Autumn Lawn Fertilisers

Can you fertilise lawns in winter?

The short answer is yes, you can use fertilisers on your lawn during the autumn / winter months. The perfect time to do this is around late September to early October.

Fertilising your lawn during the winter months will improve the grass’ health ensuring that it is fed all of the correct nutrients that it needs. Not only is the traditional growing season extending well into October and November, but fertilising will help the grass to withstand many months of poor and hostile growing conditions. However it is important that you are using an autumn/winter fertiliser. These specific autumn lawn fertilisers contain low nitrogen, less phosphate and more potassium. Phosphate is not needed at the end of a season, usually just at the start and it’s easy to over apply. Alongside this Potassium stiffens and toughens the leaf blades which helps to protect the grass through severe cold and frost. Most importantly, special Autumn / Winter fertilisers contain low amounts of Nitrogen – this is the energy source for plants and boosts growth. Spring and summer  fertilisers generally contain higher levels of nitrogen to feed grass during the growing season but consistently cool temperatures or frost means grass does not grow very fast (if at all) and will easily kill the new growth tips which are soft and delicate, potentially putting the viability of the whole turf area at risk.

The choice of Autumn / Winter fertiliser usually boils down to either a slow-release or a standard fertiliser or both in combination. Slow release products will drip feed nutrients to the roots, as they are required, over a long period of time – ideal for ensuring a good lawn arrives into spring in the best condition possible. Standard Autumn/ Winter fertilisers supply energy immediately and generally have some iron – it is ideally applied in the autumn to bring the turf up to sufficient colour and strength.

All fertilisers should be applied on a calm day when there is rain forecast to wash in granules – this avoids any chance of burn or damage to grass. Fertiliser should not be applied if there is a frost. The ground will be frozen resulting in the fertiliser not working its way into the soil and this would just be a waste of fertiliser.

What should I do to my lawn in autumn/winter months?

Lawns & turf still need attention even during cooler conditions, here are a few things to consider.

1. Give the lawn a rest – Try to keep off of the lawn as much as is practical during the colder months. During colder months, the grass is not actively growing so if it is overly used whilst there is a frost it will not be able to repair itself until the spring.
2. Make sure that all leaves and debris have been raked off of the lawn – leaves left on the grass can trap moisture which encourages the growth of disease, moss and also worm activity.
3. Aerate the lawn in early autumn – In many areas, especially those with clay or heavy soils, the ground becomes compacted causing very poor conditions for grass growth. Compaction means the grass roots are starved of air and water. For this reason it is important to aerate the ground with either a garden fork, a spiker or hollow tine aeration machine. This removes plugs of earth and creates pathways for air and nutrients to reach the roots and soil. Aerating the soil will also improve drainage especially if you are noticing puddles form after heavy rain spells.
4. Use an autumn/winter fertiliser – Using an autumn/winter fertiliser, especially slow release options, provides the nutrients a lawn needs through the colder months to maintain its strength and health ready for the spring months.

Our Best Autumn Lawn Fertilisers