When's the Best Time to Fertilize Your Lawn?

When to Fertilize the Lawn

As the weather warms up and spring turns to summer, you might start thinking about how to make your property's landscaping really stand out during the coming season. After all, a well-landscaped property offers a host of benefits: clean air, better stormwater management, habitat for birds and pollinators, curb appeal, and more.

If you have a substantial amount of lawn space, you're also probably wondering how to make the grass look its best. While fertilizer will almost certainly help, knowing the right time to fertilize is also very important.

Read on to learn a little more about when the best time to fertilize your lawn is.

Why Fertilize?

Before getting into schedules for fertilizers, it is worth discussing why this is a good practice in the first place. Fertilizer is generally a substance you add to a plant to improve its growth and fertility. Some fertilizers — like manure — may be entirely natural and organic. Other fertilizers are synthetically produced.

There are benefits and drawbacks to different types of fertilizers. On the whole, organic fertilizers are far healthier for the surrounding environment: they do much less damage to plants, animals, and insects; they avoid running off and polluting water sources; and they do not have negative side effects (like some synthetic fertilizers, which have even been linked to cancer development).

However, organic fertilizers are sometimes not as strong as synthetic fertilizers, even if they avoid many of the drawbacks that are common for synthetic products.

On the whole, working with a reputable and experienced landscaping contractor can help ensure that anything applied to your lawn, plants, or property is safe.

When's the Best Time to Fertilize?

The best time to fertilize your lawn ultimately depends on where your property is located, how the seasons are experienced there, what rainfall patterns exist, and other details. This said, the general answer is actually: more than once a year. While fertilizing once annually — say, in early spring — is better than not fertilizing at all, the healthiest lawns actually have varying types of fertilizers applied, often year-round. Read on to better understand the process.

Fertilizing in Early Spring

An early spring fertilizer is a great way to get the season off to a good start. Fertilizing in early spring can help kill off early weed growth, while helping the grass get a jump and start coming back quickly and healthily. Re-seeding may also be useful at this time, particularly in areas of your lawn that are patchy or have gone bare.

Fertilizing in Late Spring

A second application of fertilizer in late spring can also be helpful, as a way to stop weed growth that — if not addressed — can grow unchecked during the heat of the summer.

Fertilizing in Summer and Autumn

Fertilizing in both the heat of summer, and potentially as the weather cools in early autumn, can also be quite helpful with your lawn. A summer fertilizer can help the grass to stay vibrant during the late summer, which is often the driest part of the year.

Fertilizing in fall can help the grass last as long as possible, while killing weeds that might be sprouting up and/or overwintering, and aiding new seed growth in the event of a fall seeding.



Fertilizing in Winter

In some cases, even fertilizing in winter is a good idea. Depending on your particular climate, this can help your lawn stay healthy-looking year-round.

What Else Should You Do For Your Lawn?

Depending on your lawn's size, shape, and scope, fertilizing is only part of what it needs to stay healthy. As mentioned, re-seeding may become necessary if grass starts to thin or becomes patchy.

Other practices of good landscape design can also help keep your lawn healthy and vibrant. Regular mowing — particularly through the spring and summer — will help keep the grass short and healthy, and help it avoid drying out. Mulching, particularly around your lawn's borders, can also help retain moisture and avoid run-off.

Should You Hire a Pro?

While you can sometimes take care of your lawn on your own, there really is no substitute for a great landscape contractor.

Canepa Landscaping is an experienced, fully-licensed and insured landscape contractor in Northern California. For more information on Canepa Landscaping's services, visit us online or call (707) 322-7007.