How To Fertilize Your Lawn
If you are not careful about how you fertilize your lawn, the grass will not respond, and at times it could burn out and die. Many homeowners do not understand that putting down one fertilizer application could mean that your lawn is treated for months. This is why it is important to ensure you use the right fertilizer numbers. Here are some basic steps for fertilizing your lawn.
What Is Lawn Fertilizer
Here I am talking about products that only contain nutrients or soil amendments. Those being N-P-K and/or micronutrients and carbon or bio-stimulants. We are not talking about weed and feeds which contain fertilizer + weed control, or other dual use products. Its important to understand that fertilizer is just nutrients and amendments for the lawn. If you need to kill weeds, bugs or fungus, I recommend applying those as separate treatments in summer.
Confused already? Please review this blog post I wrote earlier this season that talks about the basics of lawn fertilizer. If you are a beginner, it will arm you with the knowledge needed when heading to the store.
Where To Find The Npk Number On The Fertilizer
Finding the NPK numbers on fertilizers is fairly easy as it is written on the front of the pack or sometimes associated with the name just like Pennington Ultragreen Starter Fertilizer 22-23-4. So finding the NPK number on the pack will not be a problem for any lawn owner.
If by any chance it is not mentioned on the front of the pack or associated with the name itself, it will surely be written on the label on the back with the recommendation guide on how to use it on the lawn.
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Get Your Fertilizer Right Every Time
Theres one way you can get your fertilizer choice right every time: use a professional lawn care service. Lush Lawns 7-step fertilization and weed control program is the staple of the services that we offer.
We offer a 7-application lawn fertilization plan carefully designed to give your SE Michigan lawn the nutrients it needs. If youre interested in learning more about our services, please contact your local Lush Lawn branch, including:
Grand Blanc and the surrounding areas, Rochester Hills, Brighton, and Saginaw.
If you do, then youll know, youre getting the best summer fertilizer for grass every time.
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When To Fertilize Your Lawn
When deciding when tofertilize your lawn, there are three things you need to consider, the temperature, the weather, and the growth of your lawn.
- Temperature: Cool season grasses should be fertilized when the temperatures are between 60-70 warm season grasses should look at the 80-90 range.
- Growth of Lawn: The best time to fertilize is when your grass is actively growing if it is not growing, wait a few more weeks to fertilize.
- Weather: Wait until your lawn is dry before you apply fertilizer. Try to time this so that you put the fertilizer down the day before a rain shower. The fertilizer will eventually need to be watered in, and a nice rainstorm can help your efforts.
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Best Time To Fertilize Lawns
Fertilizer your lawn at the right time of the year
Fertilizing your lawn can keep it looking lush and green. Whether you have warm weather or cool weather grass, fertilization is almost always a must for maintaining a great lawn.
Fescue
Fescue lawn should never be fertilized in late spring or summer. For best results, fertilize your lawn before the end of April and then again in October.
Bermuda
Bermuda can be fertilized throughout the summer to keep in looking lush. Be sure to fertilize in June and August, and if needed, apply fertilizer in July as well.
Zoysia
Zoysia should be fertilized in the beginning of the summer and again in August for the best looking lawn.
St Augustine
St. Augustine should be fertilized in the summer. To keep you lawn green, fertilize in June and August, and if needed, apply fertilizer in July as well.
Centipede
Centipede lawns usually require only one summer application in July. If needed, the turf can be fertilized in May as well.
Best Fertilizer Number To Use On Your Lawn In The Summer
Before you get any further in your search for the best fertilizer ratio for your summer turf, you must make sure that you know the type of grass you have. A cool season grass like Kentucky Bluegrass cannot be fertilized in the summer. Something like Bermudagrass or St.Augustine can be fertilized in the summer.
Even when fertilizing in the summer months, you will have to be careful to use a more mild fertilizer with slow-release nitrogen. Fertilizing incorrectly and with the wrong formula can quickly burn out your summer turf.
Typical summer grass fertilizer numbers include:
Best Fertilizer for Garden in the Summer
The 20-5-20 fertilizer tends to be the best bet for the garden in the summer. Ensure that you are fertilizing before it rains so that the fertilizer can absorb properly and make its way into the soil. Its typically best to save fertilization for the early part of the summer when possible.
Best Fertilizer for Trees and Shrubs in the Summer
The trees and shrubs in your yard can be fertilized in the early summer. However, if it gets towards the late summer and you have still not fertilized, it makes sense to skip it and wait for the fall. The 16-8-8 is good for early summer fertilization for trees and shrubs.
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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. So, if this date is Oct 10, like it is in Minneapolis/St. Paul, you should target August 15 to September 1 as your last application. If you live in Des Moines where the average first hard frost is October 27, then youd want to target your last fertilizer application six to eight weeks earlier, or between September 1 and Sept 15.
