Your lawn is almost like you. You perform at the highest level of your beauty and function when taken good care of. Just like this, your lawn requires proper nutrition and diet to appear abundant, thick and green.
So, fertilizing your lawn is one of the most critical tasks. However, you must know the best time to fertilize your lawn so that you can provide the grass with timely nutrition.
When to Fertilize Lawn?
Fertilizing the lawn gives the grass a perfect boost to grow at their full potential. As a result, fertilizers are incredibly crucial and must be applied at the right time.
In general terms, you should apply fertilizer twice a year. But, over-fertilizing and fertilizing at the wrong times can cause weeds and insects to grow and destroy your lawn.
You can consider the rule of thumb to avoid any damages to your green grass. According to this rule, the best time to fertilize lawn is when the grass is growing actively. However, this requires an understanding of what type of grass is growing on your lawn as well as the seasonal condition of your locality.
So, to determine the perfect time for fertilizing the lawn, the first and foremost is to recognize your grass type. Following that, you can choose the proper time to fertilize your lawn accordingly.
Figuring Out the Type of Grass
Depending on your region, there can be 3 distinct types of grasses:
Cool-season grass
As the name suggests, these grasses usually grow during cold and low temperature. The prime time for these grasses to grow is in early spring, just at the end of winter, and at the early fall. High heat and water scarcity may cause them to die out. They strictly need freezing weather and high amount of water.
Warm-season grass
The mid-summer is their prime time to grow. This means that they love warm temperatures. These type of grasses can be quite thick and dense. Furthermore, these grasses, in cold weather, can dry out.
Combinational grasses
Some grasses, in particular regions, can be a combination of both cool-season and warm-season. These grasses require different fertilization at different time. The best way to understand your grass type is to watch how the grasses behave.
For instance, warm-season grasses will become brown after the first winter they experience. On the other hand, cool-season grasses are likely to stay green throughout the whole year. However, they will die out in warm summers.
Seasonal Fertilization According to Grass Type
During early spring and fall
For grasses that grow in cool-season, optimal fertilizing time is fall and early spring. During fall, fertilize heavily and during early spring, lightly apply fertilizer. In these periods, temperatures are usually between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. These grasses require a maximum of 2 pounds of nitrogen-based fertilizers per 1,000 square feet of lawn per year.
During late spring and summer
The warm-season grasses require a temperature between 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. When the grass starts to become green in late spring, apply the fertilizer. Moreover, these grasses require a maximum of 4 pounds of nitrogen-based fertilizers per 1,000 square feet of lawn each year.
Make sure to water the lawn properly and heavily after applying fertilizer in summer. A second fertilizing can be scheduled during the scorching heat of summer days.
Effect of Rain on Fertilizing Time
Fertilizers are applied in summer or spring, as mentioned earlier. However, during monsoon, heavy rain may fall, and you should also be careful about fertilizing your lawn in this condition.
Just before heavy rain, you should not fertilize your rain. The main reason you apply fertilizers is to provide nutrition to your grasses. If you apply fertilizers just before heavy rain, the fertilizers do not get the chance to work their magic as they get washed away with the rainwater.
However, if you are planning to apply a mild amount of fertilizer, it is approachable. The heavy rain, in this case, may even help with watering the lawn right after a light fertilizing process.
On the other hand, you can apply fertilizer after heavy rainfall. But, it is advised to wait for the grasses to get dry. It would be best if you also were sure of the weather forecast that there is no prediction of heavy rain in the coming weeks. After a rainfall, it is expected to have steady sunlight, which is quite beneficial for grasses that have been fertilized.
Conclusion
Fertilizing your lawn is as important as feeding milk to your child. Your lawn needs the best nutrition to appear in its natural, green and smooth grassy look. So, you must follow the proper timings in the whole process. It is highly recommended that your lawn fertilization is done at the best times so that you can fruitfully ensure the best lawn in the neighbourhood.
