Fertilize Your Lawn in September

Although we’ve had a stretch of hot, dry, summer-like weather, fall is right around the corner. As the first leaves begin to turn color, it’s a great time to fertilize your lawn. Although most people think of fertilizing their lawn in spring, the first week in September is an ideal time to give the grass a light dose of nutrients.

Here are some of the benefits of fertilizing your lawn in the fall.

• Your grass will look better and be healthier over the long term.
• The grass will look greener through fall and winter.
• It will green up earlier in spring without growing like crazy, which means you’ll have a nice green lawn without mowing too much.
• The roots will grow better the following spring, which is a good thing to create a thick, resilient lawn.
• Because your lawn will be healthier, it will have better tolerance to drought and insect damage next summer.

Here are the steps to follow to fertilize your grass.

• Check out my post on which fertilizer to choose. Avoid using a “natural and organic” fertilizer at this time of year, since these types require warm soil and high soil microbial activity to break them down before they’re available. Since the soil is beginning to cool, these types of fertilizer won’t do much good at this time of year.
• After you fertilize, be sure to water your lawn so the fertilizer will dissolve and provide some benefit. If your community is still in water restrictions, fertilize the day before your watering day.
• Don’t overdo it; you’re just trying to give the grass enough nutrients to stay green throughout out fall, not grow excessively. In this case, applying too much may actually harm your lawn by making it less cold hardy.
• Don’t fertilize your trees, shrubs and flowers at this time of year. These landscape plants are preparing to go dormant for winter. A dose of fertilizer delays the hardening process, which can make them more susceptible to winter damage.

In conclusion, try to find a few moments over the next week to fertilize your lawn. I guarantee you’ll be rewarded with a thicker, healthier lawn next spring.