The Two Seasonal Fs: "fall" and "fertilizing"

You hear plenty about how fall is the perfect time to grow new grass in Brookfield, WI. We’ve covered this at some length.

At the same time, don’t overlook the rest of your lawn. Fall is a critical time to fertilize grass, even as its growing season ends. Believe it or not, it’s even more vital this year.

We’d hate to call this year’s grass “lazy.” We could term it “opportunistic.” The very wet spring, and cool wet summer, meant that grass didn’t have to work so hard to grow. Soil moisture levels were high in Elm Grove and New Berlin. Roots didn’t have to penetrate as deep in search of water.

Thus, this year’s grass, shorter roots and all, might be less prepared for the cold season ahead. Fertilizing is needed to strengthen grass for its coming months of dormancy.

Lawn fertilization involves remembering two main points: Use a granular product, and keep it natural.

Granular products work their way through the jungle of grass blades, hit the soil, then break down and enrich it. Liquid fertilizers can get caught on grass blades and never reach the soil.

A natural fertilizer is the best bet for your grass. Products such as Milorganite are pretty much goof-proof. They’re slow-release and safer. You can’t “burn” grass with a natural fertilizer, unlike some chemical counterparts.

Mother Nature does know what’s best. Read labels, and always follow package instructions for how much product to apply.

Be sure to fertilize before leaves fall, too. Once they start covering the ground, leaves create a natural barrier to lawn fertilizer (or any lawn product). Timing really is of the essence. The sooner you fertilize now, the better your lawn will be next spring.