How to Fertilize Your Garden or Lawn in Late Fall

After another successful summer of garden care, you’ve now completed the majority of your winter preparations and attended to any tree issues like iron chlorosis. Before putting the mower away until the spring, though, you must use fall lawn fertilizer to keep your grass in excellent health heading into this testing period. This guide will cover all the critical aspects of late fall lawn fertilizing, such as:

• Why lawn fertilizer should be used in fall
• When to fertilize lawn in fall
• The best fertilizer for fall lawn care
• How to fertilize your lawn in style
• Additional tips to protect your lawn for winter

Fall lawn fertilizer: Is It Needed?

In a word: Yes! While most people associate this as a process used in spring to kickstart the new season, the truth is that the fall season is arguably the most crucial time to use garden fertilizer. Some of the key reasons why this is the best time to fertilize lawns include:

• Fall lawn fertilizer applications will keep the lawn strong and dense, ensuring it’s ready for the harsh Texas winter to come.
• The natural dew that surfaces on a crisp fall morning promotes better absorption from the lawn.
• When the lawn is protected through the winter months, there will be a far stronger foundation when the spring season arrives.Texas winters are known for being windy, dry, and cold. The need to protect your lawn is even greater than it is in many parts of the country. Fertilizing can be done on a DIY basis or with help from a professional lawn fertilizer service, like TreeNewal! One way or another, it should feed into your eco-friendly lawn care strategy to yield a far better end to the year.

Knowing when to fertilize your lawn in late fall

In addition to finding the best fertilizer for fall lawn care, choosing the right moment for completing the process will be necessary. Ideally, your late lawn fertilization process should occur around 2-3 weeks before the ground freezes. Meanwhile, you should check that the grass is dry and that there is no forecasted rain for the rest of the day. Otherwise, rainfall-runoff can prevent the lawn from soaking in the fertilizer.

Also, ensure you will have time to mow the lawn immediately after fertilizing, which will aid the cause.

Top tips for how to fertilize your lawn in late fall

As any professional lawn fertilizer service in Texas will confirm, the best results are achieved when the strategy covers all aspects before, during, and after the fertilization process.

Pre fertilization tips

• Repair the damage caused in summer: Summer droughts are common in Texas and can damage your yard. The situation will worsen as your family continues to use the lawn in the fall months, which is why identifying and treating bare areas is vital. Lawn repair products designed to make thin grass thicker will serve you well.
• Feed the lawn: In an ideal world, you will have used a fall weed and feed solution not long after summer. Giving the yard some extra nourishment ahead of your late fall fertilizer application is advised even if you didn’t. This will additionally protect the lawn against fire ants.
• Remove unnecessary items: You are unlikely to use the garden furniture during the colder months. Storing the items away will protect the products themselves while additionally supporting the lawn. It allows for sunlight to reach the blades of grass while also removing pressure from the lawn.

Fertilization tips

• Choose the best fall lawn fertilizer: Finding the best fertilizer for garden applications is essential if you want your lawn to gain the best nutrients. A nitrogen-concentrated fertilizer, such as a 25-5-5 solution, should work well. TreeNewal’s team of experts will analyze the yard and your garden to determine the best product for the application.
• Mulch the leaves: Mulching the leaves into small pieces is far more competent than allowing leaves to block out the sunlight. Besides, doing this during the fertilization process will give your soil the best chance of absorbing the mulch and lawn fertilizer nutrients.
• Use a mechanical spreader: Adding fertilizer to other garden parts can be done by hand, but open areas like lawns require an automated approach. This will allow the best lawn fertilizer to deliver the best results by providing an even spread to all parts of the lawn.

Post-fertilization tips

Cut the grass: Mowing the lawn after applying the best garden fertilizer is vital. It will aid the absorption process. The lawn will stop growing shortly after the winter freeze. However, cutting the lawn to 1″ in length will make it less vulnerable to winter damage. This will keep your lawn looking healthy in the winter while also creating the perfect foundation for the spring and summer.
Clear the gutters: Cleaning the gutters serves many purposes. As far as late fall lawn care is concerned, avoiding future damage caused by leaves and overflowing rainwater is crucial. The fertilizer will be allowed to work as intended while the lawn will be suitably protected over the weeks to come.
Clean garden tools: Before storing the lawnmower and other tools for the winter period, you will want to clean them/ Does it impact the lawn during the winter? No. But it puts you in the most vital position for proper spring garden care once this time arrives.

The final word

If you’re wondering whether you can get away with leaving the fall lawn fertilizer process, the harsh reality is that you can’t – at least not if you want to keep the garden in good health. The above steps will provide the guidance you need. However, if you require support finding the best fall lawn fertilizer for your needs or a professional fall lawn fertilizing service, call TreeNewal today.

Winter is coming, don’t let it ruin your lawn!

To learn more about How to Fertilize Your Garden or Lawn in Late Fall, call our Argyle and Southlake-based teams

at tel:(817) 592-6846 or send us a message.

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