BRIDGETON, Mo. – Knowing how and when to fertilize your lawn is the best-kept secret to maintaining a beautiful lawn this spring and summer.

FOX 2 has been asked a lot of questions on when the best time to fertilize is, and the answer is now.

You want to start giving the lawn the nutrients it needs now; that way, the grass stores the nutrients and gets the lawn actively growing.

You also want a slow-release fertilizer that will feed the lawn evenly without giving it a surge of growth, roughly 25% to 30% in the slow-release component.

Incorporate phosphorous and potassium, as that will give your lawn a good food source for the next month and a half or so.

Experts at Weed Man Lawn Care Services said it’s also not a good time to mow just yet and to wait until late March or early April.

You want to mow your grass on a fescue lawn with a cool seasonal lawn mower to get all the old winter dormant blades off the lawn. Get your lawn mower blades sharp, and sharpen them two or three times a year.

Then, when you mow in the spring, you’re going to mow short, cutting all the old winter dormant blades off. The sunlight will get through and produce a nice and healthy lawn. Otherwise, it’s going to take about three to four weeks for Mother Nature to decompose those old grass plants.

One thing to note is that fertilizer shouldn’t be applied before heavy rain, as it will wash away the nutrients that the lawn needs.