormancy, you can continue to fertilize every 4 weeks or so.

However, you may want to back it down some. As a general rule, we dont want to push the lawn too hard when the weather has the potential of extremes.Well irrigated Kentucky Bluegrass, even at its best, is going to struggle when outside temps are over 90 and there is no cloud cover.3 days of above 90 and direct sun and I promise your bluegrass is going to be crying out for relief, ie: heat stressed.Youll see the blades thin out in the middle of the day and take on a steely-brown color.Thats heat stress and the last thing you want to do when your lawn is stressed is hit it with nitrogen and encourage it to sprint.Turf Type Tall Fescue doesnt like it over 90 either, but it does typically form a deeper root system than KBG and therefore can hang on a little better but still, over 90 and its a struggle.Even down here in Florida right now, our;St Augustinegrass;is struggling and it loves 90-degree temps.Problem here has been no rain support. Our;big beefy stoloniferous St Augneeds a lot of water to keep those long arms hydrated, otherwise, it shrivels quickly, even though it loves the heat.

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Ask A Master Gardener: Dont Fertilize Lawns In The Heat Of Summer

Q: My lawn turned brown earlier this summer when we went so long without rain, and even though weve had rain since then, it still hasnt gone back to being green. What kind of fertilizer should I put on it? What else can I do to get it looking good again?

A: This year has been drier than normal, and despite our recent rains, some areas of the Northland are still facing severe drought. Hot, dry weather causes lawns to go dormant, and with dormancy comes the unsightly browning of the lawn.

Once a lawn made of cool-season grasses goes dormant, trying to revive it with heavy watering while the weather is still hot is probably not the best idea. You can stress the lawn by waking it up again while growing conditions are still poor. Better to wait until the weather cools again, when the lawn can naturally revive.

When the lawn has gone dormant, water it lightly to keep it alive while it rests: one-quarter to one-half inch every two to four weeks. It will likely recover when the weather cools down, but it may need some TLC and some weed removal.

Its also a good idea to let the lawn grow longer in midsummer. Set the mower blade higher to keep the grass 3 inches long. But do still mow often enough that youre removing no more than one-third of the grass blade when you cut it.

Extension offers a handy calendar for when to do what to your lawn here: extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/lawn-care-calendar.

The Keys To Summer Lawn Care

When making a summer lawn care plan, its best to think of the season in phases: Early, mid, and late summer. How you care for your lawn varies according to the phase.; For example ;treating for pests like grubs, is best done in the early summer before they have a chance to become established and damage the roots of your grass. A typical summer lawn care schedule to keep your lawn green in summer heat might look like this:

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When To Schedule Lawn Maintenance

It is important to schedule your lawn care maintenance during times that match the life cycle of the turfgrass.

• Do not add fertilizer too early in the spring. This may encourage the grass to grow during a time when it should be slow or dormant.
• Do not spray to control weeds when temperatures are warm. This increases the likelihood of damaging the lawn.
• Do not fertilize in hot mid-summer months. This can cause irreversible damage to your lawn.
• Crabgrass doesn’t develop until late spring or early summer, so don’t apply herbicide used to prevent pre-emerging crabgrass in the fall.

See;Water-saving strategies for home lawns for information on how and when to water.

When Should I Fertilize My Pacific Northwest Lawn

Fertilize in the fall, September- October with organic fertilizers, or as late as mid-November with slow-release synthetic. This feeds fall and winter root growth, as the plant stores nutrients for the next growing season. If you want to fertilize in spring too, wait until spring growth slows in May.

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Why Fertilize During The Summer Months

We have all heard that it is important to fertilize during the fall to help the grass grow deeper roots and to strengthen over the winter months. Fertilizing during the summer is just as important. Fertilizers that are geared toward the summer months are going to be helpful in building and keeping your grass looking great. They may also have turf builder properties that help to increase the amount of grass that you have and help to make it healthier as well.

Summer fertilizers are also going to help fortify your lawn in the case of a drought or weather that may be less than suitable for the growth of new grass. These fertilizers may also be slow release to help keep your grass healthy and fed even during months when there is less than one inch of water per week. This type of fertilizer is going to help strengthen your warm season grasses so that they can handle more of the curve ball weather changes that come with summer in whatever area you live in.

Types And Options Of Fertilizers

Two main fertilizer alternatives are available: organic and synthetic. Synthetic fertilizers are manmade and will easily raise the grass because it drops the nutrients directly into the dirt. There are three components of the form of fertilizer.

There is nitrogen to help good leaves and roots. Potassium ensures water balance within the plant is maintained. Phosphorus will help deeper, stronger roots grow in your turf.

The jar or bag may display numbers that are correlated with certain nutrients, named the NPK number. Of course, other ingredients may also be included. They are made of calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and copper.

Plant fertilizers contain natural materials, such as fish meal, soil, or manure. They use the NPK method, as well. Many people think its normal, and it may be healthier for pets and adolescents.

Still, most people believe organic fertilizer is a soil conditioner rather than lawn fertilizer. Although in the long run, this could be helpful, it wont help you green up your lawn for the season.

Cool-season grasses also respond better to organic fertilizer if they are to be applied in the summer. The grass is not burned or nervous. In autumn, organic fertilizers can not be used on cool-season grasses and should be used in fall or spring.

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Consider Using Grass Clippings

You can allow grass clippings to remain on the lawn for them to decompose. Doing this will allow you to recycle the nutrients in them; this can then serve as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers during summer. This action is usually called grass cycling.

Removing grass clippings can lead to a decline in your turfs growth and then cause it to lose its lush green appearance. Whereas, letting grass clippings remain on the lawn will invariably lead to an increase in growth as well as improve its appearance.

With this method, you can cut down on your use of fertilizers by as much as one pound of nitrogen per 1, 000² feet of turfgrass.

The Past Issues Of Summer Fertilizing

A person goes out and buys a big box store 30-0-5 fertilizer that contains ONE source of nitrogen.; A few days of heavy rains come in and an excess of nitrogen is released on the lawn. The rain stops and is followed by two weeks of drought.; HENCE THE BURN.; We have learned that by varying the sources, release times, and keeping it milder we do not see lawn burning issues from summer fertilizing with the new PGF Complete.

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How Do I Know How Often To Fertilize Lawns

If you fertilize too little you wont feed your lawn with the nutrients it needs, and it may turn brittle and yellow. Apply too much fertilizer too early or late, and you can burn the blades.

Most lawns will do fine with fertilizing one or two times a year, in the early spring and the fall, but this depends on the type of lawn you have. Some people do it four times per year. In this case, we recommend keeping in mind the big holidays to do it: around Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Halloween.

Depending on your lawn, you can fertilize up to once every four or five weeks if using synthetic fertilizers. If you have a slow-release organic fertilizer, you can space out the applications for eight to 10 weeks.

Avoid fertilizing in the peak temperatures of the summer. The heat and blazing sun together with the fertilizers can damage your grass.