Fertilizer is not lawn food you can simply add more of. Applied at the wrong moment, it burns turf, feeds weeds, or washes straight into the Intracoastal. Timing and rate matter far more than brand.
Know the blackout period
Palm Beach County and most surrounding municipalities restrict nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer application during the summer rainy season, generally from June 1 through September 30. The reasoning is straightforward: heavy rain carries nutrients off the lawn and into local waterways.
Plan your applications around that window. Check your specific municipality, since exact dates and rules vary between towns in our service area.
A workable annual schedule
- Late February to March — first application as growth resumes
- May — a pre-blackout feeding to carry the lawn through summer
- October — post-blackout recovery application
- December — optional light potassium application for winter root strength
Choose slow-release nitrogen
In sandy Florida soil, quick-release nitrogen either burns the turf or leaches past the root zone within days. Look for a product with at least half its nitrogen in slow-release form — it feeds steadily over weeks instead of spiking and vanishing.
Water it in, but do not flood it
Granular fertilizer needs light irrigation to move it off the blades and into the soil. A quarter inch of water is enough. Heavy watering immediately after application simply flushes the nutrients past the roots and out of reach.
Sweep hard surfaces before you water
Any granules that land on the driveway, sidewalk or street go straight into a storm drain during the next rain. Blowing hard surfaces back onto the turf before watering takes two minutes, protects local waterways, and is required by ordinance in much of our service area.
