There are benefits to fertilising your lawn during winter, but it isn’t the same fertiliser that you would use during the months of the year where your lawn is actively growing.
Once soil temperatures drop below 14 degrees Celsius your grass will start to slow down and go semi-dormant for the cool months ahead. This is how warm-season turfgrasses protect themselves from the harsh conditions of winter. Because most grasses in Australia are warm-season varieties, they never really go fully dormant and will continue to grow but at a much slower rate. It’s for this reason, that they still have the capacity to take up some nutrients (more so in the northern states) which will be beneficial for keeping them strong through winter.
Which fertiliser should I use in winter?
If you are going to fertilise your lawn in winter, you need to look at what it is your lawn needs to stay healthiest and strong when it is suffering from the cold.
The key ingredients you will find in increased amounts in most winter fertilisers are potassium and Iron. Potassium provides strength to the whole plant and helps with cell function. Iron helps to strengthen your grass as well and also improves leaf colour. Provided you have fertilised in Autumn and have your lawn well prepared for winter, your lawn can go without fertilising again until spring. In some warmer states you might want to look at doing another application after about 8 weeks, usually around July. Foliar fertiliser applications are more effective than granular during this time, as the nutrient can be absorbed through the leaf. If you want to give your lawn a boost in nutrients and fertilise now, we recommend using a foliar fertiliser like Exceed.
ColourGuard Plus
If you are wanting to improve the colour and appearance of your lawn during the colder months then we have a solution.
ColourGuard Plus is a liquid fertiliser containing low nitrogen, but has added nutrients making it ideal for winter. It also has the primary benefit of being a pigment, so it will green up a brown winter lawn straight away.
The most important thing to remember for overall lawn health is to fertilise your lawn regularly throughout the year, Autumn in particular. A strong, healthy lawn leading into winter is the key to having a healthier lawn come spring.
If you are looking to utilise some commercial or professional grade products, here’s some products you might want to look at for winter lawn health – Activ8mate Liquid Fertiliser, Plant Doctor Liquid Iron, LawnPorn Charger, 2Spec Endurance and Terralift Activate K.
