Fall Lawn Fertilization in New England: Advice From The Experts

Homeowners frequently tend to think about fertilization in terms of being a springtime service. We understand the correlation as spring is a season of new growth. However, your lawn can benefit from fertilization at different times throughout the year. That’s why we include lawn fertilization in all six of our visits (for each of our lawn care programs).

Fall lawn fertilization in New England is especially important for a few key reasons. 

In this article, we will dive into some of the reasons why you want to be sure to fertilize grass in the fall. In addition to discussing why to use lawn fertilizer in the fall, we’ll also talk about how this service is performed and what recommendations to keep in mind. 

At the end of the day, we want to help you see the most possible success for your New England lawn.

The Importance of Fall Lawn Fertilization in New England

When you fertilize grass in the fall, you are helping it to build a strong root system at a very critical time. Coming out of the summer months, which have likely been quite taxing on your lawn, it’s not uncommon for nutrients to be very depleted. With fall lawn fertilization, you are restoring these nutrients at a time when they are in great need. You’ll want to restore your lawn to good health after those taxing summer months.

This is also a critical time since we are headed into the winter season. The winter can also be a difficult time for lawns as they will need to survive some tough conditions. By growing a strong root system, you can help your lawn maintain its winter hardiness, even as it endures some stress.

In addition to prepping the lawn for winter, late-season fertilization also plays a vital role in helping the lawn to “green up” once the spring does roll around.

How to Fertilize Grass in the Fall

The key to success with fertilization is strategically timed visits that are spaced out and take the proper rate of application into account. This can vary with the season and the weather conditions. 

It is important to remember that your lawn is going to have different needs at different times of the year.

In other words, that means that the amount of type of fertilizer applied is going to differ with the seasons.

When you fertilize grass in the fall, you want to make sure that you are using a fertilizer product with more phosphorus and potassium to support strong root growth ahead of the winter months. This will help set your lawn up for wintertime success.

If you are fertilizing your lawn yourself, in addition to purchasing the correct bags of fertilizer for the season you’re in, you’ll also need a spreader for application. It’s important to apply the proper amount of product using your spreader. 

Fertilizer should be applied evenly and across all areas of the lawn. You’ll want to apply the recommended volume for your lawn size. Follow the manufacturer’s directions on whatever bag of fertilizer you purchase.

Fertilizer Mistakes with DIY Lawn Fertilization

While homeowners do sometimes inquire about DIY fertilization, it’s not something that we recommend. That’s because fertilization can be complicated. Homeowners might make mistakes that could have been avoided with a pro.

Some common fertilization mistakes include:

• Overapplying Fertilizer: Applying too much fertilizer can lead to something called “fertilizer burn.” This is when grass plants become scorched from too much of the fertilization product. Excessive fertilizer can lead to other problems like disruption of the soil health. 
  
  
• Applying the Wrong Fertilizer: As we’ve mentioned, you’ll want to make sure that you’re applying the right kind of fertilizer for the season that you’re in. Different fertilizers have different nutrients and at varying rates. If you’ve ever looked at the back of a bag of fertilizer, you know this can get complicated. But in order to support proper growth of your lawn, you want to make sure that you choose the right fertilizer. 
  
  
• Underapplying Fertilizer: Not applying enough fertilizer is not going to be as harmful as overapplying (which can lead to burns). But it’s going to mean that you don’t get the full or desired effect from fall lawn fertilization.

Understanding Fall Lawn Care in the Northeast

Fall lawn fertilization is just one of many fall lawn care tasks that ought to be on your radar. Knowing that we can have some pretty harsh winters here in New England, it’s important that your lawn is well-prepped to head into those colder months.

Here are a few other fall lawn care tasks that we recommend.

• Rake the Leaves: Raking leaves is obviously important for aesthetics but it also has an impact on your lawn’s health. Leaves that are left lying on the ground and not raked up can block your lawn’s access to sunlight, nutrients, and water. Leaves can also invite critters into your yard. As the weather gets colder, pests are going to look for sources of shelter, and hiding under leaves can help them stay warm and dry.
  
  
• Aerate the Lawn: Fall lawn care in New England should also involve an important service called lawn aeration. Lawn aeration involves pulling small cores of soil from the ground and depositing them back on the lawn will they will break down and recycle nutrients into the soil. This helps your lawn to breathe.
  
  
• Seed the Lawn: We also recommend seeding your lawn in the fall as this is the optimal weather for new growth. It’s also a time when there won’t be any interference from weed control products, such as crabgrass control. If you seed in the spring, you won’t be able to use crabgrass control as this will inhibit your new grass from germinating. 
  
  
• Plan for Spring: Finally, preparing your lawn for winter in New England also means making sure you are ready for the spring! Winter often does end up flying by and before you know it, spring will be here again.

Choosing Lawn Care Services in Southern New Hampshire, Maine, & Northeastern Massachusetts

Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into why you should invest in lawn fertilizer in the fall. Fall is a really important time for fertilization for some key reasons.  But there are many other fall lawn care services that you should be investing in as well.

In reality, lawn care is a seasonal endeavor with different services needed at different times of the year.

It can be complicated and more than you might want to deal with yourself.

This is why many people turn to professional lawn care services.

At the end of the day, your lawn care success boils down to working with a company that will perform the right services at the right time. One of the biggest benefits of partnering with a professional is that you don’t really have to worry about all of this yourself. 

We can make recommendations for things that you should be doing on your own while also taking over professional services for tasks like fertilization and lawn aeration. 

The end result should be the best possible lawn.

Want to learn more about what makes us a great choice for your lawn care needs? At Seacoast Turf Care, we service NH towns near Stratham, North Hampton, Exeter, and many more. Get lawn care pricing for your Southern NH, Southern Maine, or Northeastern Massachusetts property.