The 8 Best Lawn Fertilizers

Best Overall

Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food

$27 $22 at Amazon $22 at Walmart $28 at Home Depot

We love this easy-to-use and highly effective fertilizer from Scotts. With 32% nitrogen for green blades, and 4% potassium for strong, deep roots, your grass will perk up quickly after a "meal" of this all-season fertilizer.

This fertilizer does not contain phosphorus, which is highly regulated and even banned in some areas, since phosphorus-laden water run-off can lead to overgrowth of algae in nearby rivers, streams, or ponds. But, unless your turf is newly planted, most lawns can obtain sufficient phosphorus from the soil to thrive.

This is a great fertilizer for the spring, but it's highly effective and nourishing for use year-round. You can water this formula into the soil after application, but according to Scotts, that step isn't essential. Plus, you can apply the fertilizer to wet or dry grass without fear of burning, as long as you set your fertilizer spreader to the right setting. The bag contains all the information you'll need to calibrate your spread, as well as the exact amounts of the granular fertilizer to apply—no guesswork is required.

Notably, this fertilizer is suited for just about any popular turf grass, including fescue, Bermuda, bluegrass, rye, centipede, bahiagrass, and zoysia. That means zero worries about whether you have a cool-season or warm-season lawn, something that many homeowners aren't sure of. One 12.5-pound bag covers about 5,000 square feet of turf.

_{NPK Ratio: 32-0-4︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: 6-8 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best for Fall

GreenView Fall Lawn Food

$60 at Amazon $30 at Walmart $27 at Home Depot

Hot, dry summers can give your lawn a beating and leave it looking a little worse for wear. Thanks to this fall fertilizer from GreenView, your grass will be able to recuperate better from summer's stressors, survive the impending winter, and grow lush and green as soon as spring rolls around.

It has a well-balanced NPK ratio of 22-0-10, which is unlikely to burn your grass if it's applied as directed on the bag. You can use the fertilizer on almost any popular turf type, including both warm-season and cool-season grasses. Ideally, though, it should be applied when nighttime temperatures in your area are still in the 60s—no earlier than September and no later than December.

The fertilizer should not be applied to damp or frozen turf; however, if a light rain is not anticipated later that day, it should be watered after application. To keep your driveway and walks clean, sweep up any spills as soon as they happen. 

Once it's been watered or rained on and is completely dry, it's safe for your pets to walk on. A 16-pound bag will cover up to 5,000 square feet of lawn (making this pick a slightly better value than our best overall), so you will likely be able to get a few applications out of one bag.

_{NPK Ratio: 22-0-10︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: 8 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best Quick-Release

Scotts Green Max Lawn Food

$38 $34 at Amazon $34 at Walmart $37 at Lowes

If your lawn is looking a little sad and you need results fast, we think that this quick-release lawn fertilizer from Scotts is the best option. It’s a nitrogen-forward formula that can green up your lawn in three days according to the manufacturer, and has added iron to support chlorophyll production for deeper greens and a healthier-looking lawn. It's one of two quick-release options we recommend on this list.

With an NPK ratio of 27-0-2, this fertilizer is primarily nitrogen with a bit of potassium to help promote healthy root growth. Scotts recommends reapplying it every six to eight weeks since the nutrients are made available immediately and not released over time.

Application is easy because this fertilizer can be applied dry or wet, but the brand recommends watering it in lightly for the best results. It can cause burning if applied improperly or during the wrong conditions, so avoid using more than recommended, and don’t apply it during hot, dry weather when your grass is already stressed. Soil that has poor drainage can also increase the risk of burn.

While this fertilizer is more of a short-term solution than a long-term fix, we do think the quick-release formula is a great way to green up your lawn fast. A 16-pound bag can cover up to 5,000 square feet, making this pick a similar, great value to our best for fall option.

