When it comes to helping your lawn spring back to life after winter, fertilizer is definitely your best friend. However, make sure to be thoughtful of the timing and amount of your applications, otherwise you’ll do more harm than good. Here’s a quick reference guide and some helpful tips to get you started.
Understand the Numbers
Fertilizer bags display the amount of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium contained in its ingredients. The remaining percentage of ingredients is usually comprised of filler material such as sand. The amount to use depends on the type of grass and size of your lawn.
Spread Fertilizer Carefully
When you’re ready, refer to the fertilizer bag to provide direction on how to set your spreader. If you are still unsure, adjust it to a low setting to avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. Over-fertilization can cause grass to turn brown.
Have a Feeding & Watering Plan
Water the lawn a day before application. Pre-watering can help break down the fertilizer granules. Once you’ve spread the fertilizer, lightly water the lawn. This will help wash the fertilizer off the grass blades and move it along into the soil’s roots. Plan on a second application six to eight weeks later.
Time it Right
The best time to fertilize or water your lawn is in the early morning, before the hottest part of the day. This will reduce the chance of fertilizer burn and give more time for the water to absorb into the ground rather than being evaporated by the day’s strongest heat. Lack of water is responsible for many landscape problems in Colorado so you want to absorb as much water as possible.
Prefer to leave these tasks to the landscaping pros? Give All Terrain Landscaping a call at 970-304-1183 – we’ll put together a lawn fertilization plan to get the best results for your lawn. Learn more about our Lawn Fertilization & Aeration services here.
