Our best overall choice is the Dr. Earth Super Natural Organic Lawn Booster, which contains essential nutrients to grow a thicker, fuller yard.
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BHG / Amelia Manley
Keeping a lush, healthy lawn may improve the exterior appeal of your house, raise its value, and provide an attractive space to entertain visitors during the warmer months, but maintaining your grass green and full might seem like a difficult task.
If your lawn is overgrown with weeds, brown spots, or clumps of bare dirt that refuse to produce new grass, it is likely deficient in key nutrients that promote appropriate root development and moisture retention. In this case, you’ll likely need to apply fertilizers to help supply your yard with the nutrients it’s missing—but not all fertilizers are the same.
Although synthetic fertilizers provide rapid effects when applied to lawns, they do not provide a long-term source of nutrients. Organic grass fertilizer includes the same nutrients that your lawn need, but it is derived from natural sources such as alfalfa, seaweed, animal dung, and others. Most organic fertilizers also include extra minerals like iron or calcium, which help your grass’s health and vitality.
To choose the optimum fertilizer for your lawn, you need first do a soil test. This will determine the acidity or alkalinity of your soil and give you a better idea of what nutrients your yard needs to thrive.
“The majority of plants obtain their nutrients from the soil, and a soil test helps you better understand the nutrient availability in the soil,” explains Coulter Lewis, Founder and CEO of Sunday. “A soil test will tell you if your lawn is lacking in any specific nutrients so that this deficiency is corrected by a nutrient product that will help bring your lawn into balance.”
The Dr. Earth Super Natural Organic 9-3-5 Fertilizer is at the top of our list of the best fertilizers for grass because it includes the important plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium sourced from all-natural sources.
Courtesy of Walmart
Why You Should Get It: This organic fertilizer provides vital micronutrients that will assist your grass in growing stronger and greener.
Keep in Mind: If not applied appropriately, this fertilizer includes phosphorus, which may have a harmful influence on the water quality of neighboring lakes, streams, and ponds.
The ideal fertilizer for your grass will be determined by how acidic or alkaline your soil is, but there are a few important elements that will help most yards: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The Dr. Earth Super Natural Organic Fertilizer includes all three of these nutrients, but unlike synthetic fertilizers, this organic fertilizer is made with all-natural ingredients.
The producer claims that its contents are derived from land and ocean plants, fish bones, and mined minerals that are safe for both dogs and people. This means you don’t have to stay off the lawn after applying fertilizer.
The nitrogen in this fertilizer promotes constant growth and gives your grass a lush green hue, while potassium stimulates enzymes that aid in growth and protect the grass from high temperatures. Phosphorus transfers energy throughout the plant, making it especially important in new grass.
Moreover, the Dr. Earth Super Natural Organic fertilizer distributes nutrients into the soil more slowly than synthetic fertilizers, resulting in longer-term effects. This allows your grass to grow at a more consistent rate, create stronger root systems, and go through less stress.
Since this fertilizer includes phosphorus, a chemical that may damage local water sources, you must be cautious to follow the guidelines when applying it to your grass. This helps to ensure that the phosphorus gets properly absorbed and doesn’t run off.
Price at time of publish: $39
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 9-3-5 | Recommended Use: Spring to summer | Package Size: 18 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 2,000 square feet
Courtesy of Amazon
Why You Should Get It: This lawn fertilizer is high in potassium, which helps your grass resist stress and endure the cold winter weather. 1
Keep in Mind: Since this fertilizer is intended for use in the autumn, it is not suitable for warm-season grasses that thrive in the spring.
When the seasons shift from summer to autumn, you’re usually less concerned with your lawn and more concerned with other outside duties such as raking leaves or preparing your plants for the first frost. However, autumn is a great time to apply fertilizer because itcan help ensure your grass has everything it needs to come back strong and healthy next spring.
