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With a wide variety of fertilizers available, deciding what to apply to your lawn and when can be overwhelming. There are lots of decisions to be made. You don't want to pay for features and benefits you don't need, your household may prefer a more organic choice or you may prefer a hose-end sprayer application versus a granular application with a spreader. However, the available selection does help ensure that there is something for everyone and every lawn and our helpful team is ready to help you figure out what is best for your situation.
One way to select a fertilizing plan is to purchase a 4-Step program. These typically include a Crabgrass Preventer plus fertilizer for spring application, Weed & Feed for early summer, a Lawn Food for late summer and a Winterizer for fall. Another method is to simply watch your lawn over the course of the year and address issues as they arise. However, it is important to remember that having a healthy lawn can stop many problems before they start, so mark your calendar to feed your lawn throughout the year.
One thing to keep in mind if you are applying a Crabgrass Preventer is that you will want to put it on the lawn by mid April. This type of fertilizer is a pre-emergent and creates a protective barrier on your lawn against Crabgrass and therefore you want it down before the Crabgrass germinates. Another thing to remember is to aerate your lawn before you apply Crabgrass Preventer. If you aerate afterward, you essentially poke holes in the protective barrier. Capitalize on a late snow storm by applying your Crabgrass Preventer just before and it will get watered in well.
Applying a Weed and Feed product in early summer will help promote good roots and green your lawn up while taking care of pesky weeds, like dandelions. One thing to remember about Weed and Feed is that you will want to apply it when the average daily temperature is consistently above 75 degrees. Also, you will want to apply it early in the morning when there is moisture on the grass or after watering. This helps the weed killer adhere to the leaves of the weeds and kill them. Avoid watering for 48 hours after application.
In mid to late summer, give your lawn a boost with some regular Lawn Fertilizer. And finally, in the fall apply a winterizer to ensure healthy roots next spring. Many people consider this to be the most important feeding of the year.
If you have special problems with your lawn, talk to one of our lawn and garden experts about how to make your yard the envy of your neighbors! | 
Ace Hardware Longmont News
