Best For Dandelion Control: Scotts Turf Builder Weed and Feed
If you’re tired of seeing more dandelions and clovers in your yard than green grass, consider this two-in-one fertilizer. It contains a powerful weed and feed solution that supplies your lawn with nutrients while killing existing dandelions and clovers. More so, it keeps these invasive weeds out of your lawn for the entire season.
Key Features
Comes in a 14.29-pound bag Treats up to 5,000 square feet Fertilizes grass and kills dandelions and clovers
What Customers Are Saying
Although customers who left positive reviews emphasized that you must carefully follow the instructions to get good results with this fertilizer, they said that their lawn thrived and was free of dandelions and clovers only weeks after the initial application. Conversely, other customers experienced mixed results. They shared that the fertilizer either gave them healthy grass that was full of dandelions or killed dandelions at the expense of also killing grass.
Best For Organic Gardening: Burpee Bone Meal Fertilizer
A 6-8-0 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium helps promote strong roots for new plants in your garden. Any gardener who’s growing organic vegetables and other foods will find value in this three-pound bag of bone meal, as it’s versatile enough to support a wide variety of species.
Key Features
Comes in a three-pound bag Fertilizes plants Has an organic formula
What Customers Are Saying
The bag size and organic listing were highlights of this fertilizer in many positive reviews. Customers with small gardens found that the bag offered plenty of fertilizer for their plants. However, negative feedback for this fertilizer highlighted roaches and other unwanted insects being attracted to the mix’s bone meal. Other customers also found that the bag was difficult to reseal once it was opened.
Best Liquid Fertilizer: Simple Lawn Solutions Lawn Energizer
Easy to attach to your garden hose, this grass fertilizer is perfect for homeowners with an already-healthy lawn that just needs an extra push for sustained growth. For thick, green grass, it provides iron, nitrogen, and micronutrients.
Key Features
Comes in a 32-ounce spray container Treats up to 3,200 square feet Fertilizes grass
What Customers Are Saying
After trying different lawn fertilizers, customers experienced fast and satisfactory results using this liquid option. They said that it was easy to apply to large gardens and that it brought out a deep and vibrant green grass color. However, other customers said that it stained their fences, rocks, and other areas of their yard.
Best For Flowers: Down To Earth Rose and Flower Fertilizer
Although this versatile organic mix is advertised to work especially well on newly planted flowers, it promotes healthy growth during nearly any stage of the life cycle. The five-pound box is compostable as well, so it’s perfect for those who are particularly eco-conscious.
Key Features
Comes in a five-pound box Fertilizes plants Has an organic formula
What Customers Are Saying
Most happy customers experienced fast and sustained growth using this organic fertilizer. Some also used it as a supplement to their compost. Unhappy customers reported issues with its strong odor and bug attraction.
Best For Crabgrass Control: Scotts Turf Builder Crabgrass Preventer
This combination grass feed and crabgrass killer is a time-saving option for homeowners who have brown, weed-infested grass. With coverage for up to 10,000 square feet, these two bags offer plenty of fertilizer for larger lawns.
Key Features
Comes with two 13.35-pound bags Treats up to 5,000 square feet per bag Fertilizes grass and kills crabgrass
What Customers Are Saying
Overall, customers experienced a clear difference before and after applying this fertilizer and weed killer mixture. However, some users noticed a sharp decline in grass health and weed protection toward the end of the summer.
Buyer’s Guide
The appropriate fertilizer can position your lawn or garden for sustained growth. However, it’s imperative to choose the right mix based on what you’re growing. From soil composition to seasonality, consider the following information in our buying guide to make a confident and informed decision.
Soil Composition
Clay-based soil requires different nutrients than organic soil that contains tree bark, bone meal, straw, and other organic matter. To make your decision easier, most fertilizers are specifically designed for one type or the other.
Liquid vs. Solid
Some lawn and garden fertilizers are liquid, while others are granular pellets. As long as the ingredients are appropriate for what you’re growing, choosing a liquid or solid formula usually comes down to preference. However, there are disadvantages to each. For example, liquid fertilizers pose an environmental hazard if they get into the water supply, and pellets take more time to start working.
NPK Rating
NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The NPK rating or ratio tells you how much of these elements a particular fertilizer has. Nitrogen is generally effective at keeping grass green, while phosphorus helps with root growth, and potassium guards against disease. For a lush and vibrant lawn, look for a fertilizer with more nitrogen. For a high garden yield, prioritize phosphorus. To keep dandelions and other invasive species at bay, choose a fertilizer that’s high in potassium.
Seasonality
Applying fertilizer at the wrong time of year could result in wasted nutrients. You should fertilize most perennials and vegetables in the spring and bulbs in the fall. You can fertilize trees and shrubs during both times of the year.
Quantity
Feeding a small garden bed should require only a single bag or container of fertilizer. Conversely, you may need multiple bags of fertilizer if you have a large lawn. If you’re fertilizing grass as opposed to plants, the bag of fertilizer should say how many square feet it can cover.
Weed Control
Many grass fertilizers have built-in weed control. These formulas may target dandelions, clovers, crabgrass, and other unwanted growth in your lawn. While weed protection may be useful for large lawns, most herb and vegetable gardens don’t need it.
Fertilizer vs. Compost
The primary distinction between fertilizer and compost is that fertilizer provides the soil with nutrients, while compost provides nutrients to the plants that are rooted in the soil. In many cases, compost and fertilizer have synergistic effects. The organic matter in compost concentrates the fertilizer’s nutrients, delivering them to the plants more efficiently. So, while you can fertilize your plants without compost, it’s more effective to supplement plant growth via a combination of the two.
How To Apply Fertilizer
Here are a few basic tips on how to fertilize your lawn:
Test the ground first to ensure that your fertilizer can provide the nutrients that your soil needs. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, avoid fertilizer mixes with bone meal or blood meal. These are by-products of the meat industry. Don’t apply fertilizer if it’s windy or rainy outside. Wet conditions wash away liquid fertilizer, and windy conditions blow away granular fertilizer. A high-concentration fertilizer isn’t necessarily better than a low-concentration one. Compare the release time to the concentration level to get a better understanding of a product’s overall efficacy.
How often do I need to apply fertilizer?
Apply fertilizer to clay soil every four to six weeks. For organic soil, fertilize it every three to four weeks.
When is the best time to apply fertilizer?
The type of grasses, herbs, vegetables, fruits, or flowers you’re maintaining and the climate you live in determine the best time of year to fertilize. Typically, fall is best for cool-season grasses, and early-to-mid spring is an ideal time to fertilize warm-season grasses and most plants.
Do I need a fertilizer spreader to distribute fertilizer?
While a fertilizer spreader isn’t necessary, it can make it easier to apply an even layer of fertilizer over large areas, especially lawns. You don’t need a fertilizer spreader to cover smaller areas, such as flower beds.
Is fertilizer toxic to humans?
Yes. Plant and lawn fertilizers can poison humans as well as pets if they’re accidentally ingested. Store your fertilizer away from food, children, and pets when it’s not in use. We also recommend wearing work gloves when you’re handling it.
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