The Espoma Fall Lawn Booster is the ideal autumn fertilizer for grass since it includes more potassium than other spring fertilizers. Potassium fortifies your grass against drought and stresses such as harsh weather changes and temperatures below freezing. 1
This grass fertilizer also includes 7% nitrogen, which will help your lawn grow thicker and lusher next spring. There’s also small amounts of sulfur and calcium, which are both secondary nutrients that support soil health and grass growth.
According to the manufacturer, apply the Espoma Fall Lawn Booster on a dry grass that has just been mowed from September to November, then water softly to assist the soil absorb the nutrients.
If your yard is made up of warm season grasses like Bermuda grass or St. Augustine grass, however, a spring fertilizer will likely provide better results. Since these grass types experience their most active root growth in spring, applying a fall fertilizer won’t be as effective.
Price at time of publish: $60
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 8-0-5 | Recommended Use: September to November | Package Size: 30 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 5,000 square feet
Courtesy of Amazon
Why You Should Get It: Slow-release nitrogen is used in this spring lawn fertilizer to encourage thicker, denser grass growth.
Keep in Mind: Since this fertilizer includes calcium, it should not be applied to excessively alkaline soils because it may inhibit plant absorption of other nutrients.
Spring is an excellent time to begin fertilizing your lawn, particularly if you’ve observed that your grass is struggling to recover after a long, cold winter. It’s important to wait until at least May to begin adding fertilizer since your grass needs to put all of its energy on root development in early spring.
The Espoma Spring Lawn Booster has 7% nitrogen, which is an important component for creating healthy, green grass. Lawns with the right balance of nitrogen will be able to photosynthesize better and grow thicker and stronger blades of grass.
This spring lawn fertilizer also contains 3% calcium, which may help protect the grass from illness that might restrict growth or destroy it. Since the Espoma Spring Lawn Booster is a slow-release fertilizer, it gives your grass small, steady amounts of nutrients at a time to promote the long-term wellbeing of your yard instead of dramatic, short-lived results.
If your soil test results reveal that your yard is alkaline (pH more than 7.5), you should probably omit this organic grass fertilizer. Highly alkaline soils tend to possess a high amount of calcium to begin with, and adding more calcium can inhibit your grass’s ability to absorb other nutrients.
Price at time of publish: $48
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 8-0-0 | Recommended Use: February to April | Package Size: 30 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 5,000 square feet
Courtesy of Sunday
Why You Should Try It: You’ll get a soil test kit, beginning supplies, and a year’s supply of all-natural fertilizer suited to your yard’s precise requirements with this lawn fertilizer service.
Keep in Mind: In contrast to other lawn fertilizer services, you must apply the fertilizer yourself.
When it comes to managing the health of your lawn, various aspects must be considered, including the pH levels of the soil, your climate, regular rainfall, and others. Sunday’s personalized lawn fertilizer service takes all that into account for your specific location, lawn size, and soil test results, then provides you with a customized lawn care plan.
Each fertilizer mix is customized for your yard based on the findings of your soil test, so you don’t have to guess what nutrients your grass need or does not require. This is especially helpful since providing too much of one type of mineral but not enough of another can leave your yard in even worse shape than it was beforehand.
When it’s time to apply a fresh treatment to your lawn, you’ll get a new shipment of fertilizer, eliminating the danger of applying new fertilizer too often. Each shipment includes thorough, step-by-step instructions to help you complete the application procedure. You will also be able to contact a lawn care specialist on Sunday if you have any issues regarding your grass.
Moreover, Sunday’s grass fertilizer is manufactured from natural materials that feed your lawn with soy protein, iron, seaweed, and other nutrients.
Although some lawn fertilizer services will send a lawn care specialist to perform treatments to your lawn, you will need to apply the fertilizer on Sunday yourself. However, the instructions are very easy and straightforward—simply attach the container to your hose and walk quickly over your lawn, spraying as you go.
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): Customizable | Recommended Use: Year round | Package Size: Customizable | Yard Size: Customizable
Amazon
Why You Should Get It: This grass, tree, and flower fertilizer feeds your lawn for up to 10 weeks for long-term effects.
