Many homeowners believe that fertilizer is optional and their lawns do not really need it in order to be lush and green. Others intend to fertilize their lawns but cannot get to it due to their hectic schedules. If you are not fertilizing, your lawn is not as healthy and bright as it could be. Here are five important reasons why you should not forget to fertilize.
#1 – It Works with the Nutrients in the Ground
The best way to have a healthy lawn is to start with healthy soil. Depending on where you live in the Chicagoland area, your soil may be missing important nutrients. The best way to ensure that your lawn has all the nutrients it needs is to fertilize it every single year. Today’s fertilizers are specially formulated to work with the nutrients that already exist while replenishing the ones that have been depleted over time.
#2 – It is Good for More than Just the Lawn
Fertilizer is not just for your lawn – it’s also for flowers, vegetable gardens, bushes, and trees because they all need nutrients, too. When you are fertilizing your lawn, think about adding fertilizer to the soil in your garden beds, and anywhere you are growing flowers, trees, shrubs, or other foliage. If you are unsure which plants require fertilizer, contact a professional landscaper for help.
#3 – Fall is the Best Time of Year for Fertilizing
If you are planning to fertilize your lawn, now is the best time of year to do it. Ideally, you should aerate and fertilize just before the grass goes dormant for the winter season – before the first big frost. This ensures that the grass has all of the nutrients it needs to grow back healthy and strong at the first signs of spring next year, and it can help you avoid any dead or brown spots that might occur due to extended freezing or snow cover.
#4 – It is More Affordable than Dealing with Dead or Unhealthy Grass
If you are not fertilizing because you want to avoid the extra cost, it is actually more cost-effective to fertilize your lawn each year than it is to try to regrow your lawn or place sod. A professional landscaper and lawn care provider can add aerating and fertilizing to your project for very affordable rates, so if you don’t have the time in your schedule to do it yourself, it may be more cost-effective than you think.
#5 – For Professionals, it is Fast and Simple
Finally, if you are already paying a landscaper for lawn care, adding aeration and fertilizer to your care plan is simple and easy. A landscaper has access to professional-quality tools and products that make the process much quicker than doing it yourself, and as previously mentioned, it is probably far more affordable than you might think. When all the other benefits are considered, it just makes sense.
As you can see, it is vital that you fertilize your lawn – and ideally in the fall – if you want beautiful, lush regrowth in the spring. It is good not only for your lawn, but also for other plants you may have around your yard and property. It can help you avoid the poor aesthetic associated with brown spots, and it is far more affordable than replacing sections with sod.