Planning fall fertilizer applications around average frost dates gives your lawn plenty of time to absorb all of the nutrients before it enters its dormant stage. Theres no need or benefit to carry over nutrients through the winter.
If you apply fertilizer too late, youre making your lawn stay up past its bedtime when all it wants to do is go to sleep for the year. Late fertilizing of cool-season lawn grasses will keep it actively growing when frigid weather, snow and ice usher in winter, potentially causing winter kill and disease issues next spring.
Lawn Care Month By Month
You can also view our Lawn Maintenance Guideline for more information.
Sharpen mower Cleanly cut grass is less susceptible to disease.Lime Pelletized lime is the easiest to use. Do not lime if ground is soggy. Now. OR
Clean up winter debris once the ground firms up.Start a new lawn Use a starter fertilizer. If you need to prevent crabgrass from seeding along with the grass, use an appropriate pre-emergent . Now through May.OR Wait until September.Mow weekly, 2½-3 high. Dont cut off more than 1/3 of the blade at any one mowing. Leave clippings if no disease is present and they wont smother the grass.Fertilize Use a maintenance fertilizer.OR Use a Step 1 product , before forsythia blooms drop, with a pre-emergent weed control if you need to control crabgrass and other annual weeds .
TROUBLESHOOTING Check for snow mold damage. Use a lawn fungicide if necessary.
Dethatch if more than ½ of thatch. Now.OR Wait until early October.Water 1 inch+ per week, including rainfall. Best time is from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. which allows blades to dry, minimizing disease potential. Watering once a week for a longer period is better than more frequently for short periods, enhancing drought tolerance by encouraging deeper roots.Fertilize Use a maintenance fertilizer.OR Use a Step 2 product in late May or by June 15 if broadleaf weeds are a problem.
Control broadleaf weeds. A liquid broadleaf herbicide is most effective.
GLOSSARY
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How To Choose The Best Summer Fertilizer For Grass
Choosing the best summer fertilizer for grass isnt easy. But an important part of any lawn care program is fertilizer.
Many times you hear lawn care referred to as weed and feed, as we are working to remove the weeds and feed the grass. That fertilizer component is vital to keeping your turf tip-top, no matter the grass type. But is it the best summer fertilizer for grass?
Youll always want to make sure youre getting the best summer fertilizer for grass each year. But applying the wrong fertilizer in the warm season of summer could backfire. Thats why its important for your lawn program to include the best fertilizer for grass when the weather gets hot. You dont want to end up with a burned-out lawn.
This blog post will talk about the importance of applying low-nitrogen fertilizers throughout the summertime to cool-season grass and highlight the year-round fertilization services that Lush Lawn provides.
Applying Fertilizer In July
ICT Bill said:Nitrogen applications when turf is stressed and rain could be questionable are not a good idea. Think horticulture in these casesYou can put down small amounts of fertilizer as a foliar, just use more water as the carrier, the foliar feeding will get the results you want without introducing a lot of NPK into the soil which could burn the turf.
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Water Deeply But Not Too Often
- Too much watering can lead to poor growing conditions and disease problems.
- Water only when your lawn needs it, usually no more than once a week when there is no rainfall.
- Apply at least 2.5 cm of water. Put a tuna or pet food can on your lawn to measure how much youve watered. Stop watering when its full.
- Consider the soil type and surface features. Grass growing on compacted, fine soil or on slopes needs lighter, more frequent watering.
Avoiding Fertilizer Burn On Grass
If grass displays yellow or brown patches after a fertilizer treatment, there is a good chance the lawn has been scorched by too much fertilizer product.
This is usually easy to determine as the grass will appear damaged instead of just losing its vibrance. Luckily, there are a few easy ways to prevent this from happening.
Using a slow-release fertilizer is arguably the easiest. Following the manufacturers instructions and administering an application when the grass is dry, followed by adequately watering the yard to activate the fertilizer will all help to prevent burn.
If youre using a spreader/granule combination, ensure that your route doesnt have much overlap. Overlapping passes will inevitably overload or saturate certain areas with fertilizer more than others. If your lawn has yellow streaks every few feet, this is most likely what has occurred.
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The Right Fertilizing Schedule Is All About Timing
A day or two before fertilizer application, water your lawn to prep it. Apply fertilizer at the beginning or the end of the day, when temperatures are cooler. Make sure you follow up with a good watering immediately following the application to help the fertilizer absorb into the lawn. However, dont overwater! Avoid fertilizing before a big rainstorm as the excess water may wash away the fertilizer, rendering your efforts useless.
Applying A Summer Insect Control
A more common problem you will see in the summer months are insects.
If you see insects in your grass, use a feeding product that also contains insect control, such as Scotts Turf Builder with SummerGuard. It contains 0.086% Bifenthrin. Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide.
