Spring Lawn Fertilizer Guide
Start fertilizing your yard this spring for a richer lawn. Follow our how-to guide on how to fertilize and find what you'll need this spring.
Spring is around the corner and there’s yard work to be done. Once the snow’s all gone and the weather starts to warm, it’s time to fertilize. Fertilizing your lawn in the spring can help your lawn look as healthy as possible. Having the best lawn on the block is a year-round process, so we’ll show you the best strategy to give you a greener lawn, and that starts with applying fertilizer in the spring.
Why should I fertilize in spring?
Fertilizing your lawn throughout the year has many benefits. If your lawn has suffered a harsh winter, experienced lots of water runoff, or struggled with weeds, it might be a good idea to lay some fertilizer down this spring. Fertilizer improves grass growth, supports lawn health, and can fight against weeds like crabgrass. There are a lot of reasons why you should invest in fertilizer for your lawn care needs.
Fertilizer 101
New homeowners have a lot of questions about lawn care, and we want to help answer your questions and give you important information on fertilizer, why it’s important, and how to best use it for your yard.
- Promotes Growth, Kills Weeds
Fertilizer helps your lawn with its controls on weed germination. When it comes to weeds in your lawn, specific fertilizer controls have important ingredients that can control weed germination. Using a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer in spring will prevent crabgrass germination all season long.
If you’re not sure what kind of fertilizer you should use, here are 4 easy steps.
- Crabgrass Preventer + Fertilizer: We recommend using this fertilizer for your lawns in early spring. Fighting crabgrass is easy with its preventive weed-stopping nutrients. This fertilizer is best used before it rains between March and April for best results.
- Weed + Feed: For late spring to early summer when broadleaf weeds are growing, the Weed + Feed fertilizer provides control of dandelions and 200 other broadleaf weeds. Weed + Feed supplies key nutrients for a healthy, lush lawn. You should apply this fertilizer to damp grass, at least 48 hours before rain. Wait to mow until 2 days after application. Apply from late April to June.
- Lawn Fertilizer + Iron: For summer fertilization, this Lawn Fertilizer + Iron mix offers healthy nutrients to keep your grass green in the summer heat. Apply before it rains in July or August.
- Winterizer: When winter is around the corner, it’s the most important time to fertilize. Winterizing your lawn will help your lawn be rich and green in spring. Apply prior to rain in September through November.
How to Fertilize Your Lawn
Spreading fertilizer can seem like a daunting task. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered.
When spreading fertilizer on your lawn, you want to spread it over your entire yard for even coverage and uniform lawn color. For newly seeded areas, we recommend only applying a fertilizer specifically formulated for those areas.
Using a broadcast spreader is the simplest way to spread fertilizer around your yard. This equipment can disperse your fertilizer to cover 20,000+ square feet of grass.
When filling a broadcast spreader with fertilizer, fill it on your sidewalk or driveway in case a little spills so it’s easier to clean up. Once you’re ready, set your machine to the right spreader settings. You can find the recommended spreader settings on your fertilizer bag, once you do that you’re all set to go. Follow instructions on the back of your fertilizer bag to ensure you achieve the best results.
Fertilizing your lawn doesn’t just happen once a year. For every season, your grass has special needs that can be helped by applying fertilizer specifically formulated for that time of year. We recommend sticking to an easy-to-follow program like the Superior 4-season process that’s designed to help your lawn thrive during hot summers and survive harsh, snowy winters.
Make sure you prepare your lawn before those cold months kick in for a better-looking lawn come next spring. Click here to learn more about how prepare your grass for winter can maintain your lawn’s health. You can also learn more about our fertilizer selection by visiting us online at FleetFarm.com or finding a store near you.
