How to Properly Fertilize Your Lawn and Garden

Providing your lawn with the right fertilizer at the best time will keep your turf healthy in all seasons. Vegetable gardens and flower beds may require different products. Effective fertilizing of your flower gardens can beautify your space and support local pollinators. Fertilizing your vegetables effectively can lower your grocery bill and boost your overall health.

The Importance of Fertilizing

A well fertilized lawn provides multiple benefits to your property. Healthy grass holds on to moisture, even in a dry heat. A healthy lawn can also crowd out unhelpful weeds. Once your lawn is established, a seasonal fertilizer can be a simple step in keeping your grass green and fresh.

To make sure you're applying the right fertilizer for your situation, get your soil tested. You want a soil pH of between 6 and 7 for best growth, whether you're growing mostly grass or vegetables.

It should be noted that you always want to apply and store fertilizer as directed. It can lose potency if stored in extreme cold or heat. Fertilizer should never be stored anywhere that children can reach.

Acid vs. Alkaline Soil

When you test your soil, you're checking for alkalinity vs. acidity. Soils at the extreme end of this scale do a poor job of supporting plant life because the nutrients in the soil either don't break down for the plants to use, or don't break down in a bioavailable way.

Changing the pH of your soil is possible, but can really only be done once a year. If you're working to change the pH where you grow grass, you may need to pair the treatment with core aeration.

A pH test of your soil is a crucial first step to applying the right fertilizer to any part of your lawn. If your grass is stunted no matter how often you fertilize, low pH may be the problem. If your soil is hard and compact even when it's wet, high pH levels may impact the health of all of your plants.

Changing the pH of your lawn is possible, but it can take years to make a big change. Do your best to follow all instructions on packaging; over-application will not speed up the process.

Tips for Fertilizing Your Lawn

Start with the right grass for your growing zone

Extreme temperatures can stress a lawn, as can times of very high or very low rainfall. For homeowners starting from the dirt up, it's important to know your growing zone. Too much water on a warm season grass can lead to damage from disease. Too little water on a cool season grass can cause brown patches and die-off.

By starting with the right grass for your climate, your fertilization can yield a healthy result.

Mowing height and habits

A well-fertilized lawn will grow and will then need to be mowed. Your mowing habits may have an impact on what type of grass you choose. If you live in a hot area, it may make sense to put in a lawn that has a slow growth habit. Many of these grasses can provide you with a green lawn without needing a lot of water. This slow growth habit will also lessen your need to mow in the heat.

There are many grasses that grow in clumps. When you mow them regularly, the clumps spread out and create a thick, healthy lawn. If you're not able to mow regularly, regular fertilizing may not be enough to provide you with a healthy, consistent turf.

Set a watering schedule

Your grass will need enough fertilizer, sunlight and water to grow. There are many granular grass fertilizers that need to be applied dry and watered in to provide the best nutrients to both the soil and the visible sprouted grass.

It's generally best to apply fertilizer when your grass is dry; dewy grass can be burned by some fertilizers. Once you've fertilized and watered in your fertilizer granules, the best time to water your grass is early in the morning. Keep an eye on the flow of water in your yard to prevent run-off.

Run-off can send some of your recently applied fertilizer into ponds and rivers. Wasting water equals wasted fertilizer; monitoring your lawn during the time the sprinklers are on can help you set an effective schedule with minimal water waste.

Use the right tools

A fertilizer spreader is an excellent tool to make sure that a granulated fertilizer is applied evenly. Uneven applications can lead to stripes in your grass.

Fertilizer spreaders feature a hopper and a spinner. To put it simply, you put your granulated fertilizer in the hopper. As you walk, the spinner distributes the product across your lawn. If you walk faster, the spinner turns more quickly and sends out more fertilizer.

Do take the time to note your path so you can get an even coating of fertilizer. Straight lines are key to a good result; too much fertilizer can even burn your grass. Once your fertilizer has been evenly applied to dry grass, you'll need to water it in.

Best Methods for Fertilizing Flower Beds

Flowers and shrubbery will also need fertilized, but the timing will likely be different. If you love the bold flowers of annuals, a dose of fertilizer on a weekly basis in the spring and early summer can boost the proliferation of your favorite blooms.

