Autumn Lawn Fertilisers

Is it possible to fertilise your lawn during autumn/winter?

Fertilising your lawn is able to be done during the autumn/winter months with the perfect time for this being around late September to early October.

Applying fertiliser to your lawn during the colder months will help to improve your grass’ health making sure that it is getting all of the nutrients it needs. It enables the grass to withstand many months of poor and hostile growing conditions however it is essential that you are using the correct type of fertiliser. Only autumn/winter fertilisers should be used during the colder months. These blends contain low levels of nitrogen, less phosphate and an increased amount of potassium. Potassium is a key nutrient within these fertilisers as it hardens and toughens the leaf blades of the grass helping it to withstand severe cold and frost. Nitrogen should only be present in low amounts as this is an energy source for plants and boosts their growth which is not something that you will be wanting to do during cold weather as the new growth during this time would just be killed off and could potentially put the viability of the entire lawn at risk.

What type of lawn maintenance is needed during the autumn/winter months?

Lawns still require some TLC during cooler weather. Here are some of our recommendations:

1. Allow the lawn to rest – Try to stay off of the lawn as much as possible during the cold weather as it is much harder for the grass to recover at this time of the year
2. Ensure that leaves and debris have been removed from the lawn – Leaves left of the lawn can trap in moisture which in turn encourages the growth of disease, moss and increased worm activity
   
3. Aerate the lawn at the start of autumn – Compacted soil can cause very poor growing conditions for grass. It means that the grass roots are deprived of air and water making it important to aerate the ground (this can be done using a garden fork, a spiker or a hollow tine rake). This process removes plugs of soil and creates pathways for air and nutrients to reach the roots. As well as this, aerating the soil also improves drainage which may be needed during heavy rain spells
   
4. Apply autumn/winter fertilisers – this will provide the nutrients a lawn needs to stay strong and healthy during the colder months and be ready for spring