Fertilizing a roadside lawn

 

Broadcast fertilizer spreading granular lawn fertilizer

The installer of your roadside turfgrass will fertilize at planting and may add additional fertilizer during the period they are responsible for care.

  • If your roadside turf is established in the spring, a late summer fertilizer application (right around Sept 1) will help the turf get ready for winter.
  • If your turfgrass was established in the fall, no fertilizer is needed until the following spring.

Fine fescues, which are the main component of many roadside turfgrass seed mixes, have low fertilizer requirements compared to other species. A general guideline would be to fertilize one time per year in the late summer, at a rate of approximately 1 lb of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. In some cases, other nutrients, such as phosphorus and potassium may be necessary, but you would determine this by taking a soil test and submitting it to the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory. Watch the video below to learn more on fertilizing lawns.

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