The Ultimate Guide to Fertilising your Lawn

A healthy lawn starts with a vital soil having the right structure as essential nutrients are extracted from it. Fertilising your lawn is crucial to promote growth.

What are fertilisers?

A fertiliser is a natural or synthetic material that you apply to your soil to supply nutrients.

Most modern fertilisers are a mix of compounds that provide a range of nutrients, including:

• Nitrogen (N)
• Phosphorus (P)
• Potassium (K)

Fertilisers help return the nutrient balance to your soil, but they can also act as soil improvers – lightening heavy soils to improve drainage and helping sandy soils to retain more moisture.

Fertilisers traditionally came from organic sources. That’s poo, in short.

Why fertilise your lawn?

The grass plant extracts minerals (nutrients) from the soil and produces sugars using light, carbon dioxide, and water through photosynthesis. It’s crucial that these minerals are present in the soil. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case with a lawn. The grass consumes these nutrients throughout the year for growth. During the photosynthesis process, the grass plant stores sugars in the leaves.

When you mow the lawn, you remove the leaves. If you dispose of the clippings instead of mulching, you take away the sugars, forcing the grass plant to extract minerals from the soil to restart the process. This depletes the soil. By fertilising, you replenish the soil with the essential nutrients your lawn needs to thrive.

4 Reasons to fertilise your lawn

There are several compelling reasons to fertilise your lawn. Let’s outline the four main reasons for you.

1. Fertilising your lawn to overcome the vicious circle

The essence of regular fertilising stems from a cyclical process. Regularly mowing the grass, although intended to keep the lawn looking neat and stimulate photosynthesis, removes a significant portion of stored nutrients. To provide the grass with the necessary nutrients, an optimal soil foundation is essential, achievable through fertilisation. Without fertilisation, the soil would gradually become poorer.

2. Fertilising your lawn to promote recovery

A second reason to fertilise the lawn regularly is the recovery process after intensive use. Grass, being a plant, needs to recover from damage caused by intensive use. By applying suitable fertilisers, the grass can recover faster, resulting in a healthy and robust lawn that is more resistant to intensive use.

3. Fertilising your lawn against diseases and discolouration

Fertilisation enhances the grass’s resistance. A healthy soil is less susceptible to diseases and pests. The lawn also becomes less vulnerable to extreme conditions, such as the increasing drought in the summer months.

4. Fertilising your lawn for aesthetics

Many people consider a lawn beautiful when it has a neat, full, and even appearance. Bare spots and weeds are often seen as unattractive. Fertilisation, as a growth stimulant, can help create a strong root structure, reducing the chances of weeds and moss.

Fertilising is crucial as necessary support for the soil, as the lawn extracts all its essential nutrients from the soil. When these nutrients are lacking, it directly impacts the development of the grass, with needs varying depending on the year and specific circumstances.

When and how often should you fertilise your lawn?

It is advisable to fertilise your lawn at least twice a year, in spring and autumn. However, we recommend fertilising the lawn 3 to 4 times a year: in spring, early summer, possibly late summer, and one more time before winter.

Each fertilisation serves a different purpose.

With spring fertilisation, you awaken the lawn from its winter slumber and give growth a boost.

A summer fertilisation is best done in mid-June, about 10 to 12 weeks after spring fertilisation. This fertilisation ensures that the grass remains beautiful despite dry periods and intensive use.

With autumn fertilisation, you prepare your lawn for the cold winter. Do this around mid-September when the first signs of rain appear. Skipping this fertilisation results in a weaker lawn entering winter every year.

With winter fertilisation (three months after autumn fertilisation, before the frost period), you administer supplements to give the lawn an advantage in the battle against moss, diseases, and fungi.

The difference in various fertilisers lies in the composition, mainly in the NPK ratio. The lawn has different needs each season.

Types of fertilisers

There are various types of fertilisers available, each suitable for specific moments or occasions. Here, we highlight some for you.

