For lawns in general, optimum water and fertilization will help you achieve beautiful and healthy-looking grass ready for the summer.
Although, generally, you should avoid fertilizing your plants or lawn during hot weather if possible. There are some plants that thrive in hot temperatures, but when it comes to lawns or grass, it’s a very different story.
Fertilizing your lawn in the height of summer can have two negative impacts, one being that your lawn could burn and two is that it could encourage new growth of weeds instead of new grass.
When the temperature is above 85 degrees Fahrenheit then you are not using fertilizer on your lawn.
If the temperature permits it, you should ideally be looking to fertilize every 2-3 weeks, but that’s only if the temperature is not exceeding 85 degrees and the weather looks fairly overcast for the few days after you plan on fertilizing your lawn.
However, this does not mean that you are unable to fertilize your lawn for the entirety of the summer. If you’ve got an area of seedlings or grass that is in shaded environments from morning to evening, then you can apply fertilizer as they’ll most likely need an extra boost of nutrients that they’re currently missing from not being in the sun.
During the hotter months, the roots of your plants can overheat and they will be unable to take up any fertilizer anyway so applying it will seem pointless. It’s not like the grass will be without nutrients anyway, as they would’ve savored the moisture and nutrients from the soil from growing within the autumn or spring months.
You’ll need to look into what lawn grass or what grass seeds you are currently using for your lawn, as some types of grass thrive in warmer conditions and will be able to take the strength of the fertilizer during the hotter months. Although, there are some cool-seasoned grasses out there that prefer temperatures around 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit to grow in.
If you do have warm-seasoned grass, you’ll still want to ensure that you have fertilized in late spring to early summer before the hot weather arrives, this will make sure that the fertilizer has been fully absorbed by the grass and will avoid damaging the blades on the surface.
However, different areas of the country experience the hottest weather in different months of the year, so you’ll want to adapt your fertilizing for when your area experiences mild but not hot temperatures, regardless of whether that’s the winter months for places like California where they experience warm weather all year round.
If you do live in an area that experiences hot weather all the time, then you should seek to use a slow-releasing formula fertilizer that will gently give the lawn the nutrients it needs without the threat of chemical burn.
Make sure you water the fertilizer straight after applying it and be generous with the amount of water you’re applying. Ensure that the top 6 inches of the soil is moist but not flooded, this will help the fertilizer sink down the roots to be absorbed and will not sit burn the green blades above the soil surface.
