Best Time to Fertilize Lawn Before or After Rain | Jonathan Green (2024)

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Best Time to Fertilize Lawn Before or After Rain | Jonathan Green? ›

When is the best time to fertilize a lawn – before or after a rain? Too much rain could wash away the fertilizer before it has a chance to soak into the soil, so plan to fertilize several days before a heavy rain arrives or several days later. Here are more tips from the professionals at Jonathan Green.

If you have a warm-season lawn, this means you should fertilize your lawn in mid to late spring, then again in summer, and finally in early fall. Depending on where you live, you might be able to start fertilizing as early as April and lay down your last application of fertilizer as late as October.

Although some fertilizers benefit from slightly moist grass, if your lawn is too wet, it will fail to properly absorb the nutrients.

We recommend waiting 24 hours after fertilizing to water your lawn, which will give the fertilizer time to settle. After the 24 hours are up, it's important to give it a good soak—not just a quick spritz with your hose—to activate the fertilizer and help the critical nutrients absorb into the soil.

Generally speaking, it isn't best to fertilize after it rains, but you may still be able to get the fertilizer to activate with the remaining moisture on the soil surface. It could be your only option if no other source of water (an in-ground irrigation system or a large sprinkler) is available.

If you've just had a heavy rain or are expecting that type of stormy weather, we recommend waiting until the lawn has had a chance to dry out a little before applying the fertilizer. You also don't want to fertilize the lawn during drought conditions, since they grass will not be ready for it to work.

Before applying fertilizer to the lawn, it's important to mow it first to clear away any thatch. This allows the fertilizer to make better contact with the soil. When the spring fertilizer makes better contact with the soil, it will be absorbed more easily by the roots of your grass.

Waiting Period: A waiting period allows fertilizer to be absorbed, varying by type—hours for liquid, days for granular. Consequences of Early Mowing: Early mowing can lead to nutrient waste and uneven grass growth.

At Master Lawn, we typically say to wait 24 hours before watering your lawn after fertilizing. But it is important to make sure that it does receive a good watering session soon after that 24 hour waiting period. Watering helps the fertilizer to activate and to break down and begin feeding nutrients to the lawn.

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Despite it falling, you should fertilize your lawn early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the high midday temperature. The morning and late evening dew help your grass absorb nutrients.

Applying too much fertilizer to your lawn will cause the nitrogen and salt levels in the soil to increase rapidly, which can damage or even kill the grass. When this happens, it is known as “fertilizer burn” and looks like yellow and brown strips or patches of dead grass.

If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you should fertilize your lawn about every six weeks. You don't want the watering to outpace the fertilizing as that could negatively impact the lawn's growth cycle. If you don't have a sprinkler system, you can wait an additional two weeks between applications.

A much-needed trim and a nourishing feeding through lawn mowing and fertilization are the best ways to help your grass start the new growing season on the right foot. However, you'll want to ensure you do these correctly: mow first, then fertilize.

Timing is crucial when it comes to lawn care. The best time to apply 10-10-10 fertilizer to your lawn depends on the type of grass and the climate. Warm-Season Grass: Apply in late spring or early summer. Cool-Season Grass: Best applied in fall or early spring.

Seed in early spring or early fall. Fertilize in early spring (after a mild winter) or late spring (after a cold winter), late summer and fall. Add small amounts of a shade-tolerant grass (such as fine fescue) or a wear-resistant grass (such as perennial ryegrass) to enhance a bluegrass lawn.