There are a bewildering number of lawn fertilisers available. This means that people can struggle to know when to use different fertilisers. If you want to use just one kind for the year then growmore, containing equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, is a good choice. Sprinkle on about 2oz per square yard in early April as the growth starts, the same in June and the same in September. If it doesn't rain within two days of sprinkling, water thoroughly. This pattern of feeding will be adequate for a family garden. Don't expect it to give you a perfect lawn though.
Grass ideally needs a different treatment at different times of the year. During the growing season, from mid-March to September, it needs a good supply of nitrogen. This will keep it growing strongly and give the rich green colour we look for in a lawn. A high nitrogen fertiliser will mean regular mowings too: nitrogen makes the grass grow faster.
From October to mid-March, the aim is to keep the grass in good condition but not to encourage growth. Give it a fertiliser high in potassium. This will toughen the grass and prevent the lush growth which is more likely to suffer disease and cold in a harsh winter. In essence, the aim is to make the grass grow up in spring and summer, down in autumn.
Summer feed can be applied in granules or liquid. Most granules need to be watered in: check the maker's instructions and scatter the granues just ahead of rain if possible. Granules release their constituents into the ground more slowly than liquid feeds, so you won't need to treat the lawn so often - every 5/6 weeks from early April instead of every 3/4, as would be ideal with a liquid feed. Apply an autumn feed of high-potassium fertiliser, at the rate recommended by the maker, only once - in October.
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