Fertilize your lawn in fall for lush grass in spring

Maintaining a well kept lawn that keeps a healthy, vibrant, green as long as it should requires a plan and intentional care. There are a few variables to consider: the quality and kind of your grass, if you have irrigation, and the degree to which you want to keep your grass well fed. The grass in your front yard will likely take priority over the grass that may cover an area around a compost pile in your back yard. Figure out which plots of land you’d like to care for most; the most visible parts of your landscape. Once you know where you’d like to fertilize, the next steps are figuring out what to use, how much, and at what regularity.

During fall time, fertilizing your lawn gives your grass the best chance at healthy growth for the next year. The first step is determining what kind of grass you have in your lawn. In northern Illinois, where Whispering Hills Garden and Landscape Center is located, the vast majority of lawns will be cool-season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrass. These cool-season grasses experience peak growth in fall and spring. Because these grasses are growing energetically during fall, this is a great time for fertilizing. Your lawn’s roots are vigorous during this time period, meaning that they are primed to soak up your fertilizer’s nutrients.

Fall is also a time of more prevalent and readily available moisture for plant life to use. The foggy mornings of autumn are generally also pretty dewey, as the ground temperature is usually warmer that the cooling air. This dew forms on lawns of grass, which is then absorbed and utilized by the grass to grow deeper roots and thicker blades of grass.

According to the University of Illinois Extension, “two important factors to consider when fertilizing lawns are how much and when to apply. About three pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per growing season is suggested for most full-sun lawns (Kentucky bluegrass; Kentucky bluegrass mixed with perennial ryegrass and/or fine fescue) in northern Illinois.”

The University of Illinois Extension further suggest to use, “a fast-release source [of nitrogen] in late fall,” and to “consider Mother’s Day, Labor Day and Halloween as reminders or favorable times to fertilize lawns in nothern Illinois.” This Halloween, save yourself the scare of a patchy lawn in spring by investing in your lawn care regiment today.

At Whispering Hills Garden and Landscape Center, we cary all of the fertilizers that your lawn needs throughout the year. For your fall fertilization efforts, we suggest using Award Feed Fertilizer 25-0-8 25%, which we carry in our garden center. Follow the directions on the bag carefully for maximum success fertilizing. We carry all that your lawn needs, throughout the year, and feel free to stop in with any questions that you may have about maintaining your lawn.

Whispering Hills Garden and Landscape Center is a full service landscape center and nursery located in Cary, Illinois. Stop in today for our full selection of hydrangeas and perennial shrubs, now 50% off until end of season (Updated: 10/15/21).