Fertilization tips and tricks
Spring means more light during the day and warmer temperatures. Your grass craves the warmer temperatures and fertilization is a tool to help your grass grow stronger and healthier. The ideal time to start fertilizing your yard is between March and April in our area. This is due to the temperatures we have during those times in Yreka and Ashland. The rain is also a constant help as your lawn should be watered a few days before laying fertilizer.
What we don’t want is crabgrass and weeds as they suck the nutrients from your lawn and makes it look terrible. Fertilizer gives your grass the extra nutrients it needs to grow green and thick, while also preventing crabgrass. Fertilizing your lawn is simple once you have the tools and correct fertilizer. To lay your feed correctly start around the perimeter of your lawn. After that you can start filling the middle. You never want to use your hands as you want an even lay of fertilizer. Using a lawn spreader it is similar to mowing your lawn. Go in straight lines and you want to distance your lines by how far your spread goes. You want the edge of your spread to hit the wheel lines of your previous pass. After the straight lines you will want to go over the entire lawn again sideways to “cross” your other lines.
Now that you know when and how to fertilize your lawn, here are some helpful tips.
How often you should apply fertilizer to your lawn
You don’t want to overdo using your fertilizer as it can “burn” your grass. A full cycle throughout the year is about 3-5 times. You want your lawn to grow healthy and fast, but you don’t want to kill it.
Cold season grasses, like ryegrass, fine fescue, turf type tall fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass, should be fertilized in spring or late fall. Depending on the amount of water your grass gets, aim to reapply your fertilizer every 6-8 weeks. Keep a watchful eye on your grass. If it looks thick and green, you can probably skip the feeding. If it’s starting to look brown or black, give your lawn a helping hand.
How soon you can fertilize after seeding your lawn
It’s not always after seeding that you should apply fertilizer—the best time to fertilize is right before or during the seeding process. Use a starter fertilizer with quick-release nitrogen since that will give the seeds a nutritional boost. When you make fertilizer a part of the seeding process, your grass will grow quicker and is more likely to end up healthy and lush.
Best fertilizers to use
The best fertilizers to use are slow release. When you use slow release fertilizers, the grass will get green without growing too quickly. In the spring, mixtures of 20-5-10 (nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium) are suitable to use. You can also perform a soil pH test before you start the process. Then, you can base the mixture off of your results. For example, if your pH tests come back with high potassium results, you can look for a combination that is lower in that category.
