Should You Cut Grass Before Fertilizing? (And 4 More Fertilizing Tips)

We all want our garden to look luscious and green; the best way to do this is by mowing and fertilizing it regularly and correctly. When it comes to fertilizing, is it best to mow your lawn before or afterward? 

It is best to mow your lawn before fertilizing; this ensures that the nutrients in the fertilizer can reach the soil and be absorbed fully. Mow your lawn to a height of 1 to 1 ½ inch before fertilizing it. Make sure that it is watered fully after fertilization to help nutrient absorption. 

Lawns that are not correctly looked after look patchy and full of weeds; this can be avoided if your lawn is looked after correctly. It is great to know all the correct do’s and don’ts to fertilizing your grass properly

Is It Best To Mow Your Lawn Before Fertilizing It?

It is best to mow your lawn before fertilizing it; this is because by mowing, you remove excessive grass growth and debris lying on your lawn, such as leaves and sticks. By mowing, you expose the soil more, which helps the nutrients from the fertilizer to reach and get into the soil much quicker. 

Remember the 1/3 rule when mowing your lawn; for fertilization, you want to mow your lawn to be a height of 1 to 1 ½ inch. It is not necessarily detrimental to your lawn to mow it after fertilization, although fertilization results may not be as great as mowing it before. 

Although if this is done every time you fertilize, there can be long-term effects, your lawn may not grow as desired because the fertilizer cannot perform its best. If you didn’t realize or forgot to mow your lawn before fertilizing, it is important to find out when it’s best to mow after fertilization; this depends on the type of fertilizer used.

Tips To Fertilizing My Lawn Correctly

Fertilizer is very good for the lawn; it contains three important nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, promoting health, optimal growth, and preventing weed and pest invasion. They promote a healthy, strong root system that’s important because it reduces flooding and muddy puddles on your lawn. 

Let’s look at some important tips to fertilizing your lawn correctly to benefit fully from the nutrients. It can result in undernourishing your lawn or over-fertilization, which can burn your lawn if it is not done correctly. 

How Often Should You Fertilize In The Year?

It is essential to know how often to fertilize your garden throughout the year because you don’t want to under or over-fertilize it. You should fertilize your grass at least twice a year, although if you have a lot of traffic on your lawn, you can increase this to three to four times. The time of the year you fertilize is also very important; the time in the year you will need to fertilize is dependent on the kind of grass you have. 

If you stay in a very hot area, you may have warm-season grass, which means you should fertilize late spring and mid-summer when you have temperatures of 80 to 95°F. If you stay in a colder area, you probably have cool-season grass; you should then fertilize in spring and fall in temperatures of 60 to 70°F.

It is vital to ensure that the fertilizer is not applied to the lawn at the incorrect time, when it is too cold such as in winter or when the grass is not growing and dormant. The reason for this is because when the lawn is dormant, and fertilizer is applied, then the fertilizer can encourage weed growth. Instead of applying the fertilizer just because it is the right timing instead, delay it until it is the right temperature.

When you buy fertilizer, ensure you look at the length of time it takes to release its nutrients into the soil; this is usually between two to eight months. This is necessary to make sure enough time is left between applications to prevent over-fertilization.

Test The Soil Before Fertilizing

Testing your soil isn’t something that many of us think about doing, but it is actually very important and beneficial for your lawn. It is very easy to do; collect soil from ten different places in your lawn from 3 to 4 inches into the ground and make sure it does not have any roots. Send it off and wait on the results; this is very helpful as it will provide you with the right information to choose the correct fertilizer for your lawn.

Use A Spreader To Apply Fertilizer

A broadcast, drop, handheld, or rotary spreader is great to use; this helps you ensure you spread the fertilizer evenly on your lawn without under or over-fertilizing some areas which can be detrimental to your grass. 

When going around your garden, make sure that you walk in a pattern so that you can monitor where you have and have not fertilized. The type of spreader you decide to use will depend on the amount of space you have in your garden; choosing the correct one will make it easier to spread the fertilizer efficiently.

Water Your Garden Properly

Ensure you water before and after applying the fertilizer; this will ensure that the nutrients are absorbed optimally into the soil. You should water two days before you fertilize, make sure the grass is dry, and then apply the fertilizer. You can then water the grass again; this is the most important when using granular fertilizer as it washes the fertilizer off the top of the grass and into the soil.  

Wrapping Up

Fertilizing your lawn can be extremely beneficial for its growth and health; this ensures it gets the correct nutrients it needs to thrive. The best time to mow your lawn is before you fertilize; this will ensure that the fertilizer works fully because it will easily get into the soil.

When fertilizing, it’s important to do it at the correct time of the year, leave enough time between applications, water it enough, and spread it over the grass evenly.