Fertilizing in the Fall: What You Need to Know Now

If you want a stunning lawn next spring, put in a little effort this fall.

Fall fertilizing promotes root growth, which ensures that your lawn will not only be greener, it will be more resistant to weeds, drought, and heat.

All in the timing

When to fertilize, of course, depends on your location. In most regions, you want to do the first feeding in early October.

Make the final fertilizer application between Thanksgiving and mid-December — perhaps later, in warmer areas. Do this second feeding – called winterizing – when the grass no longer needs mowing.

If you have zoysia, St. Augustine, or another warm-season grass, don’t winterize. Just stick with that first autumn feeding.

The right amount and the right type

As you probably know, lawn fertilizers generally include nitrogen, which keeps the grass green and strengthens the grass and the roots, phosphorus, which strengthens roots, and potassium, which protects the grass and roots from extreme cold. (We discuss balancing those three components here.)

Not surprisingly, winterizing fertilizers are generally high in potassium—but that doesn’t mean your lawn needs more potassium. You can’t really know what your turf needs without a soil test. (We tell you how here.)

To determine how much fertilizer, talk to one of our experts.