When it comes to fertilizing your lawn, there’s a lot of advice flying around. The problem is that most of the information you’ll find on the web isn’t for Canadians. Because of our extremely quick autumn and long winters, what works in the US or in Eastern Canada won’t always be the best choice for your Calgary lawn!

High Nitrogen Fertilizers promote foliage growth — that’s the green blade part of the grass. This summer Calgary has been quite wet and cool, so many yards have stayed green all through July and August. If this includes you, you can probably skip a high-nitrogen feeding. Usually though, we’d suggest giving a lawn that’s gone dormant (brown) because of the hot, dry summer some nitrogen once the days begin to cool off a little. This would help wake your grass up for fall and also provide it with extra nutrients for a great return next spring.

High Phosphorus Fertilizers ensure strong, healthy root development. While a high-nitrogen fertilizer can be skipped, you really should provide your lawn with phosphorus in mid-October to early November. You don’t want to feed the lawn to early, but it’s not fun fertilizing in the snow. This feeding is especially important because even after the blade of your grass dies for the winter, the roots keep growing for some time. The extra phosphorus will make sure your grass grows back in spring stronger and heartier than ever. This mean fewer weeds and a green lawn.

Trees and Shrubs often benefit from annual care as well. Many Albertans keep their trees with mulch around them. As the mulch decomposes, it often depletes the soil’s nitrogen. And, because Calgary is full of responsible citizens who rake up their yards, the trees don’t get any extra nutrients from the decomposing leaves either. Between the mulch and the raking, most urban trees need some extra help from fertilizer.

So if you’re looking for a one-size-fits-all answer, a well-balanced fertilizer with a bit of extra nitrogen probably won’t go amiss. Giving your trees a little slow-release nitrogen will probably also help. But when it comes to trees and shrubs, it’s really best to work with a garden center or skilled landscaping team. We’ll be able to examine the soil and location to tell you exactly what your tree needs. Perhaps the reason a tree isn’t doing well is that it’s just in the wrong spot and isn’t getting enough light — no amount of fertilizer will help in that situation.

If you want to give your yard a head start next spring, you’ll need to start now! Aerating to provide roots with extra water and oxygen, fertilizer to feed your trees and lawn, and a little expert advice can go a long ways. If you have any questions about how you can make your lawn greener and healthier than ever, contact the experts at Five-Star Landscaping today!