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Feed All Year Long with Our Custom Lawn Fertilizer Schedule

One simple program for a beautiful lawn - our Turf Builder® Programs take the guesswork out of when and what to feed your lawn.

Learn the Benefits of Feeding Your Lawn Year Round with the Scotts® Turf Builder® Program

We've got good news: Scotts® Turf Builder® Programs are simple, easy-to-follow lawn care programs that take the guesswork out of fertilizing your lawn. With products for each of your four annual feedings and the why behind each product, you get a fertilizer schedule that works for you and your lawn. DIY lawn care has never been easier.

What Fertilizer Does for Your Lawn in Every Season

You know you need to feed your lawn, but what's that fertilizer actually doing? Feeding your lawn provides nutrients to your grass, which means your lawn is better prepared to withstand stresses like heat, drought, and foot traffic while naturally crowding out weeds. Using a fertilizer with an included herbicide or pesticide can also help keep weed and bug invasions at bay.

With products that build your lawn season after season, an annual fertilizer schedule with four feedings takes your lawn from doing okay for now to doing its best all year. A typical lawn fertilizer schedule includes feedings in early spring, late spring, summer, and fall, waiting eight weeks between each feeding (always double check your product labels for additional restrictions).

If it's not currently early spring, you may be thinking it's too late to get started on a lawn care schedule. The great thing about a Scotts® Turf Builder® Program is that you can start in any season (except winter—don't fertilize your lawn in winter). Just use the recommended product for that time of year to get started on a lush, green lawn. 

Let's take a quick look at how each of these seasonal feedings benefits your lawn.


Benefits of Fertilizing in Early Spring 

Your grass stops growing, or grows very slowly, during the winter months. Once your lawn wakes up and starts to grow in early spring, applying fertilizer helps your lawn maintain a delicate balance of sprouting new top growth—that green you love to see—and building strong roots that'll support your lawn throughout the year. An early spring feeding is also a great way to stop weeds before they can take over your lawn.

Benefits of Fertilizing in Late Spring

You just fertilized, so why fertilize again just 8 weeks later? Great question. Your lawn should be growing and greening up by now, and summer heat and stress are just around the corner. A late spring feeding helps your grass continue to grow stronger and prepares it for what's to come.  

Benefits of Fertilizing in Summer

Heat and drought conditions can leave your lawn stressed. Cool-season grasses can stop or significantly slow their growth while warm-season grasses in the South are taking off. It's also a time when pests like bugs are active and trying to take over. A summer feeding provides nutrients to help keep your lawn going strong and also helps tackle bugs and insects that may be trying to invade your lawn.

Benefits of Fertilizing in Fall

After summer, your lawn is breathing a big sigh of relief, but it's worn out from heat and drought conditions. Lawns in the North kick off another push for new, green growth while Southern lawns are slowing down and taking it easy. A fall feeding gives your grass a boost after summer stresses. It also strengthens roots to protect your lawn all winter long and sets it up for a better spring.

Scotts® Turf Builder® Program

With the Scotts® Turf Builder® Program, you're not just feeding and hoping for the best. These products are designed to help your lawn flourish in every season. This program is made for most lawn grasses—including bahiagrass, bermudagrass, bluegrass, centipedegrass, fescue, ryegrass, and zoysiagrass. Take a closer look at each product below.

Early Spring: Crabgrass seeds sprout as the soil starts to warm in early spring, and the best time to deal with them is when they’re young and small. Stop crabgrass and other listed weeds before they invade with Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts® Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food. This product also helps your grass green up quickly after winter plus build strong roots that'll support your lawn throughout the year.

Late Spring: In late spring, dandelions and clover will pop up like weeds (pun intended) to try to take over your lawn. Kill existing weeds and feed to thicken your lawn with Scotts® Turf Builder® Weed & Feed5. When your grass is nice and thick, it'll naturally crowd out weeds. With this weed and feed, you get both weed killer and thicker grass that'll prevent future invasions.

Summer: Guard your grass against heat and drought with Scotts® Turf Builder® SummerGuard® Lawn Food with Insect Control. This product helps your lawn build strong, deep roots that can access water deeper in the soil to better withstand summer stresses. Not only do you get a boost against heat and drought, but this lawn food also controls listed bugs including ants, spiders, fleas, and ticks so you and your family can enjoy your lawn worry free.

Fall: Fall is not only a great time to feed the lawn but also control weeds. For a better lawn next spring apply Scotts® Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Weed & Feed5. This lawn food with weed control tackles weeds like dandelions and clover plus helps build deep grass roots that'll help your lawn recover from summer and prepare for a great growing season next year. 

Any season: If you aren't worried about pests or weeds, switch out any product in any season for Scotts® Turf Builder® Lawn Food. This lawn food does it all to strengthen your lawn, helping grow deep, strong roots and improving your lawn's ability to absorb water and nutrients (vs. an unfed lawn).

Scotts® Turf Builder® Program for Southern Lawns

If you're in the South, your lawn has different needs. You've probably got a warm-season grass like St. Augustine (including Floratam), carpetgrass, centipedegrass, or zoysiagrass, and you're also dealing with intense summer heat and different kinds of weeds and pests. The Scotts® Turf Builder® Program for Southern Lawns helps your lawn thrive not only in those hot summer months, but throughout the whole year.

Early Spring: Kill existing weeds, like dollarweed, and feed to thicken your lawn with Scotts® Turf Builder® Bonus® S Southern Weed & Feed2. This weed and feed also helps your grass build strong roots that'll support your lawn throughout the year.

Late Spring: Build thick, green turf from the roots up with Scotts® Turf Builder® Southern Lawn Food. This lawn food feeds Southern lawns to protect against heat and drought. When summer comes around, your lawn will be ready. 

Summer: Control ants, chinch bugs, spiders, and ticks with Scotts® Turf Builder® SummerGuard® Lawn Food with Insect Control. If getting rid of pesky lawn bugs isn't enough to convince you, this product also feeds to further protect your lawn from summer heat and drought by helping the grass build strong, deep roots.

Fall: Make a second application of Scotts® Turf Builder® Bonus® S Southern Weed & Feed2. Not only are you getting rid of weeds that popped up over the summer and fall, but you're helping your lawn recover from summer stress and get a head start on a thick, green spring.


Ready to get started? Not sure if either of the lawn care programs above are right for you? Visit the Scotts Lawn Care Plan page to get a personalized lawn care plan, or check out When to Fertilize for a Greener Lawn for more great product recommendations. Of course, we've got answers for your fertilizer questions here

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