Compost

Unlike the broad expanse of yard where grass grows, your smaller flower beds can give you the chance to do some experimentation in soil improvement. If your current mower is set up to mulch grass clippings, you might choose to bag the mulch.

Create a spot in your yard where you can compost grass clippings, leaves and food scraps. If you're eventually planning a vegetable garden, set your composter up on bare ground in that area of your yard; as the compost breaks down, you can simply turn it over and spread it out to improve the soil where your garden will be.

In your flower gardens, you can choose to use treated wood chips as mulch. It's also possible to use compost as mulch if you have a readily available supply. Mulch made of untreated wood chips can also be left to break down over time.

Mulch

The basic function of mulch is to keep weed seeds covered up so they don't sprout up between your flowers and vegetables. Mulch can also prevent water loss from the soil around your vegetables and flowers. A treated wood mulch can add uniform color to the soil in your garden, and untreated mulch can actually feed your plants over time.

A simple untreated bark mulch can do a lot for garden soil that is low in vigor or is compacted. Plant your flowers and surround them with a quality, organic mulch. For the first few seasons, you'll likely need to use a liquid fertilizer to support your flowering plants in the spring.

Once the flowers are spent at the end of the growing season, you can simply turn the soil and the mulch over. Take care not to disturb perennials and shrubbery. Next year, you can plant more annuals and apply another layer of mulch.

Prepare for slow improvements

Seasonal considerations are key when planning your flower beds. If the soil on your property has been neglected and is compacted, you may need seasonal core aeration and regular pH adjustments to bring your grass, flowers and vegetables into health.

By using compost as mulch, you can create pockets of healthier soil as you work to improve the overall quality of your entire lawn. Focus on annuals during this season of gardening! You may love tulips and long for a row of peony bushes, but these plants will have a better chance of thriving if you don't need to disturb them each year as you turn your flower garden soil over.

Quality soil is dark and crumbly. It's easy to dig into and simple to turn over. Once you start to see earthworms, you'll know you're making progress! Then you can start to plant those shrubs and bulbs that can't be disturbed. As the soil improves, the need to fertilize will be reduced. A bump of fertilizer at the time of planting and some extra feeding during the heaviest blooming season will still be necessary.

Finally, remember that your flower beds can actually serve to support your other plantings. If you love the idea of growing your own fruits and veggies, plant red flowers to bring in bees and other pollinators. If your vegetable garden plot is necessarily small, consider adding some veggies in with the flowers. Greens, such as chard, can be a beautiful backdrop for bright annual flowers.

Keep Those Vegetables Growing!

Vegetables are hard-working plants. If your vegetable garden pH doesn't need to be amended, you can simply start with a hearty layer of compost. Applying compost in the fall can boost the soil quality for your spring planting.

Keep a basic fertilizing schedule

All vegetables in loose, well-drained soil will need to be fertilized. It's a good idea to add fertilizer every three to four weeks once they're established. Regular fertilizing after fruit appears will also be necessary.

Customize your fertilization process

There are some vegetables that will need a special boost of fertilizer. For example, tomatoes may need an extra dose of calcium at time of planting and especially when they set fruit to avoid blossom end rot. If your tomatoes are round and red on top and black on the bottom, calcium can help.

If you love fresh greens, you'll need a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen for spinach, kale and chard. A slow release nitrogen fertilizer and a regular watering routine is key to growing healthy greens.

Pay careful attention to your watering schedule

Over-watering during the growth season of root vegetables can lead to cracking and exposure to pests. It may be best to only fertilize on days when you don't expect rain; that way, you can control the amount of water that your veggies get and can make sure your fertilizer isn't wasted or washed away.

Consider a cover crop

If your vegetable garden is large, a fall cover crop can be a terrific way to deliver a lot of fertilizer to a large area. A simple annual grass can be sewn into your garden in the fall, allowed to sprout and left to grow slowly during the coolest part of the year. In the spring, this grass can be turned under and left to compost, building up even more nutrients in your garden soil. A tiller or small plow will make this process much simpler.

Gardeners face a lot of variables each year. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out, your lawn can give you the chance to experiment. Get your soil tested. Find out what grass you have on the majority of your lawn. Set schedules for watering and fertilizing to support your plants most effectively.