It’s that time of year again to start putting the outdoor furniture away, winterizing your lawn, and placing finishing touches before winter sets in. So, what are you doing to make sure your lawn is getting the proper treatment for a healthy winter? Check our tips and tricks on how to winterize your lawn before it gets too cold out!
When are you fertilizing your lawn for the winter?
Winter lawn fertilizer is heavy in potassium, which strengthens the roots to help the grass survive a cold winter. The best time to apply winter lawn treatment depends on the type of grass you have. If you are living in an area without winter frost, your warm-season lawn may stay fairly green even throughout the winter. Proceed to apply a slow-release nitrogen feeding in early autumn. If you are living in a mild winter area that receives some frost, your warm-season lawn probably goes brown and dormant. Make sure you are applying any fertilizer to your lawn no later than September 1. Those of you who have a cool-season lawn, its best to winterize your lawn with two separate applications. The first application of winter lawn fertilizer occurs in late summer/early fall and the second application is during late fall. If you are running out of time, it is okay to apply the winter lawn feed once in late November or early December.
How do these fertilizers work?
What happens after you apply the winter fertilizer to your lawn? A quick release nitrogen becomes available immediately after application and will continue to release for a few weeks after application. The slow release of nitrogen will begin releasing nutrients for several days after the application as the outer coating is broken down. Moisture is important in this process for the breakdown of the outer coating. This provides a steady release of nitrogen for a long duration of time. Different coatings offer different release rates.
Common Questions about lawn winterization:
Can I save money and just reuse leftover spring fertilizer for winterization?
No, for warm season grasses, it will contain too much nitrogen for this late in the season. You can either skip the application or purchase a fertilizer containing low nitrogen with about 15% potassium.
What lawn fertilizer should I use? Here are a few recommendations:
- Scotts Turf Builder Winterguard
- Ferti-Lome Winterizer
- Greenskeepers Secret Winterizer Fall
- Duraturf Winterizer Lawn
