Will Liquid Fertilizer Burn Your Grass?

Liquid fertilizer provides incredible convenience when you’re trying to revive a lawn. You can spread it quite quickly, but many homeowners have noticed yellow patches or missing grass after using various types of liquid lawn fertilizer. It might seem like the perfect solution, but there are a few things you should know before using it.

Liquid fertilizer will burn your grass if you apply too much of it in the same place. Evenly spread the liquid fertilizer across the lawn on a day without wind since the breeze can blow it onto places you already fertilized. If your lawn turns yellow or brown, switch to dry grass fertilizer.

Throughout this article, we’ll discuss how you can prevent liquid fertilizer from burning your grass, whether or not the lawn can grow back after experiencing a fertilizer burn, and how often you can use liquid fertilizer. We’ll also show you a handful of reasons it’s a great choice for many lawns.

How Do You Keep Grass From Burning After Fertilizing?

To keep grass from burning after fertilizing, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the grass is dry before you apply the liquid fertilizer. Dry lawns allow all of the fertilizer to soak into the soil and roots rather than settling on the top, which could lead to burns. Your grass won’t get enough nutrients from the fertilizer if it’s wet.
2. Set the fertilizer canister to the proper setting for your lawn’s size. You don’t want to use too much or too little since either issue can not do enough or potentially burn the grass. Not all fertilizers have a gauge, so you might want to measure how much you’ll need beforehand.
3. Always move while spraying liquid fertilizer on the grass to avoid lawn burns. If it pools in one spot, it’ll burn since liquid fertilizer has a low pH, making it acidic. Instead, spread it back and forth, ensuring you don’t spray any space twice.
4. Water the lawn when you’re done fertilizing it, so the liquid solution soaks into the soil. This step is crucial because it gets all of the liquid fertilizer off of the grass blades and down into the roots. It’s one of the primary reasons winter grasses grow so well after being fertilized.
5. Stick to a routine mowing schedule while fertilizing the grass. A mowed lawn allows enough oxygen, sunlight, and water to get to the soil. It also lets the liquid fertilizer soak below the surface as much as possible. If the grass is too tall, it can make your lawn smell gross.

As you can see, there’s a lot to keep in mind when using liquid fertilizer if you don’t want to burn the grass. A proper application requires the aforementioned five steps, so write them down or refer to this post as a helpful guide.

The Chapin Lawn Fertilizer Hose Attachment is great because it has a nozzle that lets you choose how much fertilizer goes on the lawn. Twist the nozzle to open or close it. Each container can spray up to 20 gallons of fertilizer or weed killer, so you don’t have to worry about using too much and burning the lawn.

Will Grass Grow Back After Fertilizer Burn?

Grass will grow back after fertilizer burn if you water it daily and add grass seed when necessary. Garden hoses typically have a high pH, which is ideal to contrast the acidity found in liquid fertilizers. Water it daily until the grass begins to grow back. In some cases, you might have to till the soil and plant new grass.

The lawn will almost always grow back after experiencing a liquid fertilizer burn, but it’s important to practice patience. These patches take their time to repair, especially since the roots need to reach deeper for more nutrients. Stay consistent with a watering routine and ensure there’s enough sunlight to keep the grass looking as good as possible.

The last thing to remember is that it’s not always the fertilizer’s fault. If the soil is dried and cracked, it might not be able to absorb the fertilizer. Water the grass for a few days to a week before adding the fertilizer. Let it soak up the moisture, wait until it’s dry to the touch (but not cracked), then add the liquid fertilizer.

How Long Does It Take for Grass to Recover From Fertilizer Burn?

It takes grass between one to three weeks to recover from fertilizer burn, depending on how severe the damage is. Burnt grass roots take longer than lively, well-nourished roots. If the grass is light-yellow, it’ll recover much quicker from fertilizer burns than brown or dead grass.

How long it takes for the grass to grow back can vary drastically. Pennington shows common mistakes, such as overfertilizing, misjudging how much is needed, or not checking the lawn’s square footage can make the grass take a lot longer to recover.

The biggest mistake you can make is assuming all patches are due to not enough fertilizer. This common misconception leads people to use a ton of liquid fertilizer, burning the grass in the process. Instead, water the lawn and watch for progress throughout the following weeks.

Another quick tip is to make sure your lawn is the right length for the season. The grass’s length directly affects how much liquid fertilizer it absorbs and how much stays on the grass blades.

Can I Use Liquid Fertilizer Every Week?

You can use a liquid fertilizer every week until the grass grows back, but it’s unlikely that you’ll have to use it that often for more than two to three weeks. Once the lawn grows back, it’s best to fertilizer it no more than four times per year. Overfertilization can cause more harm than good to the grass.

Family Handyman explains liquid fertilizer often has to be used multiple times, unlike granular fertilizer that’s much more effective after one use. However, liquid fertilizer is easy to use and provides more nutrients in a quicker time span. The reason granular fertilizer doesn’t have to be used as often is that it has a slow-release system that lasts longer, but the results take longer to see.

If your lawn is green and lush, there’s no need to keep using liquid fertilizer every week. Too much liquid fertilizer can burn the grass, sending your back to the drawing board to repair the lawn.

Is Liquid Fertilizer Good for Your Lawn?

Liquid fertilizer is good for your lawn because it soaks into the soil and absorbs into the roots easier than granular fertilizer. However, it’s quite acidic and should be used with close attention to detail. Fertilize the grass with liquid fertilizer on a day without too much wind or rain for the best results.

Liquid fertilizer isn’t bad for your lawn unless you apply it too often or incorrectly. Much like granular fertilizer, there’s always room to go overboard. Excessive amounts of liquid fertilizer will leave yellow and brown patches throughout the grass.

Unfortunately, many people think the yellow or brown patches call for more fertilizer. They dump another couple of gallons of liquid treatment on the grass, worsening the damage.

Minor root damage occurs after a couple of overdone fertilizer applications. If you go overboard and fertilize it all the time and the damage is done, you could risk destroying the lawn’s roots. Occasionally, the soil needs to be tilled, mulched, and seeded.

Learn more about how long grass seed lasts if you have a spare bag.

In Conclusion

Most liquid fertilizers are acidic, which means they can burn the grass if there’s too much of it. Only use liquid fertilizer when you’re trying to repair patches of dead grass. Make sure you’re always moving to prevent it from piling or settling in the same spot for too long.