7 Tips for Lawn Fertilizing Safety

Spring is here, lawns are coming back to life and it's time to feed that growing grass. As you consider how to use fertilizer to improve your lawn this season, don't forget about safety. You may have heard that fertilizers can pose a health risk for kids, pets and even adults. Fertilizer can be an eye, skin or respiratory irritant or can even cause bigger problems when ingested. However, there are a number of different strategies for how to care for grass safely while still giving your lawn the boost it needs to thrive this season.

1. Read the label first and foremost to know how to use the fertilizer, paying close attention to when to apply it, how much to use and especially how long to wait before allowing people or pets on the lawn.
2. Allow 24-48 hours, depending on the label, after applying most synthetic fertilizers before any pets, kids or pregnant women walk on the lawn.
3. Water the lawn and allow to completely dry before using the lawn after fertilizing. Those recommended 24 hours are usually the time it takes to make sure it’s dry and the fertilizer has gone down to the roots and away from pet fur or children’s skin.
4. Don’t use too much fertilizer. Over-fertilizing is a common lawn care mistake, and it will “burn” the grass as well as make it hard to know when it’s safe to use the lawn. Nitrogen fertilizer runoff can also pollute water, leading to significant health problems, so it’s best to use the recommended amount.
5. Use fertilizers designed for pet safety, which usually means that once the grass is watered it is considered immediately safe for pets and children, because it breaks down quickly into the roots.
6. Use organic fertilizer products. Derived from plant or animal products like worm compost or manure, these increasingly popular fertilizers typically leave lawns safe for immediate use while providing plenty of nitrogen.
7. Mulch your grass clippings with your mower to give nutrients right back to the lawn as the clippings decompose. This is perhaps the easiest and safest fertilizing source, as the work is done by your mower while lawn mowing, and does not require finding the specific fertilizer for a given grass variety or season.

Fertilizing properly and safely is key to enjoying thriving lawns, especially when combined with good lawn mowing and other lawn care practices. At Wright, we know how to care for grass and we design our mowers and equipment to deliver the best lawn care out there. To find the best lawn care products today, locate a Dealer .