It’s during these fall days when we enjoy the beauty of our Jersey trees becoming a pallet of fall reds, oranges and browns. With that beauty also comes a lot of leaves on lawns across our area. With all those leaves on the lawn, will fertilizer even reach my lawn?
Keep Fertilizing, Even With Leaves
Keeping a regular fertilizer program schedule is essential to the long-term health of your lawn. Even with leaves covering the ground, you should still fertilize your lawn as long as you can see grass blades. Fertilizer granules often land on the leaves, however with rain and wind, they soon fall into your soil. This is why Greenwood prefers granular fertilizer over liquid, ensuring that your lawn will receive the proper nutrients even if there are leaves on the ground.
Why Fall Fertilizers are Essential
Fall fertilizers are very important to the overall health of your lawn, and should not be skipped at all costs. The fertilizer application we provide our customers with in September and early October allows for rapid root re-growth and re-establishment of your turf after a harsh summer. The fertilizer application we apply in November gives your roots the ability to store carbohydrates in the turf plants cell walls, helping it withstand the harsh winter, and providing food for an early spring green-up.
Matted Leaves Not Only Effect Fertilizer
The only time Greenwood recommends that we hold off fertilizing is when the leaves are so matted, no grass blades are showing. If this is the case in your lawn, you’ll want to remove the leaf cover to allow for oxygen to reach your turf. If allowed to remain over your lawn, this leaf cover can choke out your turf, and lead to snow mold problems over winter. After removal, a normal fertilizer application can be applied.