How Often to Fertilize Your Lawn, According to Experts
Fertilizer keeps lawns healthy and luscious—here's the right way to do it, according to experts.
Fertilizer is an essential part of lawn care. It provides the nutrients your grass needs to thrive—it also crowds out weeds, improves disease and drought resistance, and provides a healthy root system. However, over-fertilizing your lawn can do more harm than good. To ensure you get this maintenance task right, we spoke to lawn care experts who explain how often you should fertilize your lawn.
Meet the Expert
Craig Elworthy, founder of Lawnbright, a lawn care subscription service
Jason McCausland, national technical director of Weed Man, lawn care and weed control service
Related: Lawn Mowing Tips That Will Make Your Yard the Envy of the Block
How Often to Fertilize Your Lawn
How often you fertilize your lawn will depend on a few factors, including the type of grass you have, the type of fertilizer you're using, and how much is applied. As a general rule of thumb, it's ideal to fertilize your lawn about three to four times a year, says Craig Elworthy, founder of Lawnbright.
When to Fertilize Your Lawn
The time of year you fertilize your lawn will depend largely on the broad category of grass you have, which can be broken down into cool-season and warm-season grasses.
Cool-Season Grasses
The best time to fertilize cool-season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrass and fescues, is during fall. This is because fall is when your lawn is trying to put on root mass and store nutrients before winter. "It will respond well to any fertilizer applied during this time, and the temperatures in fall allow it to grow quickly and fill out bare spots," says Elworthy. You can fertilize your lawn a few times during fall, depending on the type of fertilizer you're using.
The next best time to fertilize cool-season grasses is during spring. But keep in mind that during spring, your lawn is going through a natural flush and doesn't require as much fertilizer. Just once during May is enough. Avoid fertilizing cool-season grasses during summer, which is when the lawn is going through significant stress, and encouraging growth can stress it out even further.
Warm-Season Grasses
Warm-season grasses, like Bermuda grass and centipede grass have a different growth pattern and should be fertilized in late spring and summer. "Unlike cool-season lawns, the late spring and summer is a high growth period for warm season lawns, and they love to be fed during this time." Fertilize warm-season grasses once a month from May to about August, depedning on the type of fertilizer you're using.
Best Time of Day to Fertilize Your Lawn
While the time of day you fertilize your lawn may vary based on personal preference, Elworthy recommends fertilizing in the morning. "Each application of fertilizer should receive at least a 1/4-inch of water to get down into the root zone," he says. "I don’t like to leave the grass wet overnight because it can cause disease and fungus, so watering during the morning will give it the most amount of time to dry out before evening."
Which Fertilizer to Use and How Much
The type of fertilizer you use comes down to personal preference, but generally, using light applications of an organic slow-release fertilizer is ideal. Slow-release fertilizers feed the roots over an extended period of time, says Jason McCausland, national technical director of Weed Man. Always follow the product's recommendation when it comes to dosage, but light applications eliminate the risk of fertilizer burn and damage, and allow for more even growth, says Elworthy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is too often to fertilize?
How often you fertilize your lawn depends on the type of grass you have and the product you are using. For example, a heavy synthetic fertilizer can burn your lawn and significantly alter the pH with the salt content if used too much. On the other hand, a natural fertilizer like grass clippings, can be used once a week, says Elworthy.
What happens if you don't fertilize your lawn?
Your lawn will not survive without fertilizer, says McCausland. There are some nutrients in the soil, but not enough to sustain turf grass over an extended period of time without some fertility.
How long should you wait between fertilizing?
How long you wait between fertilizing depends on the amount of nitrogen you’re applying each time. You will need to wait longer if you're using a product that's high in nitrogen.
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