A Guide for Fertilizing and Mulching Your Akron, OH Lawn

You’ve worked hard to get your lawn looking great, so you want to keep it that way. There are a few additional steps you can take to ensure it continues even after you’ve done the hard work of getting it to grow. Fertilizing and mulching your lawn can help protect it from damage, so how do you go about taking these two additional steps? Read on for our guide to fertilizer and mulch for Akron, OH lawns.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing your lawn adds nutrients it needs for all-around health. Most fertilizer comes with three primary ingredients:

• Nitrogen: helps the grass grow taller and greener
• Phosphorus: helps encourage healthy root growth
• Potassium: helps all around health and color of the grass

Fertilizer also can come with additional nutrients that your lawn may need, so a soil test can tell you if there are other things you should consider adding.

There are two times of year you can fertilize your lawn: at the beginning of the growing season (spring) and the end (fall). Fertilizing at the beginning of the growing season helps it get off to a great start while fertilizing at the end helps strengthen the grass and roots for the winter, so when the lawn goes dormant, it can come back stronger as the weather warms up.

Read the fertilizer label to see specific applications rates; however most are 1 pound per 1,000 square feet.

Mulch

Mulch is applied to the top of your lawn to help it thrive. While there are different types of mulch, you can even create your own with composting. Some of the benefits of mulch include moisture management–keeping your lawn moist long after watering, and nutrient retention–because most mulches have organic compounds that help the grass.

You can mulch after you mow. Just spread a topdressing of mulch down on top of the lawn. Another time you can mulch is after you lay seed, which can help protect the seeds and keep them moist as they germinate.

The best time for Akron homeowners to mulch is in the fall, so that the lawn has an extra protective layer before the winter hits, bringing freezing temperatures and harsh weather conditions.

Get help with these lawn care steps by checking out our Akron lawn care page.

If you're a resident of Akron, learn how Akron Lawn Care can service your lawn!

Photo Source: Zillow