When your lawn wakes up from its winter sleep it will be hungry. Make sure you have plenty of spring lawn feed in stock so that you can give the best possible start to the growing season.
Avoid being overwhelmed by the choices at your local garden centre and instead, order you spring lawn feed online. Here’s what to look for in the best spring lawn feed
- A good balance of nutrients. In spring your lawn needs plenty of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
- Slow release formula. To save you having to remember to feed frequently, look for a lawn feed that will last around 3 months
- Granulated format – far easier to apply evenly than dissolvable or dusty feeds
- Waterproof packaging – sounds silly but lawn feed can absorb water from the air and become hard, lumpy and unusable.
- Trusted supplier
- Sensible price
How to get the balance of nutrients right in Spring lawn feed?
On the packaging for lawn feed, it should state what is in the actual feed. Look out for 3 key ingredients.
Nitrogen
The plants use nitrogen to create the proteins it needs for cell growth and for the enzymes that allow healthy metabolism. Nitrogen is inclined to be washed out of the soil in wet weather and so ground reserves will be low at the beginning of spring. When grass plants have access to a good supply of Nitrogen, the leaves will be greener and better able to out-grow any
damage done by feet and/or lawn diseases.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus helps toughen the grass roots. It builds strong cell walls and helps roots grow longer so that they are able to absorb more water and more nutrients.
Potassium
A vital nutrient for plants. Potassium makes for a robust immune system and it enhances water-efficiency. When potassium is plentiful your lawn should be able to resist common diseases and cope better with drought.
Feed your lawn BEFORE problems arise
As with most living things, it’s better to use nutrition to avoid problems than it is to apply it as a remedy (although it is important to feed a poorly plants).
Adding nutrients to the soil in early spring will replace any that have been washed away in winter weather and will bolster plant health.
Slow release Spring lawn feed
I’m as guilty as anyone for forgetting to top up the nutrient levels in the soil on a regular basis. I have got into the habit now of using my smartphone to remind me when to apply feed. But I have to admit it’s helpful to have a slow release formula. That means I’m not feeding the lawn after every cut. Instead I can apply a feed every 12 weeks.
I’m very lucky in that I have quite good soil in my garden with plenty of organic matter in it. If yours is sandy or very chalky, I would advise feeding every 8 weeks because nutrients soon wash through.
Products that can help…
 |
 |
 |
|
Using a granulated Spring lawn feed
Lawn feed comes in all sorts of different formats. Lawn sand is a traditional type of feed come soil improver but it’s heavy and awkward to use. You could buy liquid feed and apply
it with a watering can or a hose attachment. Or you could by a powdery type of feed. Neither of those are easy to apply evenly and it is important that you get even coverage.
Uneven application of lawn feed can lead to a very patchy appearance. If you get too much on in one go, it can scorch your lawn horribly. Too little and you have pale, yellowy green patches to look at.
Granular lawn feed can be applied with a spreader. You can usually see where the little bobbles of feed have landed. That way you won’t cover the same area twice.
Waterproof packaging
Paper boxes are fine if you know you’ll use the whole pack in one go. But if, like me, you will be left with a part-pack and you don’t want to throw it away, waterproof is best. As I mentioned in the introduction, plant feed tends to absorb water from the air and it can turn into a big, solid, un-useable lump.
Buy from a trusted supplier
I can’t stress enough how important it is to trust your supplier. After all, when you open your pack of spring lawn feed, you can’t see individual ingredients. It’s not like muesli where you can count the nuts and raisins. Everything has been combined – like a smoothie – so the only way to know what’s in there is with chemical testing. I’ve not got a laboratory in my shed and I can’t imagine that many other lawn lovers have either. I need to trust my supplier. If I don’t recognise the brand name, I’m wary of buying it.
Where to buy the best spring lawn feed?
Prices for lawn feed vary between brands and suppliers and they’re not always an indication of quality.
I’ve always found Harrowden Turf’s Vivid Green lawn feed to be just right for me. It was developed by their Turf Production Manager who has been in the grass growing industry for over 30 years. So he should know what he’s doing.
There’s no fancy packaging – but I don’t need a picture to tell me what a lawn looks like. Plus, the customer service team is really friendly and helpful.
If you’re ready to stock up for spring, you can buy Vivid Green Spring/Summer lawn feed here.
Spring lawncare jobs – feeding your lawn 
Lawn feed and the difference it makes to your lawn 
