Why Timing Matters

The time of year you fertilize matters. Generally the time to fertilize is when your grass is actively growing. To determine that, you need to know what type of grass you have, because there are two main categories of turfgrass and they require different fertilizing schedules.

There are warm season grasses that grow in areas like southern California, and cool season grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue and tall fescue. They both have different growing seasons and require fertilizing at different times. There is a “transitional” zone between the warm season grass zone and cool season grass zone where you may find both types of grasses.

Cool season grasses grow in the spring and fall with their biggest growth seen in the fall. You will want to do a spring application of fertilizer and create a schedule to use the rest of the fertilizer before the summer heat kicks in and the cool season grass goes dormant. You can use either a slow-release fertilizer or a regular fertilizer. Fertilize again in the fall before it gets too cold.

Warm season grasses grow in the late spring and early summer. So fertilize using a slow-release or regular fertilizer during this time, and again after the highest heat of summer subsides. Start up your fertilization schedule again after the heat of summer but stop before it cools down for fall.