It will help control ants, armyworms, billbugs, chiggers, chinch bugs, crickets, fleas, grasshoppers, mole crickets, mealy bugs, sod webworms, lawn moth larvae, spiders, ticks and weevils.
Pyrethroids are synthetic compounds made to act like the natural organic pyrethrins that are found in chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethrin is used against a wide range of insects including ants, beetles, Colorado potato beetle, and Mexican bean beetle, cabbage loopers, caterpillars, fruit flies, leafhoppers, mosquitoes, ticks, whiteflies, & more.
For additional insect control try Ortho Bug B Gon granules or liquid around the perimeter of your home. Both contain Bifenthrin. For flying insects like mosquitoes and flies, I recommend Cutter or Deep Woods Off products.
Or try citronella plants or Tiki torches with citronella. One candle probably wont make much of a difference, but several citronella candles burning nearby keeps people safe from the pests when sitting, enjoying a picnic, or just being outdoors or in the garden.
For summer lawn care, I focus on maintaining my lawn. Remember, early spring is when you should apply weed and feed if you are trying to control many summer weeds.
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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 doesnt develop until late spring or early summer, so dont apply herbicide used to prevent pre-emerging crabgrass in the fall.
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Lawn Fertilizer Tips For Idaho Homeowners
If you dont do everything right when fertilizing your lawn, you might be wasting fertilizer and your time. Here are some lawn fertilization tips:
- Water first. A few days before you feed your lawn, give it a good watering. That will help ensure your soil is ready to accept the fertilizer.
- Adjust your spreader settings. Check the fertilizer bag to make sure youre selecting the proper setting for your individual spreader to ensure proper coverage.
- Lightly water after you apply fertilizer. That washes the fertilizer off grass blades and into the soil. You can also time fertilizer application between rainfalls to let rain wash fertilizer into soil. Just dont fertilize before a downpour all that fertilizer will just wash away.
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Cool Season Vs Warm Season Grasses
Cool-season grass generally originates in the North and is characterized by rapid growth in the spring and fall. Cool-season grass types often turn brown during periods of high summer heat. The best time to plant cool-season grass seed is in late summer or early fall.
Determine your grass type to find the best lawn fertilizer for your yard. Warm-season grasses such as bahia, bermuda, centipede, St. Augustine and zoysia grow vigorously throughout much of the year and need a little more attention than cool-season varieties.
The cool-season grasses like fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and rye grow and spread more slowly than warm-season varieties. They are typically semi-dormant during the summer, so you fertilize them just twice a year: once at the beginning of spring and again at the beginning of fall.
You can also reinvigorate your summer lawn by overseeding. Cool season grasses in the North can be overseeded in spring and fall. That window is open a little longer in the South. You can overseed warm season grasses from late spring to mid-summer. Learn more about overseeding your lawn.
The 7 Best Lawn Fertilizing Tips Youll Find For Your Summer Lawn Care
May 11, 2021Lawn Fertilization
Looking for lawn fertilizing tips? Summer is the high season for your lawn. Thats when it gets the most traffic and the most hours of sun each day. However, it also gets the least amount of rain and requires more maintenance than during other seasons of the year. Fertilizing your yard during summer may seem to be counterproductive. You dont want it to grow even faster, but by maintaining a fertilization regimen, you are improving the quality of your lawn and preventing weeds and other threats from getting a foothold.
To make sure you are ready for the season, we have compiled some of the best summer lawn fertilization tips you need to know:
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How To Fertilize Your Lawn In The Fall
Approach your fall fertilizer application just as you would any other. Follow the coverage recommendation for the chosen product. Its always a good idea to split the application in half and then make two passes in different directions. For example: if your fall fertilizer bag says it will cover 5,000 square feet, find the setting on your spreader for 10,000 square feet . This will close the spreader gate allowing only one-half the recommended rate to flow through. Then make two consecutive passes at this spreader setting. This will apply the total recommended amount using two passes instead of one. This ensures even, uniform coverage, reducing the risk of missing parts of your lawn.
After youve finished your fall fertilizer application, make sure you thoroughly wash your spreader. This removes any remaining fertilizer residue that can corrode spreader components over the winter. Refer to your owners manual for additional recommended maintenance before winter storage.
Best Fertilizers For Grass In Summer
The summer months are rapidly approaching and if keeping up with the Joneses is your thing, it can be a lot easier to do so when they drive by and are envious of your luscious and vibrant front yard.
At first, creating a beautiful lawn can be daunting especially when you know that one of the key criteria for healthy, green grass is using the right fertilizer and you need to make a selection from all the hundreds that are available.
With endless choices available on the market, choosing the right one can leave even the most confident rubbing their chin. Fortunately, with a little bit of explanation, it doesnt have to be as hard as it seems. I have tested eight of the top fertilizers on the market heres what I found.
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