Most Important time to fertilize - Fall or Spring

[rwtherefords]

I've been told by professional grounds keepers that it is more important to fertilize grasses in the Fall of the year than in the Spring. Both are desireable, but they say that Fall is the most important. I wonder if this is true, and does it apply to pastures as well? Any comments?

 

[bigbull338]

id say that just applys to lawns.b/c they say to fertalize in spring an fall. only time you fertalize pastures in fall . if you have winter grass. fertalize in the sping. but as high as fertalize. you do it twice . you could buy alot of hay with what it cost.scott

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

The timing of the fertilization depends on the type of grass you want to encourage.Cool season grasses in the early spring,warm season grass(like bermuda) in may or june(and pray for rain!). :cboy:

 

[Texan]

I've had good luck fertilizing Bermudas in the Fall with P and K. Really seems to improve the stand the next Spring. It takes a little nerve to do it, because you won't see any response for several months and you can't help but wonder if you wasted that money. But if you stay up with where you are on your tax situation, it can not only be a good investment for next year's grass, it can also help offset some taxes. No use to wait until the last week of December to do all of that.

 

[MikeC]

I've had good luck fertilizing Bermudas in the Fall with P and K. Really seems to improve the stand the next Spring. It takes a little nerve to do it, because you won't see any response for several months and you can't help but wonder if you wasted that money. But if you stay up with where you are on your tax situation, it can not only be a good investment for next year's grass, it can also help offset some taxes. No use to wait until the last week of December to do all of that.

P and K take longer to work it's way to the roots also. Nitrogen is very soluble and soaks in readily, unlike the P and K.
Fall works best for me, especially the Potassium.

 

[Angus Guy]

Pastures I like split apply N in the spring for early growth and then the Pand K in the fall to promote root growth and vigor for the winter.

 

[Bama]

If I'm applying something high in nitrogen I try to do it before a rain. Sitting in the sunshine without rain it breaks down pretty fast.

 

[fitz]

Pastures I like split apply N in the spring for early growth and then the Pand K in the fall to promote root growth and vigor for the winter.

That's the way a lot of folks do here also.

fitz

 

[J. T.]

If you're planning on stockpiling fescue for the winter, fertilize with N in the fall. In my part of Alabama, bahia needs a summer application. Most cool season grasses, however, are generally fertilized in the early spring and summer grasses are fertilized in late spring or early summer.

 

[rwtherefords]

Thanks for the comments. It's been good to hear what's working for different various situations.

 

[Stocker Steve]

The standard university advice is to split fertilizer into two appliciatons in the spring and one in the fall. That is poor advice with today's N2 costs.
The typical MIG advice is to plant clover and fertilize 30 days before you need the feed. That is a little too general with todays N2 costs.
All forages vary in their response (lbs of forage per lb of fertilizer) at a given point in thier growth cycle. For my pastures (which are mostly blue grass and only has a fair reponse to N2) and good grass hay selling at $40 to $50 per ton, I can only afford to apply N2 in the early spring.

I stock about 600 lbs per acre in the spring to keep up with all the grass. It is cheaper for me to buy some hay or hay stumpage in the summer and fall rather than buying N2. Local hay prices just do not reflect the current input costs...

 

[johndeerefarmer]

If I'm applying something high in nitrogen I try to do it before a rain. Sitting in the sunshine without rain it breaks down pretty fast.

This is only true if it's urea. Ammonium sulfate and nitrate do not break down.......

 

[johndeerefarmer]

I've been told by professional grounds keepers that it is more important to fertilize grasses in the Fall of the year than in the Spring. Both are desireable, but they say that Fall is the most important. I wonder if this is true, and does it apply to pastures as well? Any comments?

For coastal bermuda hay fields, I fertilize with 350 lbs of 23-7-14 before the first cutting, and the same after the 2nd cutting.

After the last cutting I will apply more K as coastal utilizes large amount of K..................

 

[Bama]

If I'm applying something high in nitrogen I try to do it before a rain. Sitting in the sunshine without rain it breaks down pretty fast.

This is only true if it's urea. Ammonium sulfate and nitrate do not break down.......

Thanks for clarifing. Bout all I use is urea. Now that all of it has gone through the roof. I ain't been using nearly as much of anything. I just can't find the return on investment.