Knowing when to fertilize lawns is so important. In Wisconsin, in cities like Milwaukee, Madison you shouldn’t expect the timing to be any different than most places as it depends mostly on the kind of grass that you have.
It’s also tough to know how often to fertilize lawns, but here at Earth Development, we aim to ensure all our readers are as informed as possible. In this piece, we’ll explore the right time and frequency that you should be fertilizing your lawn.
What’s the Best Time to Fertilize Lawns?
The best time to fertilize lawns is just before the growing season, and then during the growing season if you have warm-season grass. We’ll break this down into seasons for you below, but a good general rule to follow is making sure that your grass has the nutrients it needs right before it is ready to grow.
Additionally, the best time of day to fertilize lawns is the afternoon. Remember that fertilizer may burn your grass if it is not applied correctly, so you want to make sure that the air temperature is not too hot. Avoid the mid-day sun and stick to the afternoon. Furthermore, you’ll want to avoid fertilizing lawns too late into the evening as if you apply it and water your lawn too late in the day, you may just expose your lawn to fungal disease.
So, you want to know when to fertilize grass throughout the year? Let’s take a look.
Lawn Fertilization in Spring
Springtime is a really important time to fertilize your lawn, but the kind of grass you have determines when exactly in the spring to apply it.
If you have cool-season grass, it will begin to wake up in the spring and enter its growth cycle. Wait until the late spring, so somewhere between late May and the beginning of June, to fertilize the lawn. This is about the time that the root system has built up enough energy to start growing, and then the plant will need an immediate source of nutrition to start growing.
For warm-season grasses, there is no harm in adding additional nutrients to the soil, but you should have already applied the fertilizer. We’ll talk more about that later in this piece.
When to Fertilize A Lawn in Summer
Remember to feed your lawn during the summer, too! Warm-season grasses grow a lot during the summer, meaning all those nutrients you put into the soil in the spring are being used up.
If you use cool-season grass, avoid feeding the lawn during the summer, but for warm-season grass, you’ll want to make sure that you keep up with some fertilizing during the summer. Always make sure that your lawn has plenty of water, too, and that you stay on top of your various pest management methods.
It’s important to make sure that your lawn is ready for the summer, but it doesn’t mean it’s not also a good time to fertilize lawns again.
Lawn Fertilization in Autumn
As we alluded to earlier, warm-season grasses thrive in the summer and the hot weather, and you can fertilize them throughout the growing season. However, it’s also wise to continue fertilizing the lawn into the fall. This ensures that your grass is not short on nutrients through the entirety of the warmer seasons and will even have some leftover once the spring comes around.
It’s easy to assume that your lawn stops growing in the fall, but there are actually a few crucial growing weeks before the winter comes and the plant goes dormant.
With lawns, it’s all about being prepared and ensuring.
Got Questions? We’ve Got You Covered
We hope this offers you an insight into how often you can fertilize your lawn and when to fertilize lawns in Wisconsin.
If you still have questions, Earth Development is here to help.
Our optimal turf fertilization schedule allows our lawn maintenance experts to stay on top of your lawn’s health throughout the year. With affordable prices and convenient lawn fertilizer services, we’ll take the entire job off your hands and ensure your home or commercial property’s lawn looks perfect.
For more information or a free quote, call Earth Development today at (920) 406-7501!