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| Fertilizing Your Lawn |
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Fertilizing Your Lawn
Build Your Personal Lawn ProgramNo two lawns are alike. Where you live, whether you have sun or shade, and lots of other things make a big difference in what your lawn needs. We can help you build a successful program specifically for you lawn at our Annual Lawn Care Program Builder.
To get an overview about how to take care of your lawn, here are some good tips.
When to Fertilize LawnsThe most important thing you can do for your lawn is to feed it. A well-fed lawn is healthier, which means it has a better root system to combat heat, cold, drought, mowing, foot traffic and other stresses. While feeding your lawn once a year will improve its condition, feeding it four times a year will make it even healthier. If you put your lawn on the regular feeding schedule outlined below, it will look lush and green, and your neighbors will turn green with envy.
Early Spring (February - April)Lawns wake up hungry in the spring. Feeding your lawn in the spring strengthens roots and gets it off to a good start before the heavy growing season. If you see crabgrass, apply a combination fertilizer with a pre-emergent to control it.
Late Spring (April - June)Spring is lunch time for lawns. Your grass is busy and using up stored energy. That's why you want to supply the lawn with a feeding designed for this time of year. Unfortunately, broadleaf weeds are actively growing, too. Hit them and feed your lawn with a combination of fertilizer with broadleaf weed control (a "weed-n-feed").
Summer (June - August)Summer is tough on grass. Heat, drought, foot traffic, and insects stress it out. Feeding your lawn in the summer protects and strengthens it against these problems. Lawns in warm-season grass areas should be fed over the summer months as they grow steadily from spring to fall. If you see insects in your grass, use a feeding product that also contains insect control, such as Scotts® Turf Builder® with SummerGuard®.
Fall (September - November)Fall brings back ideal conditions for your lawn. Cool nights, ample rainfall and morning dew are just about as good as it gets for grass. Now the lawn is ready to grow again, and is looking for the nutrients it needs to recover from summer damage. Some experts will say this is the single most important lawn feeding of the year. Apply your final feeding right before the winter months, when grass is prepping for a winter nap. This will strengthen roots and increase nitrogen storage for an early spring green up and a healthier lawn next year. Following a general program like this one should improve your lawn. For a more specific plan for your lawn, build your very own program at our Annual Lawn Care Program Builder
This article courtesy of Scotts
back to topHow to Read a Fertilizer Label
On the back of a bag of fertilizer, you will find three numbers. These three numbers tell the percentage of the primary ingredients in the fertilizer. Take a basic lawn fertilizer, for example, with a label that contains:
20-5-10These numbers stand for the "big three" nutrients that your lawn needs to thrive. They always appear in the same order: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. They tell you how much of these nutrients, by weight, you are getting in the fertilizer. In this case, you are getting four parts nitrogen to one part phosphorous and two parts potassium.
If you don't want to know a lot about fertilizer, remember that nitrogen is the most important nutrient and it is the ingredient that makes your lawn green. To figure out how much nitrogen is in this bag of fertilizer, multiply its number (in this case, 20) by the weight of the bag of fertilizer (usually 50 lbs.). This means you are getting 10 pounds of nitrogen in this bag of fertilizer. This is important to know when you spread your fertilizer. You do not want to apply to much nitrogen - only one pound or less in any single feeding. Too much nitrogen can burn your lawn.
This article courtesy of B&S
back to topFall Fertilizing
Fertilize Your LawnIn northern areas that receive freezing weather, it is best to fertilize in fall rather than winter. Fall is the time your turf is busy storing nutrients in the roots to come back strong next year. Also, most dry lawn fertilizers will not release nutrients if the temperature is too cool (soil temperatures less than the 55° F.). Don't worry if you already applied the fertilizer "too late". Scotts Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Lawn Fertilizer will not dissolve with rain or snow, but will simply begin to feed again when the weather warms up.
If you are in the south, Lawns that go dormant (brown in cool weather) should be fertilized in fall prior to dormancy. This is because southern lawn types enter their brown, dormant stage to naturally protect themselves from the cold. Feeding during this protective stage can encourage fresh growth that is easily damaged by cold. If you need help remembering when to feed, consider signing up for our free e-mail reminder service.
This article courtesy of Scotts
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