Most lawn professionals would recommend most people to fertilize their laws around 2-4 times a year. Although, how often you’ll need to apply fertilizer to your lawn will depend on what lawn you have, what condition it is in, and also what weather climate you live in.
If your lawn is in fairly good condition and if your fertilizer has a high nutrient content, then fertilizing your lawn about twice a year should be sufficient enough. However, if your lawn is in bad condition and needs all the help it can get then you’ll need to fertilize it more to help it grow.
You may need to use 2 different types of fertilizers depending on what time of year you’re fertilizing your lawn. The early spring and summer months will require you to use a fertilizer that contains nitrogen to help boost the growth and to also give the lawn a vivid green color.
Whereas in the fall or winter months, you’ll want to use a fertilizer that has lots of potassium in as the lawn needs it to increase strength and to be able to withstand the harsh elements that the last few months of the year bring.
The fertilizer you currently have or you plan to buy states how often you should use it on your lawn and what factors will impact how often you need to apply it.
You should try to make a note on paper or on your phone of when you last fertilized your lawn, this will prevent you from under fertilizing it or over-fertilizing it.
What if it rains after I fertilize my lawn?
Rain is quite beneficial for fertilized lawns as it can help the fertilize work on the lawn and can also help push it down into the soil where the roots can absorb all the nutrients.
The only time to be concerned if it rains after you’ve fertilized your lawn if there is very heavy rainfall as there could be a risk of the fertilizer being washed away, especially if you have a sloping lawn.
If your lawn experiences heavy rainfall immediately or a day after you’ve fertilized it, then there is no way of knowing if the fertilizer was absorbed into the soil or if it was washed away.
For this reason, you should avoid re-fertilizing straight away and wait until your next fertilizing date to do it again. Over-fertilizing your lawn can cause it to burn which would be more damaging rather than it not being able to grow properly.
You should also not apply fertilizer to a wet lawn unless the product specifies to do so. Applying fertilizer to a wet lawn as the fertilizer may be washed away as soon as you apply it, especially if there is more rainfall or heavy winds after you’ve applied it.
This may result in an uneven distribution of the fertilizer as well, as some of it may have been blown or carried to other areas of the lawn, so when it does begin to grow in the spring and summer months, the lawn will be uneven and patchy.
Ideally, you should monitor the weather for a couple of weeks before and after you plan to fertilize so you know that it will be the right time to apply it and your effort will not be wasted.
Can I fertilize my lawn every 2 weeks?
It’s not recommended to fertilize your lawn every 2 weeks unless recommended to do so by a gardening or lawn professional (this will be if your lawn is in very bad condition). Applying fertilizer to your lawn too frequently can cause lawn burn.
A better way to naturally fertilize your lawn without using chemical fertilizer is by leaving the grass cuttings on the surface of the lawn after you have mowed it. The grass clipping naturally contains good nutrients which can be absorbed by the soil and help the lawn grow and improve in health.
There are some fertilizers that can be used every 4 weeks that will help your lawn grow quickly, however, if you live in a very hot climate that experiences lots of sun then it may not be recommended to fertilize your lawn this frequently. If you have an automated sprinkler system on your lawn then you may find that you need to fertilize it more.
What time of year should I fertilize my lawn?
The best time of year to fertilize your lawn is in the spring or in the early summer months. You can also fertilize your lawn in the fall time. However, if you live in a cooler climate and you still experience frost during the late months of spring, then you’ll want to wait a little longer until there is no chance of frost to then fertilize your lawn.
If you live in a hotter climate, then you may want to begin fertilizing your lawn at the first sign of spring, otherwise, the sun can cause the fertilizer on the lawn to burn as it becomes stronger during late spring or early summer.
You should only use fertilizers that are meant for lawn growth in the summer months and not in the winter months as this is not when the lawn tends to grow the most.
Your soil temperature should be around 55 degrees Fahrenheit when you aim to fertilize it, if you’re unsure what the temperature of your soil is then you can use a soil thermometer to keep tabs on it.
