Fertilizing

What is a lawn winterizer?

What is a winterizer application?

The term winterizer has been used to promote various fall lawn applications on Northern grasses for some 30

years. It has been used by many to sell all sorts of fertilizer blends for applications timed from early late August through late November. Since Cornell University says that the winterizer application is the 3rd most important fertilizing of the year, it is time to define what a winterizer is, what should be used, and when to apply it.

Late Fall Winterizer for Lawns – Why, When and How

A winterizer is a late fall fertilizer application designed to help lawns store more food for winter survival, and to encourage thick and rapid growth and rooting in the spring. A lawn winterizer is NOT meant to encourage fall growth of grass. That is what the early fall fertilizing is supposed to do, and that fertilizing, usually done in September up till early October, is the considered the most important fertilizer of the year for northern grasses.

The best time to apply a winterizer is after the grass stops growing in the fall, while it is still green on top and active below the surface. In most parts of the North, this will be sometime in mid-to-late November, or even early December. So when you put away your mower for the year, that’s when you should apply your winterizer.

In the past, the belief was that winterizers should be low in nitrogen and high in potassium and phosphorus, but recent research has disproved this, and shown that the opposite is true: the ideal winterizer will be mostly nitrogen fertilizer. The label should show most of the nitrogen as a quick-releasing water soluble nitrogen (WSN) as opposed to slow-releasing water insoluble nitrogen (WIN).

Two Important Factors for an Effective Winterizer Application:

Use Less. If you are using a store-bought granular lawn fertilizer apply at 1/3 to 1/2 the normal fertilizing amount to avoid un-absorbed nitrogen from leaching into the groundwater. For example, if the bag says it covers 5000 sf, you should be able to get 10-15,000 sf of coverage when used as a late fall winterizer. For those of you who understand fertilizer labels, apply .3 – .5 # N per 1000 sf. With liquid fertilizers you can go even lighter.

Source of Nitrogen. The most common fertilizers used for winterizers will contain water soluble nitrogen in the form of urea or ammonium sulfate. Check the product label. It can also contain small amounts of phosphorus and potassium. If you are looking for a true organic fertilizer that has mostly quick release nitrogen in it, you are very limited in your choices. Some forms of liquid fish are approximately 80% water soluble and make a great winterizer, if you don’t mind the odor.

Our All-In-One for Lawns is an excellent product for your winterizer application. The main ingredient is our 16-4-8 Bio-Enhanced Fertilizer, in addition to soil conditioners, dethatching enzymes, and a beneficial root fungus called mycorhizae.

Strengthen your lawn this fall with a winterizer and watch it come back stronger and greener than ever in the spring!

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The “Magic” of Nature’s Magic

Giant pumpkin grown with help from Nature’s Magic

When we decided to call our all-organic soil and plant treatment product NATURE’S MAGIC we were trying to convey the fact that this is a truly special product for your soil and everything growing in it. While doing some extra research on a few of its components, we realized that it is probably even better than we thought.

In a lot of ways, Nature’s Magic is like a very rich liquid compost that is beneficial for both lawns and gardens. It is made primarily with our Humic Acid (which is essentially mined, prehistoric, composted organic matter from ancient forests and seas) and the highest quality Norwegian Kelp. This is an extremely dense, bio-active source of organic matter, along with over 60 minerals, numerous trace elements, plant growth hormones, humic and fulvic acids. Nature’s Magic will improve the soil structure of both clay and sandy soils. It helps sandy soils hold on to water and nutrients that normally would wash right through the porous sand.

Nature’s Magic allows plants to grow where they couldn’t before. It helps neutralize toxins, including high salts that are naturally contained in some soils, as well as ocean salt. It also buffers both high and low pH problems, allowing plants to get nutrients that are otherwise “locked” in the soil. It makes all fertilizers work better by chelating nutrients and by improving microbial activity in the soil.

Nature’s Magic helps with chlorosis and seed germination, stimulates deep rooting, and supports above ground growth and health. It helps with insect and disease resistance, as well as quality of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. It works great in hydroponic gardens, too.

This is just a short list of its capabilities!

If you really want to improve poor soil in your lawn or garden beds, a heavy spring treatment (16—32 oz per 1000 sf) would be a great start. You can also do mid-summer and fall applications without worry. If you have sandy soil, monthly applications of Nature’s Magic at 2—4 oz (or more) per 1000 sf will help hold water and nutrients better.

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Preparing The Lawn For Spring

Though a large part of the country is still frozen, there are some areas where weather has returned to normal. We are starting to receive a lot of emails about what to do for lawns and gardens when the weather breaks. We know that many you are anxious to get going, but, if at all possible, stay off the lawn until you can walk on it without sinking in. If you have been using Aerify PLUS your lawn should drain faster in the spring and green up a little sooner.

