Should I Fertilize the Lawn Before or After it Rains?

This is one of the most commonly-asked questions our Chantilly landscaping company receives, usually in the spring, summer and fall. Every lawn needs to be fertilized, but, as with many things in life, timing is essential to getting the best outcome with lawn fertilizer. Doing it right can bring you a lot of great yard benefits, like:

• Cooler ground temperatures in the summer for pets and people
• Improved oxygen quality around your home as the grass exhales

So, to answer everyone’s pressing lawn fertilizer question: whether it’s better to fertilize after or before it rains:

Don’t let the rain wash away your lawn fertilizer

The key is not putting down a layer of fertilizer on your lawn just before a big, heavy rain. All that will do is wash the fertilizer away. And with that fertilizer, the rain washes away your time and money spent getting the lawn fertilized. If it rains right after you fertilize, it won’t have the time it needs to spend breaking down in the air and the sun so that it can seep down into the root system.

We don’t mean to say that your lawn wouldn’t benefit from a light sprinkle after putting down fertilizer. It would. A little drizzle is perfect for helping break down the fertilizer and helping it get into the roots without washing it right off of the lawn and into the gutter.

Excessively dry weather also doesn’t help the lawn fertilizer

Very dry or drought-like conditions are also not optimal for putting down fertilizer on the lawn. Most types of fertilizer will break down better with light moisture, helping it work into the soil and the grass’ roots. If it’s too dry for too long, the fertilizer won’t break down properly either.

What if I fertilize the lawn after it rains?

This is fine as long as the lawn is mostly dry before you put down the fertilizer. If it’s too wet, it’ll break down too quickly. The most optimal schedule (if you can order the weather for it) is to schedule your lawn fertilizer with a couple of sunny days on either side of the fertilization. That way, the lawn is sufficiently dry, the fertilizer has time to rest on the lawn and a bit of light moisture from dew and drizzle will do the magic needed to help it get down into the roots at the right speed.

Contact AllGreen Landscape Co. to schedule your lawn’s fertilizer schedule for this year and we’ll help you pick the optimal timing for your lawn and the weather forecast: (703) 992-8787.