Lawn fertilizer is manufactured by many companies. Each manufacturer uses a slightly different blend of plant nutrient chemicals to arrive at a final product.

• Chemicals such as urea, ammonium nitrate, urea formaldehyde and ammonium phosphate provide the nutrient nitrogen which rapidly-growing lawns need more than phosphorus and potassium.
• Most lawn fertilizer products are granular but some are designed to be applied after they are dissolved in water. Granular fertilizers tend to last longer (up to three months) in the soil.
• Slow-release fertilizers are generally better for a lawn than fertilizers that release their nutrients quickly during the first rain.

The first application of fertilizer to bermudagrass should be made in spring when the grass is 50% green OR when soil temperatures are above 65 degrees F. Visit www.georgiaweather.net to determine local soil temperature.

Fertilize bermudagrass every six weeks thereafter until mid-September. A “winterizer” fertilizer may be applied in mid-September but no later.

Do not fertilize after mid-September.

Cyclone spreaders and drop spreaders can do a good job. Make sure the spreader is set properly to apply the right amount of fertilizer. It is best to apply half of the fertilizer going back and forth on the lawn and the other half while traveling at right angles to the first trip. This will give even coverage so you do not get streaks of yellow and green in the lawn.

This post is provided courtesy of Walter Reeves – The Georgia Gardener, who is wholly responsible for it’s content.