When your lawn is ready to go, here are some of the things you can do to help it out:

Give the lawn a light raking to remove debris and lift up matted grass and (in the North) snow mold damage. Snow mold, a lawn disease, occurs on most Northern grasses, especially the creeping grass types. It is worse when there has been alternating snow cover and warm periods. Most snow mold will disappear by mid spring if you fluff it up a bit so air and sunlight can get to the soil.
If you fertilized in the late fall, there is no reason to fertilize too early in the spring. The lawn should have plenty of food stored up for early spring growth. This growth helps thicken up the lawn and also helps crowd out incipient weeds and Crabgrass. We suggest that you make an early application of Aerify PLUS or Nature’s Magic in early spring when the grass is greening up and beginning to grow. They won’t force excessive growth but will stimulate fast and deep rooting and will provide trace elements and organics to the grass and soil. They will also help make all the major and minor nutrients in the soil more available to the grass.
If you did not fertilize in the late fall and/or if the lawn is looking weak and thin, an application of All-In-One for LAWNS or our 16-4-8 Bio-Enhanced Lawn Fertilizer will stimulate both the above and below ground growth that you want to have in the spring.
Seed bare and thin areas early. You want the grass thick before the weeds start sprouting. Use the correct seed type for your area and your particular lawn. The Aerify PLUS, and Nature’s Magic are also great for new seed and will cause beneficial root fungi (mycorrhizae) to generate.
Apply Lime. Spring is a good time to apply Lime (Calcium) to your lawn. Lime fights soil acidity and soil microbes love the calcium. Our Liquid Lime Formula (calcium) is an easy way to apply calcium and it gives you faster results while avoiding moving heavy sacks of lime from the garden center to your car, to your garage or shed, and finally to your spreader where you often end up spilling on the grass.
Alternatively, apply Sulfur. If you have had your soil tested and it shows excess Calcium with an alkaline pH above 7, you are more prone to lawn diseases like Pink Snow Mold, Summer Patch, Dollar Spot, and Take All Patch. Consider applying our Liquid Sulfur Formula to lower the pH in the root zone. (By the way, the ideal pH for lawns is about 6.5)
Mowing. Make your first cut short – as low as you can mow without scalping the lawn- perhaps 1 – 1½ inches high. Do this only when the grass is just starting to grow, not if it is already growing vigorously. This short mowing cuts away some of the dead grass left over from the previous season if you left it too high. It also helps warm up the soil faster, stimulates growth, and allows more sunlight to reach the newly forming grass blades.

And remember, feel free to email us if you have any questions about lawn care or our products!

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How Big is My Lawn?

Most lawn care products are meant to be applied based on the square footage of area being treated. For example, our Aerify Plus liquid soil aerator label says to apply at 4 oz per 1000 sf. But do you actually know how many square feet of property you have to treat? One way to get the property size is to measure or pace out all the area you plan to treat. Or, if you happen to know the size of your lot, you can measure and then subtract the dimensions of structures (house, garage, driveway, etc.) and garden beds from your overall lot size and come up with the total amount of area you need to treat. But, before you do all that, why not see if we can get you the measurement through internet mapping.

Nature’s Lawn is happy to offer free lawn measurements, utilizing a specialized satellite program that allows us to fairly accurately measure the green space of your property. If you’re interested in this information, simply email us with your name and home address, and we will get back to you with your measurements as soon as possible.* If you have specific products in mind, we can also make a recommendation on how much product you will need to treat your property. (And none of your information will be saved or used for any purpose other than this exchange.)

We hope you’ll take us up on this free offer and arm yourself with a little more information about your lawn!

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*Monday through Friday, not including holidays. We will do our best to get measurements for everyone who asks, but certain factors might make it impossible to measure your home specifically (the age of the home, how many trees are on the property, etc.). We will let you know if we run into difficulties.

Dormant Feeding of Shrubs and Trees

Dormant Feeding -A Safe and Easy Way to Fertilize Shrubs, Trees and Perennials

Many arborists and landscapers, especially in the north, do most of their tree and shrub fertilizing from late fall through late winter or even early spring up until when plants are actively growing above ground. You can fertilize heavier at this time, without the risk of leaf burn. Here is why it makes sense:

In the fall, plants stop sending water and minerals up to the leaves. Instead, they will use these nutrients to increase root mass, and to store up food for the winter as well. The changing of the color and dropping of leaves accompanies this phase of the growth cycle. By fertilizing at this time of the year, you allow the shrubs and trees to store up food as it sees fit for next year’s growth. We call this a dormant feeding, since above ground growth has stopped. But underground these plants are not dormant at all. The roots are very active (until the ground freezes) and will grab the fertilizer quickly. You can apply fertilizer much heavier at this stage without fear of leaf burn or flower drop.

