How Often Should I Fertilise My Lawn?

Hi Steven,

Thanks for the question!

Fertilising your lawn is one of the best things you can do for it, so well done for committing to a once-year feed (that’s more than many people bother with). But I’m not surprised your grass is looking a little sad by autumn as you can actually fertilise it a lot more regularly.

For most lawns in the UK, the general rule is to fertilise four times a year. This usually breaks down into:

• One application in early spring (around March or April)

• Another in late spring (May)

• A third in mid-summer (July)

• And then a final one in early autumn (September)

Each season has its own fertiliser needs, so if you want the best results, it’s worth matching up what you’re using to the time of year rather than using the same lawn feed year-round.

In the spring, your lawn is waking up after the winter, so it needs a fertiliser that’s rich in nitrogen to encourage it to start growing healthily.

By late spring and early summer, the grass should be growing fast, so go for a balanced feed to help keep things healthy without pushing it too hard.

Come autumn, your priority should be helping your lawn prepare for the cold months, so look for a fertiliser with more potassium to strengthen the roots and improve winter hardiness.

There are lots of great lawn fertilising formulas out there now, and I’ve reviewed a lot of them on The Turf Doctor. If you need a good place to start, check out my guide on the best lawn feed for UK lawns.

I recommend using slow-release fertiliser since your lawn is in partial shade. In this case, you might only need to apply it twice—once in spring and again in autumn. But if you’re using a quick-release fertiliser, that’s when you’ll need to stick to the four times a year schedule.

One piece of advice to remember: don’t fertilise too late in the year! You don’t want to encourage the grass to grow when the weather’s too cold, as that can make your lawn more vulnerable to damage.

And if you’re wondering about how much to use, always follow the instructions on the bag. More isn’t better, and applying too much fertiliser can actually damage your lawn.

Thanks again for your question, Steven, and I’m confident that you’ll have that lovely green lawn you’re after in no time at all.

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