Now’s the Time to Winterize your Lawn

As the seasons change and temperatures drop, it's time to focus on helping our lawns recover from the stress of summer, while preparing them for the rigors of winter. This is a crucial period for turfgrass management, especially for cool-season grasses, which typically experience a resurgence in growth during this time. Cool season grass varieties include Kentucky blue grass, perennial rye and turf-type fescue.  

Singly or in combination, these types of grass varieties make up most of our lawns. Fall fertilizing combined with humates aids in repairing and rejuvenating the turf, leading to improved overall vigor now, as well as preparing the grass for a strong start in spring.  

This is accomplished by first aerating the lawn, then adding organic material to soil in the form of humate. Aeration is important because it relieves compaction and opens the soil, which allows air, water, and fertilizer to penetrate the roots. 

You can do aeration yourself or hire it done. Just make sure you get a good core extraction, not just punch holes in the ground.   

Next, add granular humate to your lawn. Granular humate will break down clay, improve soil structure, and increase microbial activity in the soil. 

Humate will also help your grass take up nutrients more effectively and stay greener with less water. After applying Humate, water thoroughly, then select a winter-specific lawn fertilizer.   

The important nutrients for feeding fall lawns are Nitrogen and Potassium. The numbers listed reflect the percentage of each element in the bag.  

For example, ferti-lome Winterizer contains 25% Nitrogen, 5% Phosphate, and 6% Potassium. A twenty-pound bag contains 5 pounds of Nitrogen.  Since a twenty-pound bag of ferti-lome Winterizer covers 5000 square feet, applied correctly adds one pound of Nitrogen per thousand square feet. Potassium is important because it helps the turfgrass roots absorb and store the fertilizer you apply now.   

If you're looking for an organically based fall fertilizer, then RichLawn Winterizer is your best choice.  Produced locally, Richlawn Winterizer is organically based and has a 15-3-6 formula, again with emphasis on Nitrogen for root feeding and Potassium for nutrient uptake.  

This forty-pound bag of Richlawn® Winterizer will cover 6,000 square feet of lawn.   

 

Both brands will benefit your lawn now as well as next spring when the grass emerges from its dormant state, and there’s sufficient nutrients in the root system to feed it. Applying Winterizer fertilizer now means a quicker green-up, stronger top growth early in the spring season and a healthier lawn through the summer.    

After applying Winterizer fertilizer, water your lawn thoroughly to help the fertilizer get down to the grass roots.    

Speaking of watering, it’s important to water your lawn through the winter, if we don’t receive sufficient natural moisture.  Every four to five weeks when the temperature is above forty-five degrees, use a simple sprinkler attached to a hose to water your lawn. 

Water about noon and be sure to remove the hose from the spigot when you’re done watering.  Periodic watering through the winter will also benefit the trees and shrubs planted in or near your lawn. This is especially important where the lawn and trees are surrounded by sidewalks and streets.  

After the stresses of summer heat and drought, fall fertilization aids in repairing and rejuvenating the turf, leading to improved overall health and a strong start in spring.