Labor Day Weekend is Prime Time for Lawn Care

September 3rd, 2010

Labor Day traditions typically include picnics, parades or a quick trip during the three-day weekend, but the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension office says it’s also one of the best times of the year to perform lawn maintenance.

Laura Wilson, a Water Quality Assistant Scientist for Cooperative Extension, says for people who use fertilizer on their lawns, Labor Day weekend provides the best opportunity for the nutrients in fertilizers to be used by the grass.

“The best time to apply fertilizer is early fall, around Labor Day weekend,” Wilson says. “The fertilizer is less likely to leach out and get into the water resources. We don’t recommend fertilizing after September 15th in this area, because later in the fall, the nutrients may not be used by the plants. If the fertilizer is not used, it may affect local water resources. Later fall fertilization will not give your lawn that pulse of nutrients to keep it going and be healthier in the spring.”

Most Maine lawns do not need fertilizer, Wilson says, because grass clippings left behind after mowing provide enough nutrients for lawns more than 10 years old. The nutrient phosphorus (the middle number on the fertilizer bag) should never be applied to a lawn without first having a soil test. Generally, there is sufficient phosphorus in Maine soil to keep a lawn healthy. According to a Maine Department of Environmental Protection study last spring most Mainers do not use fertilizer on their lawns. However, those who do tend to not research how much fertilizer should be applied and also apply it at the wrong time of year.

Wilson stresses the importance of only using as much fertilizer as is needed.

Tags: lawn

Posted in Gardening