Choosing the best summer fertilizer for grass isn’t easy. But an important part of any lawn care program is fertilizer.

Many times you hear lawn care referred to as “weed and feed”, as we are working to remove the weeds and feed the grass. That fertilizer component is vital to keeping your turf tip-top, no matter the grass type. But is it the best summer fertilizer for grass?

You’ll always want to make sure you’re getting the best summer fertilizer for grass each year. But applying the wrong fertilizer in the warm season of summer could backfire. That’s why it’s important for your lawn program to include the best fertilizer for grass when the weather gets hot. You don’t want to end up with a burned-out lawn.

This blog post will talk about the importance of applying low-nitrogen fertilizers throughout the summertime to cool-season grass and highlight the year-round fertilization services that Lush Lawn provides.

Why Fertilize Your Lawn

Fertilizing your lawn gives it the chance to maintain density, enhances its green color, and encourages growth. Fertilizer can also encourage recovery from turf damage and seasonal turf stresses (such as hot, dry periods). 

Unfertilized lawns will gradually lose density. When that happens, undesirable grasses (such as crabgrass) and broadleaf weeds (such as dandelion and clover) start to grow. The risk for soil erosion also increases. 

And malnourished turfgrasses are more prone to damage from diseases and insects — the damage is more noticeable and recovery takes longer. 

Avoid “Burning” Your Lawn

When choosing lawn fertilizer, you must make sure you have the right mix. Years ago, people used primarily liquid, synthetic, fast-release, and agriculture-grade fertilizers on their lawns. 

The idea behind quick-release fertilizer is to give your lawn a quick boost by releasing nutrients into the soil almost instantly (quick release). But these products often applied too much nitrogen at one time, and the microbes in the soil couldn’t break it all down and the excess nitrogen often dried out grass blades and causes a burned look on the lawn.

For cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue turfgrasses commonly used in Michigan, the quick release will not be applied during the summer months. That’s because synthetic fertilizer that’s not watered into the lawn completely will cause stress and often result in lawn burn.

Slow-Release Fertilizer Better in The Summer

Most often, though, when a product is called slow-release fertilizer, it is fertilizer coated with plastic resin or sulfur-based polymers which slowly break down from water, heat, sunlight, and/or soil microbes.

Using slow-release fertilizers minimizes the risk of fertilizer burn, while also staying in the soil longer. Slow-release fertilizers are often formulated to last one to three months depending upon the amount of water your lawn receives. It is one of the best summer fertilizers for grass. 

Apply Low-Nitrogen Fertilizer

Fertilizers that are applied in the summer should also be low-nitrogen fertilizers that reintroduce nutrients into the soil so the lawn can maintain healthy growth throughout the summer months. Whereas nitrogen-rich fertilizers are appropriate for the early springtime green-up and growth, as we just mentioned, they can cause further stress to lawns in the summer and even cause burns. 

That’s why low-nitrogen fertilizer is a great option for summer lawns.

Get Your Fertilizer Right Every Time

There’s one way you can get your fertilizer choice right every time: use a professional lawn care service. Lush Lawn’s 7-step fertilization and weed control program is the staple of the services that we offer. 

We offer a 7-application lawn fertilization plan carefully designed to give your SE Michigan lawn the nutrients it needs. If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact your local Lush Lawn branch, including:

Grand Blanc and the surrounding areas, Rochester Hills,  Brighton, and Saginaw.

If you do, then you’ll know, you’re getting the best summer fertilizer for grass every time.