Think of fertilizers as food for your lawn - it's nutrient-rich and encourages healthy, verdant, and durable grass growth. Fertilizing your turf is essential to ensure it has a consistent supply of everything it needs to thrive. However, there are two types, granular and liquid; liquid fertilizer is quick-release, meaning it immediately provides nutrients to your lawn. On the other hand, granular fertilizer is slow-release, meaning it gradually sinks in and supplies nutrients consistently over an extended period rather than all at once. While both will give your turf nutrients, the different delivery methods are better suited for certain times of the year here in North Carolina. Continue reading to learn more about liquid and granular fertilizers and the best times to use them!

What is liquid fertilizer, and how does it work?

Liquid fertilizer being applied to a lawn in Greensboro, NC.

While all fertilizers provide your lawn with essential nutrients, there are different methods of delivering them. For example, liquid fertilizer is a quick-release product, immediately getting to work on nourishing your turf's roots. This fertilizer is highly beneficial if the grass needs a boost of nutrients to recover from or withstand stressors. It's also a faster application process since it's usually spread over your lawn via a hose.

The three top nutrients fertilizers provide are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which encourage a vibrant green color, strong root development, and resilient growth.

What is granular fertilizer, and how does it work?

Granular fertilizer being held in a professional's gloved hands in Jamestown, NC.

Granular fertilizer is a slow-release product, gradually sinking into the soil and supplying a consistent supply of nutrients over an extended period. This fertilizer is perfect for preventing turf burn or additional stress, which can happen when the nutrients are delivered all at once and at the wrong time. It's also ideal for continually providing nutrients even after treatment applications. However, it's more time-consuming to spread and needs watering afterward to activate it.

Which fertilizer option is the best for your lawn?

When you compare liquid and granular fertilizers, both are great options, and you can use them together to ensure your lawn receives nutrients as quickly or as gradually as it needs them, depending on the time of year. The best times of the year to use these fertilizers are as follows:

  • Liquid fertilizers: You should use liquid fertilizers in the spring and summer. A spring application will give your turf a much-needed nutrient boost as it comes out of winter and enters a new growing season. Meanwhile, a summer application will provide another immediate nutrient supply, which it needs to overcome any summer-related stressors.
  • Granular fertilizers: Granular fertilizers are ideal in the fall and early winter. A fall application will give it a gradual supply to help it recover from the summer, encouraging seed germination and strong root development. Then, an early winter application will ensure it has all the nutrients it'll need to make it through the winter and into the spring.

Sign up for our fertilization service to give your lawn the nutrients it needs to thrive all year.

Fertilization is crucial to your lawn's health and aesthetic appeal, and at Ideal Landscaping & Irrigation, we have designed an ideal schedule utilizing both liquid and granular treatments! We'll apply liquid fertilizers four times - two in the spring and two in the summer. Then, we'll administer granular fertilizers in the fall and early winter. However, that's not all - these fertilization treatments are available with our full-service landscape maintenance program! This program also includes other lawn care services like weed control, aeration, and overseeding, then maintenance and landscape services like plant trimming and pruning, lawn mowing, and much more!

We offer our fertilization service to residential, commercial, and HOA properties in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Summerfield, NC, and other nearby areas. Call us at (336) 396-9191 to sign up and give your lawn the nutrients it needs to thrive all year.