For cool season grasses you shouldn't apply a high nitrogen fertilizer in the summer. Memorial day is a good time for a fertilizer application, then nothing, except organics if you want, until labor day.

Heres what I do yearly

April
Scotts plus crabgrass control
June
Scotts plus 2

August
Scotts Summerguard

October
Scotts Winterizer
I also Aerate now

I know Scotts sells their fertilizer with timings like that, but I think they're off base.

I'd fertilize once in the spring, and maybe a little later than April. Basically, wait until the rapid flush of spring growth has started to slow.

I would then not fertilize again until late summer/early fall (after the summer heat breaks). For the final fertilizer application, I'd get some fast release high Nitrogen fertilizer (like 21-0-0 or 39-0-0 or 43-0-0) and apply it at a rate so that you get 1 lb of actual N per 1000 sq ft. I think Winterizer is high in P (the second number) but it's the N that really helps. This application should be after the grass has stopped growing (you haven't had to mow in a couple of weeks) but the grass is still green. You may need to buy this fertilizer in advance because a lot of garden centers put the fertilizer away before this application.

If you notice, I didn't give any dates for this, but instead described conditions of the weather and the grass. In my opinion, it's better to let the grass and the weather dictate when to fertilize than to let the calendar decide.

Can you give me an example or what brand name or name in general sells fast release high Nitrogen fertilizer.

Also do I aereate at the right time once a year you think?

When I was using fertilizer (I'm switching my lawn to a mixture of native grasses that don't require fertilizer), I didn't go by brand name, but went by the N-P-K numbers on the bag. As far as I can tell, fertilizer is really a commodity item, so if Scotts makes a 21-0-0 and there's a generic 21-0-0, I'd go with whichever cost less.

I've got clay soil but I've only aerated once (I've lived here about 15 years). I mulch mow, spot spray weeds (or use a Weed Hound to pull them) and let the worms provide the aeration. I think aeration is usually done in the spring around here. The reason for that is that the grass is actively growing and has a chance to recover from the aeration. Aeration helps the soil, but it is stressful to the grass.

Depending on when grass stops growing where you are, October may give you enough time. We tend to get early snows, so October wouldn't work here.

Right -- You have discovered something very smart... Cool season grasses don't like late spring/summertime Fertilizer... All it does is to encourage disease...

Leave the "Summer" fertilizers for the fellows who live in the South and have "Warm Season" grasses like Bermuda and St Augustine....

Thanks

John

Ive heard horror stories of people using those generic brands that claim to have a certain amount of fertilizer.

"Ive heard horror stories of people using those generic brands that claim to have a certain amount of fertilizer."

Can you provide some details? Packaging is pretty tightly regulated, so I'd be surprised if the labels don't match the contents.

I don't agree with high Nitrogen application in fall. It just provides lush growth to be killed off anyway going into winter, thus the reason most places put it away. High Phospherus content is what is needed in fall to stimulate root growth during the winter for a healthy root system to start out in the spring. Then with a healthy root system, nitrogen can be added in the spring when it is ready to take off and grow.

Sunnytop--That's in line with the thinking and recommendations that have been around for a long time, but recent research shows that late fall high nitrogen applications (after the top growth has stopped but while the grass is still green) lead to storage of nutrients in the root system. The grass will stay green much later in the fall/winter and green up much sooner in the spring. When I did this, my lawn would often stay green all winter. Unless your soil is deficient in P, using a high P fertilizer is not necessary.

"Ive heard horror stories of people using those generic brands that claim to have a certain amount of fertilizer."

Can you provide some details? Packaging is pretty tightly regulated, so I'd be surprised if the labels don't match the contents.

other forums with people who stated that the contents inside the packaging are not the correct amount that it says. it was all over clarkhoward.com

I went to the specified website and found nothing on fertilizers in a search all the way back to the beginning of 2008.

Did anyone have lab results that said the fertilizers were no good? I agree with BPGreen, those numbers have to be lab analyzed.

Also, you'd have a hard time finding any university studies recommending high-P fertilizers in Fall any more. The companies still sell them because people that don't follow the research keep adding them "because I always did it that way".

it was on his radio show.

here is my local nursery, how does their fertilizer look?
'http://www.steingg.com/steinfert.asp

Scott's Winterizer
22-2-14

Compared to my local nursery Stein's
22-0-10

"Scott's Winterizer
22-2-14

Compared to my local nursery Stein's
22-0-10"

Which is cheaper? I'd buy the one that cost the least.

Note that they both have 0 for the second number (P), which used to be considered the most important for winter.

Actually Stein's has a 0, Scott's has 2 in the middle.

"Scott's Winterizer
22-2-14

Compared to my local nursery Stein's
22-0-10"

I need new glasses. The difference is small enough that I'd still go with whichever costs less.

Definitely, I also have to check my local Menard's to see what they have or even Walmart.

I bought one today that says 29-0-4 called expert gardener.

Did I make a mistake in buying the one I did today with 29-0-04 instead of something like 22-0-14?

"Did I make a mistake in buying the one I did today with 29-0-04 instead of something like 22-0-14?"

Nope. At least not unless you had a soil test that shows you're low in potash.

My lawn was very green this year and looked very healthy, but I didn't have a soil test done. Is 29 too much Nitrogen though?

" Is 29 too much Nitrogen though?"

Not if you use it correctly. You want to apply it so that you get about 1 lb of actual N per 1000 sq ft. With 29 as the first number, that works out to about 3.5 lbs per 1000 sq ft (actually 3.4482758620689655172413793103448 but 3.5 is close enough). Or 3 1/3 lbs is close enough if that works better for you.

Some people use urea, which can be about 46% N. They just need to adjust the amount they apply to the lawn.