Every spring your lawn is coming out of dormancy from the winter and getting ready for the growing season ahead. Something that we do to help our lawn is put down a spring fertilizer application. What kind of fertilizer should be used? What does this fertilizer application do for your lawn?
The spring fertilizer application should have a lower nitrogen content in the spring as compared to the summer. (The first number on the fertilizer bag is the nitrogen content, #-#-#) In the spring, your lawn is just waking up, and it is best not to shock your lawn into growing new blade growth. Now some nitrogen is good, but pushing too much nitrogen on your lawn is not. The goal is to provide your lawn with some food, but not to over feed it.
The second part of the spring fertilizer application is the crab grass control. Crab grass will return year after year in lawns with crab grass problems in the past. The crab grass plant will make and spread it seeds in the lawn. What the crab grass control will do is stop the seeds from germinating. If the crab grass control product is spread too early, it will breakdown before the crab grass season is over. If it is spread too late, the crab grass plants will be growing and the chemical will not be able to stop the crab grass. Timing is key. The application is best right before the crab grass plant would be starting to germinate. When handling and using any pesticides, like a crab grass control product, make sure that you read the label and follow all of the instructions.
The spring fertilizer application has two main parts. The first, feeding your lawn some, but not too much, when it is waking up from the winter, and helping to stop crab grass from starting in your lawn. With these two areas taken care of, your lawn is on its way for summer.