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What Kind of Fertilizer Do I Use for My Grass in the Fall?

Fertilizing in the fall offers numerous benefits for your grass. Giving your lawn extra nutrients that it can store during the winter can help it green up quicker in the spring. Timing and fertilizer type is important. If you encourage grass to grow too late in the season, its new growth can become damaged by winter conditions.

  1. Fertilizer

    • Understanding what the NPK amount on your fertilizer bag means helps you choose the right type of fertilizer to use in the fall. NPK stands for the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium found in your fertilizer. Nitrogen helps grass grow and maintain its green color. Phosphorous helps the grass establish strong root systems. Potassium helps grass resist diseases. These amounts vary by type of fertilizer depending on when and why you are fertilizing the lawn.

    Fall Fertilizer Type

    • Nitrogen is the key element you want to provide your grass with in the fall, according to Robin Westmiller from Irrigation and Green Industry. When fertilizers high in nitrogen are applied to the soil, they slowly feed grass roots throughout the winter. Strong roots mean fewer weeds popping up in the yard. In addition, grass roots continue to grow even after the blades have turned brown for the winter. Grass can continue to spread and develop hardy root systems even when it looks dead.

    What to Use

    • Applying a slow-release fertilizer will feed your plant's root systems throughout the winter without being leached from the soil. The amount of nitrogen that you use on your lawn depends on the grass you are growing. Typically, you can apply 1 to 2 lbs. of slow-release nitrogen without worrying about burning up your grass. An NPK amount of 24-5-12 can be applied in the fall, according to Robin Westmiller. Avoid fertilizing water-stressed grass or you can incite fertilizer burn.

    Timing

    • Apply fertilizer in mid-fall, or between mid October and early November, according to Berks County Cooperative Extension. Avoid applying anytime after mid-November. Lawns that are fertilized too late in the season not only succumb to winter injury, but their risk of contracting a fungal disease like snow mold increases. If your lawn has already gone dormant for the growing season, fertilizer will not be adequately absorbed. Excessive fertilizer in the soil is the optimal environment for weed growth.

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