With cool nights, ample rainfall and morning dew, fall is the ideal time to feed your lawn. An early fall feeding gives the lawn the nutrients it needs to grow and recover from the damage of the hot summer months. A late fall feeding prepares the grass for the winter months, strengthens roots and enables the grass to store more nitrogen to use in the spring.
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If you need to re-seed your lawn in patchy areas, read our project guide on overseeding your lawn.
Overseeding Your Lawn Project Guide
When shopping for fertilizer, look for three numbers on the label. These numbers indicate the percentages of main nutrients responsible for the development and overall health of your lawn. The first number represents nitrogen. The second is phosphorus and the third is potassium. So, if a bag of fertilizer is labeled 20-27-5, that means it contains 20 percent nitrogen, 27 percent phosphorus and 5 percent potassium. The remaining ingredients contain other nutrients and fillers.
Nitrogen helps the grass grow and produce a lush green color. Phosphorus strengthens its roots, and potassium builds strong cells within the plant tissue. It also helps the grass withstand stress, drought and disease.
Multi-benefit lawn fertilizers combine nutrients that feed grass in critical growing seasons with additional ingredients that address other common lawn problems, from crabgrass prevention – often needed most in the North – to insect killers that eradicate harmful pests without harming the grass itself. There are even weed and feed products that work as post-emergents, killing off crabgrass that has already invaded the lawn while strengthening the grass so that it grows thicker and keeps the weeds from returning.
Weed and feed fertilizers have two benefits, explained in the name: They feed your lawn while also killing existing weeds. Some of these fertilizers kill weeds by sticking to the weed leaves, so it’s important to apply when the grass is wet from morning dew or after a quick sprinkling.
Tip: Don’t water your lawn for 24 hours after applying a weed and feed product, as the water can wash away the weed control particles before they can get to work.
Types of Fertilizers
The type of grass you have determines the type fertilizer you should use and how often you should use it. There are a variety of fertilizers to choose from to suit your lawn’s needs, including:
Soil pH
Before you fertilize your lawn, do a soil test to determine the pH level of your soil. The pH, or acidity level, of your soil has a lot to do with how well plants and grasses grow. If the pH is too high or too low, your lawn can’t properly utilize the fertilizer you give it.
One way to test your soil is by using a pH test kit. The pH is rated on a scale of 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline). Seven is considered neutral. In general, turf grasses need a pH between 6 and 7.2.
Your local extension service agent may also be able to test your soil for you. Be sure to tell the agent what kind of grass you are growing.
Fertilizer is designed to release nutrients and give plants everything they need to grow. It’s designed with natural or synthetic ingredients that supply these elements in a form that’s easy for plants to absorb. The most common types of fertilizer are:
Lawns have specific nutrient needs, depending on the season and type of grass. The roots of your turf — as well as your garden plants and trees — obtain nutrients from soil but over time the plants deplete the soil so it no longer holds enough necessary nutrients. That’s why replenishing the nutrients with routine lawn fertilizer applications is so important to keep your lawn healthy. Ideally, you should fertilize several times each year, spring, summer and fall.
CautionOverapplication may lead to a damaged lawn with yellow, brown or dead patches.
There are four lawn fertilizer formulations you may see:
Plant fertilizer is designed to encourage growth in various flowers like roses or hydrangeas or boost the yield of vegetables, like tomatoes or lettuce. They're available as liquids, granules or spikes.
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Some plant fertilizer is formulated for general use and others are specially formulated like houseplant fertilizer or fertilizers that include weed control. Some garden fertilizer isn't suitable for edible plants, so read the label carefully.
While fertilizers can benefit plants, they create problems and cause damage if overapplied or if they enter waterways. Correct application is necessary, be careful and always follow application instructions.
Many people choose to use organic fertilizer, natural soil conditioners and soil additives. Some of the most common are:
All plants need several types of nutrients and some need them in large quantities. Nutrients not readily available in soil in the right amounts are the primary ones in fertilizer.
Primary Nutrients
Secondary nutrients or macronutrients include oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, calcium, magnesium and sulfur.
Micronutrients include boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc. These are only necessary in small amounts.
Before you shop for yard fertilizer, perform a soil test. The results will tell you what to add to the soil for the plants you plan to grow.
Three prominent numbers on a fertilizer package (known as the NPK value, guaranteed analysis or fertilizer grade) tell you the percentage of available primary nutrients by weight in the package:
A fertilizer label marked with 18-24-6 contains 18% nitrogen, 24% phosphorous and 6% potassium. To determine how much of each is in the bag, multiply the percentage by the weight of the bag. For example, for a 50-pound bag, do the following calculations:
0.18 x 50 = 9
0.24 x 50 = 12
0.06 x 50 = 3
The bag contains 9 pounds of nitrogen, 12 pounds of phosphorus and 3 pounds of potassium. The remainder is typically inert material, which helps evenly distribute the fertilizer and prevent chemical burns. There may also be secondary nutrients or micronutrients in the formula.
Nitrogen is important for the early stages of growth for almost all plants. Using a nitrogen-rich fertilizer results in healthy leaves and stalks. Nitrogen also helps produce chlorophyll, responsible for the lush green color of a healthy plant.
While nitrogen helps produce healthy leaves, too much nitrogen can cause flowering plants or crop-bearing plants to have too much of the wrong thing. Low-nitrogen fertilizer allows the plants to focus on producing blooms and crops, resulting in a more successful yield.
You need to consider things like what type of plant you’re trying to fertilize, your preferred application method and the mix of nutrients needed.
This means the fertilizer contains equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and is a good general all-purpose mix. If you’re still not sure which fertilizer to buy, a 20-20-20 mix is a good place to start.
This all depends on location, season and the type of grass you have. Read our article on fertilizing your lawn for more information. You can also join our fertilizer subscription service to skip the guesswork.