If you need to know when to start fertilizing and how much to use, check the package label. Here's our recommendation for when to stop fertilizing and why.
When it comes to fertilizing plants and trees, the package label is a wealth of information for application rates and frequencies. Most water-soluble packaged fertilizers recommend that the first application be made around bud-break in the spring, once the ground has thawed.
Subsequent applications can vary based on the growing season.Recommendations also differ depending on the severity of the nutrient needs of your soil, plants, and trees.
Ultimately, by reading the package label, you get a basic sense of when to start fertilizing, how much to use, and how often – but do you know when to stop fertilizing?
Here's our recommendation:
Make the last fertilizer application before July 1.
Why we recommend this:
Many fertilizers contain nitrogen, which is absorbed by the roots and boosts vegetative growth (new leaves and branches).This active process requires uptake time and response time for the resulting growth to emerge.
New growth also needs time to "harden off" before winter.Tender new growth is at risk of cold injury if it is forced late in the season, when plants and trees should be shutting down for winter.
Plants and trees that have started hardening off are no longer concerned with actively growing, so fertilizing into fall is often not worth the effort.
There are some exceptions, such as mild, slow-release fertilizers. For example, Fruit Tree & Ornamental Gro-Stakes® are intended for use during spring, mid-summer, & fall.
Note: our granular Stark® Orchard Fertilizershould only be applied once a year; sometime during spring but prior to July.
More Facts About Fertilizer
Fertilize wisely. Before applying any fertilizer, be sure that your soil, plants, and trees actually need it. Fertilizer isn’t like water and light, which are vital to the survival of deciduous plants and trees. Get to know your soil before adding to it. Applying too much unneeded fertilizer can result in a nutrient imbalance, foliar burns, and even fruit-production issues.
Less is more! Over-fertilizing can negatively affect your plants and trees. New growth forced by excess nitrogen is susceptible to issues like fire blight in apple trees and pear trees. Read more about fire blight, a bacterial disease, here.
Stop fertilizing in late fall as soil temperature drops. Avoid fertilizing on very hot days when plants are working hard to stay hydrated. Apply fertilizer a day after thoroughly watering plants to prevent leaf burn.
Make the last fertilizer application before July 1.
New growth also needs time to "harden off" before winter. Tender new growth is at risk of cold injury if it is forced late in the season, when plants and trees should be shutting down for winter.
Perennial flowers are a bit different than annuals. They generally require less fertilization and since they often slow down growth in autumn to prepare for dormancy, fertilization should be avoided after late summer.
If you don't fertilize your houseplants for an extended period, they may start to show signs of nutrient deficiencies in the foliage. While overfertilizing do more harm than underfertilizing, regular and even additions are best for the plant in the long run.
Shut off the spreader just before you ender the header strip and turn it on again after you make your turn but just before you leave the header strip. If you are using a drop spreader, your spreader will be a bit wider than the area the fertilizer is dropped on.
Too much fertilizer adds too much nitrogen and salt to the soil. It's called fertilizer “burn,” and can actually kill your lawn. Imagine the yellow or brown dog urine spots you see in lawns.
Mid to end of APRIL – spring fertilizer – 32-0-6 slow release (fast acting) Early to mid JUNE (6 weeks later) – early summer fertilizer – 25-0-5 – 50% slow release. Mid to late JULY (6 weeks later) – late summer fertilizer – 25-0-5 – 50% slow release.
1. Nutrient Absorption and Grass Health. Fertilizing your lawn when the temperature is too low (below 50°F for cool-season grasses and below 70°F for warm-season grasses) can lead to poor nutrient absorption.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, you should fertilize your lawn about every six weeks. You don't want the watering to outpace the fertilizing as that could negatively impact the lawn's growth cycle. If you don't have a sprinkler system, you can wait an additional two weeks between applications.
Perennials that require no fertilizer: Included are ornamental grasses, false indigo, ground covers, butterfly weed, bee balm, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, sea holly, dianthus, asters and veronica. summer: Use a quick release food in summer, instead of a slow release food.
Applying fertilizer in the wrong season can cause increased tender new growth that can be damaged, especially if applied in cold weather in late fall or in winter. So it is best to stop fertilizing during dormant seasons. Additionally, in zones that can be in danger of a late freeze, it's best to wait until mid-spring.
“Cool-season grasses” should especially be fertilized between late September and early November, and again between late March and early May. Meanwhile, “warm-season grasses” should be fertilized between late March and early May, and again between late June and early August.
Fertilizing in the fall helps plants be hardier when the temperatures drop. We also recommend applying fertilizer in the late fall, toward the end of October or early November. This application will catalyze one last frenzy of root growth and really give your plants some staying power through the cold months.
You should typically fertilize your lawn every 6-8 weeks, as when it grows and gets cut, the nutrients in the soil deplete and need to be replenished. In Canada you should fertilize grass in late spring or early fall, ideally when temperatures are consistently between 15-25°C.
The same nutrients that make your lawn green and healthy -- nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium -- can hurt your lawn if you apply too much. Too much fertilizer adds too much nitrogen and salt to the soil. It's called fertilizer “burn,” and can actually kill your lawn.
For one, your grass will miss out on the benefits it contains. And two, the nutrients from the fertilizer treatment can run off into nearby waterways, polluting them. So, it's best to avoid fertilizing your lawn too early in the spring. When nutrients run into waterways, it can lead to excessive growth of algae.
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