Spring fertiliser

A spring fertiliser promotes rapid and healthy growth, sturdy roots, and improved resistance. This helps restore the lawn after the winter months.

Summer fertiliser

A summer fertiliser protects your lawn from heat and curbs excessive growth, reducing the need for frequent mowing.

Autumn fertiliser

Lawns endure a lot—sun, playing children, pets, and events. With an autumn fertiliser, you give your lawn the extra support it needs to recover and prepare for the winter.

Winter fertiliser

A fertiliser with iron sulphate can be considered a winter treatment, applied at both the beginning and end of winter. It rapidly and safely displaces moss, aids lawn recovery post-winter, and imparts a colour boost to your turf, resulting in a beautiful, deep green hue.

Fertiliser for a new lawn

If you’ve laid a new lawn, you need a fertiliser that promotes the development of young grass plants and ensures a strong foundation for the lawn.

Organic fertiliser vs. artificial fertiliser

An alternative choice for fertilisation is the use of organic fertilisers. Organic fertilisers contribute to improving soil structure, not only by adding essential nutrients but also by enhancing overall soil quality.

It’s important to note that organic fertilisers work more slowly than chemical fertilisers, requiring a bit of patience. In contrast to organic fertilisers, chemical fertilisers are synthetically manufactured and provide a quick growth boost to plants. However, the effect is shorter-lived, necessitating more frequent application compared to organic fertilisers.

Mulching as natural fertilisation

Mulching can be seen as a natural (organic) method of fertilisation where nutrients return to the soil. The mown grass must first be shredded to make it re-absorbable for the soil. This can be done with a special lawnmower or even with the assistance of a robotic lawnmower, which leaves the shredded grass on the lawn.

A drawback of mulching, however, is that it can lead to the formation of a thatch layer on the lawn. This is because not all dispersed substances are fully broken down, leaving dead organic materials in the grass. As a result, it’s necessary to scarify the lawn regularly and in a timely manner.

What do you need to fertilise your lawn?

With this checklist, you won’t forget a thing.

• Lawnmower
• Weighing scales
• Fertiliser
• Spreader or hand spreader
• Garden hose

Fertilising the lawn in 5 simple steps

Time to get started! Follow our step-by-step guide for the best results.

Step #1: Choose the right moment

Before applying the fertiliser, ensure that the grass is dry, preferably in the late afternoon.

Step #2: Preparation

Remove leaves and twigs from the lawn, and mow the grass.

Step #3: Calculate the required amount

Weigh the correct amount. Multiply the lawn’s square meterage by 25 grams, and you’ll know how much fertiliser you need.

Step #4: Distribute the fertiliser

Divide the fertiliser into two equal parts. Spread part 1 lengthwise and part 2 widthwise.

Step #5: Watering time!

Moisten the soil to activate the fertiliser. Use a gentle stream to prevent the granules from shifting.

3 Golden tips for fertilisation

Before we wrap things up, we’d like to share three valuable tips with you.

Tip #1: Don’t use too much fertiliser

Adding more fertiliser doesn’t automatically mean providing more nutrients.

Tip #2: Never refill the spreader on the grass

Refilling the fertiliser spreader on the grass can lead to spills or over-fertilisation in certain areas, increasing the risk of burning your lawn.

Tip #3: Delay mowing

Wait 3 to 4 days after fertilising before your next mowing session.

FAQ’s

Ready to start feeding your lawn? Or do you have more questions?

With these insights, we hope you are now equipped with the necessary knowledge to make your lawn flourish. If you want to learn more about lawn maintenance or gather garden tips, you’ve come to the right place!

We love hearing from you, so just ask if you want more advice or suggestions for an amazing lawn.

Happy gardening!

Louis Hooft

Founder & Lawn expert

Introducing Louis Hooft, the founder of MOOWY and your reliable expert. With a profound love for stunning lawns and extensive experience in garden maintenance, Louis is here to assist garden enthusiasts in achieving a greener and livelier outdoors than ever before. Count on Louis for invaluable tips, clever tricks, and top-notch products to make your garden flourish!