Keep in Mind: Slow-release fertilizer includes phosphorus, which may have a harmful impact on water quality.
Slow-release fertilizers are the finest fertilizers for grass since they release nutrients into the soil gradually rather than all at once. While this means it takes a bit longer to see results in your yard, the slower process ensures that the maximum amount of nutrients gets absorbed into your soil instead of running off.
The Milorganite organic nitrogen fertilizer is a great option for grass that is yellowing, grows slowly, or is susceptible to weeds. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, which get their nitrogen from harmful sources, Milorganite grass fertilizer gets their nitrogen from natural sources.
If your lawn tends to turn yellow or brown in the spring and summer, the Milorganite organic nitrogen fertilizer has iron in its chemical list to help return it to a deep, green hue. It also contains calcium, another essential plant micronutrient that helps encourage growth.
Price at time of publish: $33
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 6-4-0 | Recommended Use: Year round | Package Size: 32 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 2,500 square feet
Courtesy of Amazon
Why You Should Get It: This fertilizer distributes nutrients all at once, helping your lawn to absorb minerals and produce results faster than granular fertilizer.
Keep in Mind: This fertilizer is best suited for fresh lawns and may cause an undesirable growth surge in mature grass.
Although the other organic grass fertilizers on our list are granular and slow-release, there may be instances when you need a rapid treatment for your yellowing and thinning lawn. In those instances, using a liquid fertilizer like Medina’s HastaGro Liquid Lawn Food can immediately supply nutrients to your grass, helping it green up in a shorter amount of time.
This fertilizer comes in a 1-gallon container that you can dilute with water and spray on your lawn shortly after mowing for convenient application. It’s ideal for applying to fresh grass since it has a greater proportion of phosphorus, a nutrient that promotes turf development and strong roots. It does, however, include nitrogen and potassium, which give your grass a lush green appearance and protect it from illness and harsh temperatures.
Since this is a quick-release fertilizer, your lawn will be able to absorb nutrients almost immediately after application; however, you will need to use it more regularly than a slow-release fertilizer to maintain the same benefits.
If you’re going to apply liquid fertilizer on an established lawn, be sure not to overdo it, since this might cause a growth spurt. When this happens, your grass will grow too quickly without developing deep roots, making it susceptible to stress and disease.
Price at time of publish: $40
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 6-12-6 | Recommended Use: Spring | Package Size: 1 gallon | Yard Size: Up to 16,000 square feet
Courtesy of Walmart
Why You Should Get It: The nitrogen in this fertilizer promotes consistent blade growth and a lush, green appearance.
Keep in Mind: You’ll want to avoid over-applying it, since this might result in your grass being burned.
A high-nitrogen fertilizer may assist stimulate consistent growth and maintain your lawn a healthy green color rather than wilting in the heat. Nitrogen is abundant in the Purely Organic Products Grub & Feed Lawn Food fertilizer. This is an essential ingredient that assists your grass in producing chlorophyll and converting sunlight into energy. 2
You may supply your lawn with the nutrients it needs to develop thick, lush blades of grass by using a high-nitrogen fertilizer throughout the growth season. Potassium, which is crucial for the healthy growth of your lawn’s roots, is also included in the Purely Organic Products fertilizer. 1
Instead than utilizing synthetic fertilizers, this fertilizer is made from corn gluten meal, urea, and potassium acetate, all of which are natural materials. It also includes botanical oils to prevent grubs or other pests in the soil.
The company suggests applying this fertilizer on a day with no strong rainfall, then gently watering your grass to activate it. Remember that since this is a high-nitrogen fertilizer, you don’t want to over-apply it to your lawn. Excessive use of this form of fertilizer may raise nitrogen and salt levels, which might harm your grass.
