The winter months are coming, and if you treat your lawn, you know that the cold weather months can be detrimental to the health of your grass. Winterizing fertilizer is an important part of lawn care that prepares your grass to deal with the vicious wind and snow of the winter. This fertilizer is usually applied in the late fall, around October and November to help your grass store more food and stay healthy. This fertilizer is important for your grass in the winter months. However, it is unlike most fertilizers in the sense that it does not promote growth during the fall, but rather creates a more resilient lawn.
Benefits of Winterizing Fertilizer
The grass is a living organism, and like any living organism, it requires food year round. During the winter months, it can be harder for grass to store food, leading to it losing its darker green color and/or dying during the cold months. Winterizing fertilizer can help your grass store more food, and as a result stay healthy year round. Benefits include:
- Deeper rooting in the fall and spring
- Maintain darker green color
- Enhances food storage
- Increases density of grass
- Ensures an earlier spring back after the heat returns
We at Campbell & Ferrara believe that winterizing fertilizer is imperative to use to maintain your lawn, and the benefits will speak for themselves.
Best Time to Use Winterizing Fertilizer
Winterizing your lawn is best done in the mid to late fall months, when the grass stops its growth and before the ground starts to freeze. Once the ground starts to freeze, it may be too late for your lawn to utilize the fertilizer. The timing is important as if your grass is not prepared for the cold weather, it will suffer the consequences down the road. It is recommended that you apply to winterize fertilizer right after your last lawn trim of the fall, as it will help your lawn to grow healthily and colorful as the winter months come to a close.
How to Apply Winterizing Fertilizer
Knowing how to apply winterizing fertilizer is important, as doing it the incorrect way could have an impact on the health of your grass. The first step is to know what kind of grass you have, whether it be zoysia or Bermuda. All different kinds of grass can require specific techniques and fertilizers to help them survive the cold best. The next step is to make sure you understand the directions given to you on the specific fertilizer you purchase. Different brands will require different steps. However, a general rule of thumb to follow is to make sure your lawn is evenly coated and that no spots are missed. Over-fertilizing could also cause issues depending on what brand you use, so make sure to use the amount of fertilizer as directed.