How to Fertilize

We suggest a liquid soil drench for dormant feeding. Soaking the soil this way gets nutrients into the soil fast. You can apply with just a watering can, or use a hose-end sprayer for larger areas. Let the rain or even snow move the nutrients down deeper into the roots as the fall turns to winter. You can apply the fertilizer right over the plant and the surrounding soil where the roots will spread to. For older trees, you don’t need to fertilize too close to the trunk. (See below)

What to Use

One of our favorite All-Purpose fertilizers for shrubs and trees is our 10-8-8 Bio-Enhanced Liquid Fertilizer. This contains all the basic nutrients and is good for flowering and non-flowering plants and trees alike. If you are fertilizing mostly evergreens or non-flowering trees or plants you could also use our All-In-One for LAWNS (a 14-3-7 fertilizer) if you have some extra to spare. The beneficial root fungus (mycorrhizae) in All-In-One for LAWNS is especially great for shrubs and trees this time of year.

Where to Fertilize Trees

Here is a good illustration of where to water, which is the same as where you would want to fertilize a tree.

Make sure to fertilize both inside as well as slightly beyond the drip line, or canopy line, of dense shrubs or trees. There are a lot of feeder roots there. But do not soak the area right near the trunk of a tree. It can cause rot, and there are no feeder roots in that area anyway.

Amounts to Use

Note: do not fertilize at the rates below if the soil is dry. Either wait for a rain, water beforehand, or cut the amount per gallon in half to dilute the fertilizer concentration.

For Shrubs: Drench the soil around the root area with 4-5 oz liquid fertilizer per average size shrub (approximately a 2½ foot diameter plant). Increase amount proportionately for larger plants and decrease for smaller plants. We recommend using a hose-end sprayer set at 4-6 oz per gallon of water or use a watering can at the same rate.If fertilizing beds of plants close together where roots are going to be mingled, apply 2- 3 quarts per 1000 sf of bed.

For Trees: Use 4 oz liquid fertilizer for every inch of diameter of trunk at chest height. If some of the roots are under driveways or walks, or trees are close to buildings then apply heavier to the areas that can be treated, perhaps 6 oz per inch of diameter. Water in for a few minutes if fertilizing over a lawn area.

Hint: Add some Aerify PLUS or Nature’s Magic to your liquid fertilizer to help improve the soil while fertilizing. If you have any questions at all, just email us, and we would be happy to help!

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Fall Fertilize and Aerate Your Lawn in One Step

Our All-In-One for Lawns, both original and the Phosphorus Free version, are remarkable products. They not only contain a great lawn fertilizer, but also have some of our Aerify PLUS -Liquid Aeration product in it, along with Biological Dethatcher microbes and beneficial root fungi called Mycorrhizae. This “lawn care kit in a bottle” makes a perfect fertilizer for your early fall fertilizing and can be use for a late fall Winterizer too.

In the North, you should fertilize heavily ASAP if you haven’t already. Then wait until the grass stops growing to do a final winterizer application. You can also use our bio-enhanced Formula 16-4-8 for a winterizer. (For southern lawns that go dormant over the winter, make your fall fertilizer application your last for the year!)

Late fall is a good time to put on other soil amendments. Aside from additional Aerify PLUS for heavy clay soils, here are two other amendments you might want to consider:

NATURE’S MAGIC. This is a great organic addition to your lawn and to your garden beds as well. It provides organic matter, trace elements and numerous other benefits for plant health, deep rooting and stress handling. It helps all soil types, and is vital for sandy soils. It helps buffer poor pH situations and also helps with salt build-up and dog spots.

LIQUID LIME. Lime (Calcium) is a very important plant nutrient as well as a soil amendment in areas of the country where soils tend to be acidic, compacted or claylike. Turf grass grows best with a pH between 6.5 and 6.8, and earthworms also like a pH near neutral. Lime helps improve acidic, low pH soils, improves soil structure, and, since beneficial microbes need calcium to survive, soil bio-activity is enhanced when this product is used. Our Liquid Lime Formula is sugar-chelated, and instantly available.

If you have had a professional soil test taken, or plan to get one, we would be very happy to review the results with you at no charge. Just email or fax them to us at 716-681-7796.

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Fertilizing

What is a winterizer application?

Late Fall Winterizer for Lawns – Why, When and How

Two Important Factors for an Effective Winterizer Application:

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