Price at time of publish: $32
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 10-0-2 | Recommended Use: July to August | Package Size: 15 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 3,000 square feet
Courtesy of Amazon
Why You Should Get It: This organic fertilizer is intended to assist your lawn in surviving hot weather and droughts.
Keep in Mind: Fertilizer must be reapplied every eight weeks, which is more often than other organic fertilizers for grass.
Bermuda grass is a popular lawn grass due to its resistance to harsh heat and drought. To keep your Bermuda grass looking lush and golf-course green from early spring to late autumn, use a nitrogen and potassium fertilizer to feed growth and protect it from weather extremes. 12
The Lawn Restoration lawn fertilizer from Safer Brand will help both cool- and warm-season grasses tolerate stress, create stronger roots, and grow regularly. If you’re noticing that your lawn has bare spots, is yellowing in some areas, or has a lot of weeds popping up throughout the yard, it’s possible that stress is the culprit.
Very hot or cold weather, as well as prolonged periods without rain, may cause the roots of your grass to shrivel, leaving it more vulnerable to weeds, disease, and insects. However, the best fertilizers for grass supply easy-to-absorb nutrients to stressed lawns.
To tackle these concerns, the Safer Brand fertilizer contains nitrogen, which promotes chlorophyll development, as well as potassium, which helps the grass fight dryness and disease. This means that, even though you can’t control the weather in your neighborhood, you’ll be able to better protect your yard from the consequences of a hot, dry summer.
Although this grass fertilizer offers immediate benefits (the company claims better grass in three to five days), it must be sprayed more often than other fertilizers. Plan to add more fertilizer after eight weeks to maintain your lawn.
Price at time of publish: $42
Product Details:
Fertilizer Analysis (N-P-K): 9-0-2 | Recommended Use: All seasons | Package Size: 20 pounds | Yard Size: Up to 5,000 square feet
The Bottom Line
The finest grass fertilizers will offer critical nutrients to your lawn, allowing it to grow fuller and stronger, recover from drought or harsh heat, and look brilliant green. Depending on your soil, your yard may need different nutrients than other lawns.
The Dr. Earth Super Natural Organic Fertilizer is the greatest overall fertilizer for grass since it contains the three key macronutrients your soil requires: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, if you prefer a liquid fertilizer over granules, try the Medina Hasta-Gro Liquid Lawn Food, which can be sprayed onto your grass for quick and effective results.
What to Know About Grass Fertilizer Before Shopping
Synthetic Fertilizer vs. Organic Fertilizer
While deciding on the finest fertilizer for your lawn, it’s critical to understand the difference between synthetic and organic fertilizers. While synthetic fertilizers often produce quick results, much of the fertilizer doesn’t absorb into the soil and instead gets washed away by rainfall.
This may have a detrimental influence on water quality and local ecosystems, and the compounds in this sort of grass fertilizer can contribute to soil mineral depletion, river pollution, and air pollution.
The greatest organic fertilizers for grass, on the other hand, obtain their nutrients from natural sources like as compost, manure, bone meal, and even seaweed. Although it may take a little longer to see benefits in your garden, organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly, enabling them to penetrate deep into the soil and reach the roots of your grass. This yields longer-lasting effects while without posing the same environmental risks as synthetic fertilizers.
Fertilizer Analysis
Most organic and synthetic fertilizers include the letters N, P, and K on the label, along with a trio of numbers. These letters stand for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are three essential nutrients for plant growth, and the numbers are the corresponding nutrient percentage in the fertilizer.
Nitrogen helps your grass grow thicker and greener by assisting in the production of chlorophyll for photosynthesis. 2 Phosphorus aids in the development of strong, deep root systems, making it ideal for usage on fresh grass. 3 Lastly, potassium fortifies your grass, allowing it to survive drought, harsh weather, and disease. 1
You may use the fertilizer analysis figures to decide which fertilizer will offer the greatest outcomes for your lawn based on the concerns you want to address.
