Key Takeaways
- Spring fertilization promotes healthy roots, green grass, and summer-ready plants.
- Fertilizers include organic, inorganic, liquid, and granular options for diverse needs.
- Apply fertilizer in early spring when soil reaches 55°F and frost is gone.
- Use slow-release fertilizers for lasting nutrients; avoid overfertilization to protect plants.
As the chilly days become fewer and farther between, more daylight creeps into the evening, and your garden begins waking up, it can only herald one thing: the arrival of spring.
This is an optimal time to give your garden a boost with spring fertilizer.
Fertilizing your garden can set up your lawn for a healthy growing season with strong roots and gorgeous greenery.
SunCo’s quick guide to spring fertilization will offer timeframes on when to fertilize your plants and which types of fertilizer to use, with tips and advice along the way.
When To Apply Spring Fertilizer
While it varies depending on plant species, you’ll usually get the most plant and grass growth by applying fertilizer in early spring The soil has to consistently reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and ideally, the last frost should have already come and gone.
Another factor that impacts your fertilization schedule is which region you call home. For instance, if you have cooler weather and shorter summers, you should wait to fertilize your plants until later in the spring.
Remember this: Pre-emergent fertilizer works by coating the soil in a thin layer that acts as a barrier for weeds. Applying this in the spring helps to stop or slow weeds from growing later in the season.
So Many Choices: The Best Fertilizer for a Healthy Lawn
Not all fertilizers for your lawn are created equal. As you gear up to fertilize the lawn in the spring, learn about the different types you can feed grass, flowers, and other plants.
Organic Fertilizer
First, let’s talk about organic lawn fertilization.
You don’t have to worry about environmental impacts with this lawn fertilizer being poured on the grass, as it’s made from animal and plant sources, including horse, cow, and chicken manure.
The formula may also include cottonseed meal, seaweed, and alfalfa meal.
If you regularly let your kids and four-legged friends run around the yard, you’ll feel much better about an organic option when you fertilize your lawn. These products are safer, and overfeeding is less risky.
Non-Organic Fertilizer
Oppositely, there’s inorganic or non organic lawn fertilization.
As the name suggests, these products don’t come from natural sources and animal byproducts. These are typically the best fertilizer products on the market.
They’re chemicals through and through that are mass-produced in facilities and sold by the gallonful at home improvement and gardening supply stores.
Since they contain more potent ingredients that foster quicker absorption, non-organic fertilizers usually get the job done much faster, meaning you’ll see lush growth and other positive results sooner.
Liquid Fertilizer
The next two types of fertilizer are usually non-organic, although organic options are on the market.
The first is liquid-based fertilizer. As the name implies, this is a liquid product you apply on your lawn. The container usually comes with an applicator like a hose or sprayer for controlled usage.
While this form of spring fertilizer is easy to use, you do have to apply it carefully. If you over-apply, the liquid can seep into other plants. Then, you risk overfertilization, which can be dangerous for grasses and plants.
Another consideration is this. Liquid-based fertilizer seeps into the soil quickly, and water from rainfall or plant care washes it away just as fast.
Granular Fertilizer
Then there’s granular-based fertilizer. Like the liquid formulation, more organic options have begun popping up. This fertilizer is sold in granules or chunks. You apply them using a spreader and it falls to the soil, then they gradually break down.
That makes granular products a type of slow-release fertilizer. They stick around in the soil longer, slowly providing nutrients for your plant or grass.
You usually don’t have to apply this product as often as you do a liquid fertilizer, maybe only once or twice a season.
The Benefits of Lawn Fertilizer in Spring
Green grass doesn’t just happen; your plants and cool-season grasses need a feeding of essential nutrients that fertilizer can give. Here are several convincing reasons to treat your lawn.
Healthier Plants
Achieving lush, green grass, healthy plants, and gorgeous, blooming flowers occurs thanks to fertilizer. Most formulations contain a combination of macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) and micronutrients.
Plants and grasses get different levels of these ingredients depending on their specific needs, but the various nutrients promote all sorts of healthy growth.
For instance, nitrogen can encourage photosynthesis and chlorophyll development.
Stronger Root Systems
What you see on the surface isn’t all that’s going on with your plant.
When you apply fertilizer on the lawn, it seeps deep into the soil, feeding the plant’s root system. There, the lawn fertilizer encourages root system growth.
There are all sorts of reasons to want healthier roots for your plant. The stronger the roots, the more robust the plant is in general.
It will be in better shape to fight off pests and diseases, and weeds won’t be able to grow as easily, either.
Summer Readiness
Among the best reasons to fertilize your garden in the spring is to prepare your lawn for the warmer weather.
It’s no secret that your lawn in the summer can take a bit of a beating. It’s constantly exposed to sun and humidity, the mower regularly passes over it, and it’s suddenly exposed to a lot more foot traffic.
Remember, a fertilized plant is a happy plant that’s ready to put up a good defense. Feeding the lawn means it can withstand bare feet trampling, high heat and humidity, and even periods of drought without dying outright.
Call SunCo for a Greener Lawn Next Spring
Green grass is beginning to sprout up on your lawn, telling you it’s time to fertilize.
As you gear up for spring lawn maintenance, remember to follow package instructions if you’re curious about how much fertilizer to apply.
It’s better to use less than more, as you can always apply a bit more later, but you can’t take away what’s there once you’ve applied it.
You can count on SunCo to assist with all your fertilizer needs this spring, from recommendations on fertilizers to application tips and more.
We have traditional 6-step fertilization plans, tree & shrub fertilization, and organic hybrid programs – just to name a few.
