The Best Time To Fertilize Your Lawn, According To An Expert

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Lawn fertilizer provides the essential nutrients your grass needs to grow and thrive. “A well-nourished lawn exhibits increased resilience against various stresses like drought, foot traffic, and environmental challenges,” says Valerie Smith, content strategist at Sod Solutions. When it comes to getting the most out of those nutrients, the timing and frequency of fertilizer applications is important.

The best time to fertilize your lawn is when the grass is actively growing, which differs for cool-season and warm-season grasses. By adjusting when and how often you fertilize, you not only save money but also reduce unintended environmental impacts caused by run-off.

• Valerie Smith is a content strategist at Sod Solutions.

Before fertilizing, determine if you have a cool-season or warm-season lawn (or both). The active growth period for these two classes of turfgrass differs significantly. Cool-season grasses such as fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass develop during the winter and early spring months. They flower and set seed by early summer and often go dormant during the heat of summer, especially in the South.

Warm-season grasses are dormant in winter and have a flush of growth when spring arrives. They flower and set seed in summer to early fall before the cold weather returns. Warm-season grasses include zoysia, St. Augustine, centipedegrass, buffalograss, and bermudagrass. These grasses thrive in heat and are the dominant turf type in Southern landscapes, while cool-season grasses flourish in