Fall Lawn Fertilizing in Western Washington
Your yard suffers in the hot weather, withstanding summer temps and harsh sun. As the weather cools down, it’s time to fertilize and give your grass the nutrition it needs to recover.
Why feed your lawn as the growing season ends in Western Washington?
Summer rains, runoff and bagging clippings all remove nutrients from your soil. By fertilizing now, you can nourish your lawn and support strong roots before it goes dormant for the winter, setting the stage for a healthy lawn when spring comes around.
This blog helps you learn more about how to diagnose what your soil needs, how to choose the right fertilizer, and how to apply it for the ultimate spring lawn.
Care and Feeding of Your Lawn
Washington’s climate requires grasses that are adaptable to changing weather conditions, like tall fescue and perennial rye, or a fine fescue like creeping red fescue. But to grow their best, they need the right nutrients from your soil.
It’s important to do a soil test to know what your lawn might be missing. Even if you’ve had your soil tested before, things change – the texture, the pH, and the amount of organic matter shift over time, so doing a soil test every 3 years helps you adjust your fertilizer accordingly.
Beyond the test, it’s helpful to understand the characteristics of your soil, so dig in! Notice the color and the texture. Is it loose and crumbly or packed tightly? Is it light, or brown, or gray? These details, along with the results of your soil test, will reveal the health of your lawn so you can give it exactly what it needs.
Soils west of the Cascades may be acidic and low in calcium, which limits how much water and nutrients grass can absorb. If your soil test confirms this in your yard, apply lime every 3-4 years in the fall to amplify the fertilizer’s results.
Choose the Right Fertilizer for Fall
Your lawn needs adequate nitrogen in the early fall for the best root growth, and may need more phosphorus in late October or early November. Every bag of fertilizer is labeled with different amounts of nitrogen and nutrients, which can be confusing if you don’t know what they mean.
All-purpose fertilizers contain a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – shown as N-P-K. Select a fertilizer that balances what’s missing in your grass based on your soil test.
It is possible to have too much of a good thing, though. Some fertilizers can make your grass grow out of control! A slow-release fertilizer like Wilbur-Ellis will give your lawn 1-1 ½” growth per week, which is easy to manage. Slow-release types gradually add nitrogen to the soil so you don’t burn the grass or damage the soil, and are great for sandy soils where water and nutrients move quickly.
When and How Do You Apply Fall Fertilizer?
Timing: Apply fall fertilizer after the hottest temperatures have passed. The period between Labor Day and Halloween is ideal – grass is still actively growing and can receive the nutrients you’re adding to the soil. (If your lawn is showing stress from a lack of nitrogen and you need to treat it sooner than that, use a water-soluble fertilizer.)
Just before you start, mow the grass and water it well, which helps the lawn food work into the soil so it’s less likely to wash away afterwards. Apply your fertilizer during the coolest parts of the day to avoid fertilizer burn.
Conditions: Check the weather forecast before you fertilize. Look for a string of days where it won’t be super dry or super wet.
Application: Broadcast spreaders are great for uniform lawn coverage because they operate at your walking pace for a steady dispersion, so you’re not putting too much fertilizer in one spot and not enough somewhere else. They also let you adjust the amount and the distance spread of fertilizer released. Don’t forget the gloves and eye protection when you’re out applying fertilizer!
Amount: It’s a fine line. You want to give your soil enough nutrients to replenish what it’s lost. But too much lawn food can burn your grass, turning it yellow or brown, and may even kill it. Too much nitrogen can create thicker thatch that can snuff out sunlight, cause disease, and keep nutrients from reaching the roots.
Check the bag’s instructions to calculate how much to apply for your lawn’s size.
Post Care: About 24 hours after applying fertilizer, give your lawn a good early morning soaking (and keep kids and pets out of the area during this time window). Make sure the grass gets 1-2” of water a week after that.
A Full Lawn Treatment: Aeration and Overseeding
Aerating lets you create small holes in the soil to alleviate compaction and help your roots absorb more oxygen and water. And aerating before feeding your lawn helps the nutrients make their way deep into the earth, rather than washing away with the next rain.
If you’ve got patchy or thin areas, add more grass seed now to thicken your lawn next year. Aerate first, and then overseed with a rye/fescue mix designed for Northwest conditions. For the best coverage, spread the seed twice in two different directions. Remember to water regularly and keep foot traffic off the new grass seedlings.
Healthy Lawn Now = Greener Lawn Later
Fertilizing your grass now is a bit of an investment of time and money but it will pay off in the long run. You’ll enjoy thicker, healthier grass that not only looks great, but will make your neighbors green with envy!
If you’re not sure which fertilizer is best for you, or need to rent an aerator or any other outdoor maintenance tools, stop by Carl’s Mower & Saw! Our team will work with you to understand what your property needs and help set you up to make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood!
About
Established in 1990 by Carl and Beth Levien, Carl’s Mower & Saw remains a family-owned and locally operated business to this day. We’re committed to providing an exceptional customer experience to both contractors and homeowners. Whether you’re looking for sales, service or rentals, you’ll find quality outdoor power equipment brands known for their durability and dependability, including Exmark, Gravely, Honda, Husqvarna, STIHL, and BCS America. For inquiries, feel free to reach out by calling 360-384-0799 or emailing info@carlsmower.com.
