The lawn must be fertilized at the appropriate times, which will depend on whether we are going to use organic fertilizer or mineral fertilizer. We should never pay in the middle of summer and high temperatures, regardless of the type of fertilizer we use.
Contribution of organic fertilizer
If you use organic fertilizer, the best time to do it is during the winter. The organic fertilizer provides heat, avoiding the damage that occurs in the lawn due to the effect of cold and frost. Furthermore, if you add organic matter in the winter, by the time spring arrives it will penetrate the soil and all its properties will have been absorbed by the soil.
One piece of advice: if you plan to scarify or reseed the lawn in spring, it is better to delay adding organic fertilizer to do it together with these tasks. In the case of scarification, the organic fertilizer will penetrate the soil better and its result will be fantastic.
If you are going to reseed the lawn, you will take advantage of the contribution of organic fertilizer to use it as a cover for the seed. A procedure that we use a lot in our gardening company and with magnificent results is the following sequence of works:
If we carry out these operations, the fertilization of the lawn with organic fertilizer can be delayed until practically mid-spring, providing, yes, the appropriate risks in case the spring is not especially rainy.
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Contribution of mineral fertilizer
The optimal time of year to apply mineral fertilizer is in the spring. If you provide organic fertilizer throughout the winter, the grass will benefit greatly from a contribution of mineral fertilizer in the months of April or May, which also happens to be the time when it is growing the fastest. If you didn’t apply organic fertilizer throughout the winter, this contribution will be crucial for the grass to have the nutrients it needs in the ground during the spring. If you have applied organic fertilizer towards the end of winter or well into spring, you can also add additional nutrients with mineral fertilizer; however, in this instance, you should only apply half the manufacturer’s recommended amount.
Another contribution of mineral fertilizer for lawns can be done in autumn, when the heat has already passed, but before the cold and frost come.
How is the lawn fertilized ?
The lawn must be fertilized at the recommended times that we have mentioned, and using the doses recommended by the manufacturers. For mulch-type organic fertilizer or similar, a layer of between 1 or 2 cm of lawn fertilizer should be provided on the lawn. The best way to provide organic fertilizer is to make small piles of fertilizer distributed on the lawn and proceed to distribute it evenly with a rake.
The organic pellet fertilizer can be distributed by broadcasting, it is very easy, you just have to try to do it as uniformly as possible. As for mineral fertilizer, depending on the formulation and characteristics of the lawn fertilizer, the general dose is usually between 20 and 40 grams per m2 of grass. The mineral fertilizer is granular and can be spread by hand, by broadcast, trying to distribute it equally over the entire surface of the lawn.
If we do not know the dimensions of our lawn, we must measure it to calculate the m2 of surface. Buy lawn fertilizer, according to the dose recommended by the manufacturer, which is usually specified for m2 of lawn, and then calculate the total amount of fertilizer needed for our lawn.
For optimal distribution, spread the fertilizer over the meadow in two crossing passes.It is better to fall short than not to go over the fertilizer. If we fall short we can always rectify. Small mechanical lawn fertilizer spreading machines can be bought on the market.
The most important thing, as we have said, is to provide the fertilizer distributed in the most homogeneous way possible, at the right time and at the recommended dose. Never intentionally add an excess of lawn fertilizer to pretend that its effect is faster.