Maintaining the health and greenness of your lawn will depend greatly on ensuring it has all the nutrients it needs.
You may have heard that applying winter fertilizer to your lawn is a smart option to help it survive the colder months and revive well in the spring. Understanding your grass type can allow you to determine when your lawn needs fertilizer.
When to Fertilize Grasses in the Cool Season?
It will be a waste of energy to apply a lot of fertilizer to your cool-season lawn in July because the grassroots are simply waiting for the temperatures to drop so they can spread out further.
Your cool-season lawn should only require a little fertilizer in the spring and the fertilizer you apply in September.
Even though the roots absorb nitrogen, the branches have stopped growing since roots remain active at cooler temperatures than shoots.
- Nitrogen improves fall color, which raises the amount of chlorophyll.
- A higher chlorophyll content results in more photosynthesis.
- Sugar production rises with photosynthesis. The sugars created by the fertilizers are not used for growth because the turf is not actively developing now; instead, they are stored to help the plant survive the winter and recover in the spring.
- These sugars decrease the grass plant’s susceptibility to freezing.
- For example, a juice bottle will take longer to freeze in the freezer than a water bottle.
- Since the cells of grass plants are sugar-rich, they take longer to freeze and do so at lower temperatures.
- Late-season nitrogen fertilizers encourage deep rooting in the fall so that plants have stronger, deeper roots for the spring and summer.
How to Fertilize Lawns in the Cool Season
A dry lawn is not supposed to be fertilized. Wait until the day following a rain to plant; the land will be wet. If fertilizer is being washed away before it can be absorbed into the soil, it is also best to schedule your time with a liquid fertilizer tanks provider. Calculate how much fertilizer your lawn will require.
To apply the liquid fertilizer as evenly as possible, stroll your grass in a regular pattern using a spreader or broadcast.
Fertilizing Houseplants and Container Gardens
Since houseplants and other plants in containers can only get their nutrients from the soil in their pots, fertilizer is particularly crucial because their roots can’t spread out to get more.
It is one of the reasons it’s crucial to start with high-quality potting soil, which often has some slow-release fertilizer incorporated in to help your plants’ early growth. It will be crucial for you to add extra or report with fresh mix once that is consumed.
An overdose might make leaves brown or yellow, which is the exact opposite of what you want. A useful tip is to dilute a liquid fertilizer to approximately half the strength the label suggests if it needs to be combined with water first. Doing this may reduce the risk of over fertilizing while giving your plants probably enough of what they require (remember, a little goes a long way).
Many leafy and blooming house plants also have a seasonal cycle; they grow more slowly and require fewer nutrients in the cooler months. They benefit from a little liquid fertilizer and their water around once a month, especially when they are more actively growing.
If you have difficulty remembering to do that, choose slow-release granules or nutrition tabs that you may press into the soil every few months or so.
One or two liquid fertilizer applications per year will be sufficient for your indoor cactus and succulent plants.