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The most important lawn fertilization usually takes place in autumn. This is how the lawn is strengthened for the winter. Nevertheless, the same fertilizer should not be used in October or November as in spring or summer. Because the dormant phase of the grasses in winter must also be considered. The following article explains how the lawn is fertilized correctly in autumn and when is the ideal time for fertilization.
Autumn fertilization - why?
Winter in particular puts a lot of strain on a lawn. And it doesn't matter whether it's clear frost or extreme snowfall. Both can severely affect a lawn that has not been strengthened with autumn fertilizer. In winter, for example, grasses are particularly susceptible to:
- continuous snow cover
- Lawn diseases such as snow mold are spreading
- Cold Frost is also harmful
Especially if long freezes prevails, do not step on the lawn under any circumstances. Because then the frozen grass breaks off and may not grow back the next spring.
The right moment
The ideal time to fertilize the lawn again before winter is between mid-October and early November. However, it is important to ensure that the fertilizer is applied on an overcast but relatively warm day without frost is abandoned. Because if the ground has already become too hard due to nightly ground frost, the nutrients in the fertilizer can no longer penetrate and thus cannot reach the roots of the grass. In addition, the following weather should prevail on the day of fertilization:
- without sun exposure
- in the sun, the stalks could burn through the fertilizer
- Rain showers after fertilizing are ideal
- the fertilizer penetrates directly into the soil
- when the ground freezes, fertilizer does not reach the roots
If there is a longer period of drought at the time of fertilizing, you should clean the lawn after fertilizing water well. However, it is important that no night frost is to be expected. Autumn fertilization in October or November shows its effect for about ten weeks, so the day of fertilization in autumn should be chosen so that there are about ten weeks between this fertilization and the next required fertilization in spring. If spring fertilization takes place at the beginning of February, mid-November is the right time for autumn fertilization.
preparation
Before fertilizing begins, the lawn must be prepared so that the nutrient can also penetrate well into the soil and thus reach the roots of the grass. So the preparation and the last care of the lawn before winter should be as follows:
- Remove fall leaves from the area
- otherwise the grass will rot when it is wet
- mow one last time at the end of October
- Cut to a height of five to six centimetres
- do not leave clippings on the lawn
- this also causes rot
- close brown and bald spots
- otherwise moss or weeds will spread
Right now, in the autumn months, there is a good condition for lawn seeds to start germinating. Because the ground is still warm from summer. It is ideal to have one lawn repair, which is available ready-made from well-stocked specialist shops, on the bald spots. These are usually seeds and fertilizer.
apply fertilizer
When fertilizing, it is important that the nutrients are well distributed throughout the soil so that they later reach all the individual grasses via the roots. With a large lawn, it makes sense to use a spreader to use. You can also rent these devices from well-stocked garden retailers if you don't want to buy or don't own a spreader. Otherwise, the procedure is as follows:
- pay attention to the quantity specified by the manufacturer
- Avoid over-fertilization
- Put fertilizer in a bucket
- spread by hand with a litter
- proceed slowly
- sprinkle the entire surface
A spreader is also useful for a small area, as the exact amount that is to be spread can be set here, so that it is distributed well and regularly over the area.
fertilizer types
In the autumn months, when the growing season of plants and grasses is coming to an end, the fertilizer needs also change. It is therefore important to give the lawn the nutrients it needs cell stability needed. Then the grasses are less susceptible to fungal diseases and frost. The lawn also has to be able to cope with drought on sunny days in winter. Therefore, when fertilizing in the fall, it is important to ensure that the following ingredients are included:
- Potassium: against emerging susceptibilities
- Iron: promotes leaf formation
- calcium and magnesium
Fully dispense you should use when fertilizing in the fall nitrogen and nitrates. Because nitrogen stimulates the growth of grass, which should be avoided in winter. Strong growth in autumn leads to soft cells, which are then again susceptible to pests and diseases in winter.