How Fertilizer In The Fall Helps Your Lawn Look Great In The Spring

A healthy lawn doesn’t just look and feel good. It also reduces heat, improves air quality, and generates oxygen – all big pluses for your family. Our Sioux City lawn care company will help you achieve these goals, using the following insights as motivation.

Why Is Fall The Perfect Time To Fertilize?

Summer heat is tough on a lot of living things, including lawns. But come fall, cooler temperatures offer the ideal climate in which to optimize a lawn’s overall health. In these milder temps, grass has a better chance to grow strong and build stamina before winter sets in. Also, the moisture generated on a cool fall morning in the form of dew and light frost helps the lawn and soil absorb fertilizer. Interestingly, autumn naturally invigorates grass and lawns, supporting root growth so that everything green looks great come spring. And when you fertilize your lawn, you give autumn’s natural benefits some extra juice.

When In Fall Should You Fertilize?

The pros at our lawn care service near Sioux City recommend fertilizing your lawn 2 – 3 weeks before the ground freezes. This corresponds with the first frost, which usually occurs a few weeks prior to ground freeze. Just confirm the date of the first frost and circle it on your calendar as the time to fertilize.

Regarding time of day, morning or early evening are best. This way, you avoid having to fertilize when daily temperatures are warmest. Make sure you don’t fertilize right before heavy rain, because rainwater leads to runoff and the possibility that you’ll have to fertilize and re-apply your lawn chemicals   all over again. Also, if you’re fertilizing after a day or two after a rainstorm, you should wait until the grass dries before beginning your project.

Many of our customers are curious whether they should mow the lawn before fertilizing, and the answer is yes. We also recommend leaving grass clippings out, as this will help strengthen the roots.

What Kind Of Fertilizer Should You Use?

There are lots of good fertilizers on the market, so let’s consider this question from a chemical point of view. Our many years of providing first-class lawn care services have made us experts on the three nutrients every lawn requires: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Each offers a unique benefit: for example, phosphorous is integral to establishing a solid foundation of healthy grass and roots, while nitrogen is important in promoting and maintaining strong growth. As for potassium, it enhances a lawn’s resilience to dry spells, heavy foot traffic, and the like. Depending on your lawn’s condition, it may require more of one nutrient than another. This is an area that we can assist you with.

Get a Quote

From weed control and insect control to core aeration and tree trimming, Jay-Lan Lawn Care does it all. Contact us today and let’s talk about a plan to keep your lawn healthy and vibrant year round.