A lush, healthy lawn beautifies the exterior of your home and boosts its curb appeal. With spring right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to fertilize your grass to ensure it has all the nutrients it needs to flourish in the warm weather. Below are some expert lawn care tips to help you make the most of spring fertilization.

How to Fertilize Your Lawn in the Spring

1. Start Soon

Most lawn care experts recommend fertilizing your grass in mid-to-late April when the soil’s temperature reaches about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This is typically when you see forsythia blooming and a few blades of green grass beginning to grow. If you’re enlisting the services of landscaping experts, they can test the soil to determine exactly when fertilization should start.

2. Understand Fertilizer Components

Fertilizer contains three primary nutrients that are essential for healthy grass growth. They are potassium, which helps protect your lawn from drought and disease; nitrogen, which promotes grass growth by encouraging the production of chlorophyll, which strengthens the lawn’s root system by improving its ability to retain moisture and absorb nutrients.

The optimal fertilizer to use for spring lawn care is a 20-0-10 mixture: 20% nitrogen, 0% phosphorus, and 10% potassium. The remaining contents are composed of filler material to help ensure an even application.

3. Water After Fertilizing

Watering your lawn with at least a quarter inch of water after applying fertilizer helps push the nutrients deep into the soil and prevents grass blades from burning. Refrain from watering the lawn heavily before you fertilize or applying fertilizer right after a heavy storm. If you do, the nutrients in the fertilizer may not absorb properly and could end up flowing into storm drains or streams.

4. Don’t Forget Your Trees, Shrubs and Perennials

They should be fertilized in early spring to get them off to a healthy start.  Trees can be fertilized by deep root or tree fertilizer stakes.  Shrubs and perennials can be side dressed or fertilized with a foliar spray. Evergreen shrubs such as yews, boxwoods, azaleas and rhododendrons to mention a few need an acid based fertilizer to promote their best color and health.

For more spring fertilization tips, turn to the experts at Great Lakes Landscaping. For more than 15 years, they’ve provided residential and commercial clients in all of Chesterfield and Metro Detroit, MI, with first-rate lawn care and landscaping services, including fertilization, weed control, and tree removal and trimming. Visit their website to learn more about the company’s convenient lawn maintenance program, and call (586) 754-7336 to speak with a knowledgeable landscaper today.