“Although your grass need phosphorus, it is normally present in adequate amounts in most lawns,” Lewis explains. “Unless you have a deficit or a fresh lawn, you should avoid using this ingredient in your fertilizer. When this substance is used as fertilizer, it may overload the environment and create more issues than it solves.”
Your Lawn’s Soil Test Results
A soil test is required before deciding on the finest fertilizer for your lawn. This simple test will tell you how acidic or alkaline your soil is, allowing you to better understand what nutrients it needs for your grass to thrive.
If your soil is excessively alkaline, you’ll probably need to add an organic nitrogen fertilizer that also contains iron sulfate, while an acidic yard may benefit from limestone to raise its pH. Adding the correct types of nutrients to your soil can help ensure that your grass grows steadily and remains green all season long.
Yard Size
While deciding on the finest fertilizer for your lawn, you should also consider the size of your lawn. The more fertilizer you require, the bigger the yard—and most organic fertilizers specify the recommended yard size directly on the package. This prevents you from mistakenly over-applying fertilizer to your lawn.
Your Questions, Answered
When should I fertilize my lawn?
The optimum time to fertilize your lawn is late spring, when the earth has warmed up and the grass has started to grow. It is critical not to apply fertilizer too early in the season, since this will impede the development of your grass. Many individuals prefer to apply fertilizer once or twice more throughout the growth season, but this is dependent on the demands of your yard.
What type of lawn fertilizer should I use?
The optimum fertilizer for your grass may fluctuate depending on your growing location, usual rainfall, the kind of grass you have, and the findings of your soil test. The majority of organic fertilizers include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or a mix of these three elements. Nevertheless, iron sulfate, calcium, copper, nickel, and other minerals may be found in the constituents of fertilizers. Based on your yard’s soil test results, you’ll be able to narrow down which nutrients your lawn needs most and which ones you should avoid.
“Fall is the time of year when plants normally employ nitrogen in fertilizer to establish root systems and help plants store energy to survive the winter,” Lewis explains. “Late spring and early summer sprays encourage greenup and shoot development, which helps to fill in and crowd out weeds. It will also strengthen your grass, allowing it to flourish in harsher situations [such as heat and drought].”
Who We Are
Samantha Jones works as an associate commerce editor at Better Homes & Gardens, where she writes and edits articles on household necessities such as vacuum cleaners, window air conditioners, towels, and more. Samantha researched organic and synthetic fertilizers, as well as the finest fertilizers for grass on the market, to create her report. For this piece, she also spoke with Coulter Lewis, the founder and CEO of Sunday, an all-natural lawn care business.
Related Questions
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What fertilizer to use for thick lawn?
A beginning fertilizer, such as Pennington UltraGreen Starter Fertilizer 22-23-4, aids in the rapid establishment of new grasses while overseeding your lawn. For established lawns, Pennington UltraGreen Lawn Fertilizer 30-0-4 provides the nitrogen your lawn needs for thick, green grass.
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What is 12 0 12 fertilizer used for?
LINK 12-0-12 is mainly intended for foliar treatments in grass and a broad variety of ornamental plants to prevent or repair nutrient shortages. LINK 12-0-12 should be used as part of a comprehensive Total Nutrition System® for optimizing plant growth, development and quality.
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Can you put too much nitrogen on your lawn?
Excess nitrogen from fertilizer over-application may result in quick, luxuriant growth and a weakened root structure. In severe circumstances, too much quick-release nitrogen may cause leaf tissue to burn and the plant to die. 1 A grass that lacks nitrogen will lose its green tint and begin to become yellow.
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Is 10 10 10 fertilizer good for lawns?
If you’re seeking for a flexible and all-purpose fertilizer to give your grass a healthy boost, 10-10-10 fertilizer could be precisely what you’re looking for. This formula is designed to deliver balanced nutrition to your lawn, with equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Sources:
- https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/best-fertilizer-for-grass/#:~:text=The%20best%20overall%20fertilizer%20for,nitrogen%2C%20phosphorus%2C%20and%20potassium.