Why You Should Think Twice Before Applying Fertilizer To Wet Grass

Knowing how and when to fertilize your lawn can get pretty technical, and sometimes a good analogy can carry information better than a peer-reviewed study or a chemistry class. And if you're wondering whether you can apply fertilizer to a wet lawn, GreenPal CEO Bryan Clayton has an analogy for you: "You want good sticking without soggy soaking," Clayton told Hunker exclusively when we talked to him about fertilizing wet grass. "Think of it like seasoning meat—you want it to stick to the surface, not float away in a puddle."

If you get the sense that a little moisture is okay, while a lot of moisture is a bad scenario for applying fertilizer, Clayton's analogy has you on the right track. It is, after all, a blade of wisdom refined from a whole field of experience. "After spending 25 years in the lawn care business — first running my own landscaping company and now leading GreenPal — I've seen just about every mistake a homeowner can make with fertilizer," Clayton explained. "And applying fertilizer to wet grass? That's one of the most common."

Of course, as Clayton's analogy implies, it's a little more complicated than "Don't fertilize wet grass." When it is slightly damp, perhaps with morning dew, it is great for accepting granular fertilizer like weed and feed. "But super wet grass? That's where folks get into trouble," he said. Generally, give your fertilizer a couple of rain-free days after application.

The difference between a damp lawn and a wet lawn boils down to fertilizer sticking versus washing away. When Hunker spoke exclusively with Bryan Clayton, he explained that granular fertilizer sticks to the leaves of weeds, and its herbicide is activated by the water. "If it's dry, the granules just roll off and sit there useless," Clayton said. Granular fertilizer often includes a slow-release nitrogen source that should be watered in, but too much water can be a problem. "Wait until the lawn is just damp—like morning dew or a light mist—and never apply during or right after a rainstorm," Clayton explained. For liquid fertilizers, like most foliar fertilizers, saturated soil can also be a problem. Of course, choosing the best lawn fertilizer or lawn food is a science unto itself.

The problem with a wet lawn is that the fertilizer tends to move with the water, while you want it applied where you put it in the first place. Large amounts of water tend to pool in particular places or to exit the area altogether. "When the ground is soggy, standing water can cause fertilizer runoff," Clayton said, "or worse, it can concentrate the product in certain areas and 'burn' the lawn."

Wet soil is also less than ideal for some fertilizer equipment, Clayton added. "Rolling a heavy spreader across soaked turf can leave tire tracks and ruts, especially in clay-heavy soil," he said. On the whole, it's best to fertilize when grass is damp or dry, but not soaked to its roots.