As temperatures increase in the spring, your lawn will begin to come out of dormancy. At this time, your grass will need a robust root system to thrive. Spring fertilization will give your grass the nutrients it needs. It will promote healthy grass growth and extensive root system development, leaving your grass strong and healthy enough to survive the heat of the upcoming summer.

Not only will spring fertilization enhance your lawn roots with essential nutrients, but it will also usually include a pre-emergent weed control treatment. Adding this treatment to your lawn in the springtime will prevent weeds from growing in your lawn and stealing nutrients from the rest of your grass and plants.

Fertilizer delivers balanced nutrients and is essential for a healthy lawn.

Fertilizers are substances that add nutrients to your soil to make it more fertile—essentially, they are plant food. Fertilization is the process of adding fertilizers to your soil, often via a liquid concentrate or solid nutrient pellets.

Fertilization is usually necessary for a dense, vibrantly colored lawn. Without fertilization, your lawn has to rely on the minerals, compounds, and other macronutrients already present within the soil for food. In nature, decaying plant matter replaces these nutrients, but because we remove leaves and dead grass from our lawns, soil nutrients slowly deplete over time without annual fertilization.

What Are the Key Ingredients in Fertilizer?

Spring fertilizer consists of several macronutrients common in various soil types to help plants develop healthy growth. The primary fertilizer ingredients include:

  • Nitrogen: Nitrogen is an essential component of plant DNA, amino acids, and chlorophyll. When grass has adequate nitrogen levels, its foliage grows quickly and takes on a vibrant green color. This nutrient also plays a role in plant growth and reproduction.
  • Potassium: This nutrient is necessary for building plant proteins and promoting healthy growth. It helps regulate how the grass plant uses water. A lawn may dry out without potassium.
  • Phosphorus: Phosphorus plays a role in photosynthesis and transfers nutrients within the plant’s cells. As a macronutrient, it also stimulates root growth and seed production. Without it, plants may have stunted growth and more susceptibility to disease.

Spring fertilization is necessary for your lawn to receive the proper nutrients in preparation for the new growth.

Washington Township, Michigan home lawn with proper fertilization service.

Plants need food like other living organisms, but they require feedings at specific times. Spring is ideal for fertilizer application because it jump-starts the growing season for lawns that just endured a long, cold winter.

In the winter, grass stops growing and transfers its metabolic energy to its roots. The blades change from green to brown and the roots use their food reserves for sustenance instead of absorbing nutrients from the soil. By applying fertilizer in early spring when the temperature rises above 65 degrees F, your lawn will receive much-needed nutrients and green up quickly.

Since cool-season grasses thrive during the spring months, the grass will need fertilization sometime between April and early May. Without spring fertilization, your cool-season grass may not have enough nutrients to sustain itself throughout the growing season, leading to stunted growth and dull coloring.

Pre-Emergent Weed Control and Spring Fertilizer Application

Usually, a spring fertilization treatment will include a pre-emergent herbicide for weed control. Pre-emergents are herbicides that stop weeds from growing before they erupt from the ground. It's best to apply this treatment in early spring before the weeds emerge. Herbicides will remain within the top two inches of the soil, creating a barrier beneath the surface. Once the weeds germinate, they will hit the border and die before erupting from the soil, ensuring your lawn stays weed-free all summer.

Call Our Team Today to Receive a Quote for Your Spring Fertilization

As a top-rated lawn care company, we know a thing or two about how to properly fertilize your lawn in the spring to prepare it for the warmer months ahead. We offer our fertilization and weed control services to communities in and around Macomb, Michigan including Shelby, Chesterfield, and Troy. Call us today at (586) 200-0855 to receive a quote for your lawn assessment with one of our expert landscapers.