_{NPK Ratio: 27-0-2︱Type: Quick-release︱Feed Duration: 6-8 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 5,000 square feet}

Best All-Purpose

Milorganite Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizer

$34 $23 at Amazon $30 at Walmart View on Home Depot

This all-purpose fertilizer is good for your lawn, trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds, so you can use it all around the yard. Also, its slow-release and salt-free formula means you don't have to water right after application, and there is less risk of burning your lawn or other greenery.

The blend contains 6% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus, and no potassium. It also has iron, encouraging healthy green growth of turf and other plants. This organic fertilizer is derived from treated sewage sludge and benefits most popular grass varieties, including zoysia, Bermuda, fescue, bluegrass, rye, and St. Augustine.

It's best applied up to four times per year, including an application in early spring, late spring or early summer, early fall, and late fall. Apply it with a spreader, following the bag's guidelines for your type of grass. The one main downside to this fertilizer is that it does require a heavy application; a 32-pound bag only covers up to 2,500 square feet of lawn, which is half the coverage offered by our best overall.

_{NPK Ratio: 6-4-0︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: Every 10 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 2,500 square feet}

Best Liquid

Scotts Liquid Turf Builder Lawn Food

$23 $16 at Amazon $20 at Home Depot

Give your lawn a drink and a good meal at the same time with this quick-release liquid lawn fertilizer. To apply it, attach the bottle to your regular garden hose, turn the hose on at the spigot, and press the trigger on the top of the fertilizer bottle to start spraying.

The fertilizer shouldn't be applied to parched grass; if it's been a while since it rained, or your sprinklers haven't been on, water the grass before applying the fertilizer. It can be applied to any common lawn grass during the active growing season, meaning you can use it during the spring, summer, or early fall, but not in the winter.

The NPK ratio of the fertilizer is 29-0-3, so it's well-balanced for quick greening and healthy root growth. After applying it, wait at least two days before mowing your lawn. Check the weather forecast before spraying, too, as you shouldn't use this product if the temperatures are over 85 degrees that day.

You don't want to soak your grass; you should walk at a fairly brisk pace across your lawn while spraying the fertilizer with even, side-to-side motions of your arm. The manufacturer says the 32-ounce bottle will empty after about 15 minutes of spraying, which gives you coverage of up to 2,000 square feet of turf (the least on our list).

_{NPK Ratio: 29-0-3︱Type: Quick-release︱Feed Duration: 6-8 weeks︱Application Type: Liquid︱Coverage: 2,000 square feet}

Best Organic

Purely Organic Lawn Food

$40 $35 at Amazon $35 at Walmart $32 at Home Depot

If you prefer organic products in your home and garden, you'll like this effective fertilizer from Purely Organics as much as we do. Derived from leftover distiller grains and soybean meal, you can apply this product and let your pets or kids play on the lawn safely that same day.

You might smell a faint beer-like aroma after application—coming from the distiller's grains—but the scent will fade quickly. Similar to other picks on our list, you don't need to water the fertilizer if rain is in the forecast; but if not, go ahead and water your lawn after application with your spreader. You should keep your lawn damp—not drenched—for a few more days while the fertilizer works its way down into the soil.

The NPK ratio is 10-0-2, so you can use it without fear of burning or creating yellow spots on your lawn. Apply it to any type of grass, whether it's a cool-season or warm-season variety, every eight weeks during the growing season. For most gardeners, that's spring through fall.

You'll love how quickly your lawn greens up and becomes thick and lush with regular doses of this plant-based lawn food. A 25-pound bag covers up to 6,250 square feet of turf, as well, so you'll get more coverage than our best overall pick.

_{NPK Ratio: 10-0-2︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: 8 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 6,250 square feet}

Best Weed-and-Feed

BioAdvanced 5-in-1 Weed and Feed

$28 $24 at Amazon $24 at Walmart $28 at Home Depot

It might seem like an endless battle to keep your lawn free from weeds, but this effective weed-and-feed from BioAdvanced helps you end the struggle. It's especially good at wiping out tough-to-kill crabgrass, but is also effective against numerous other broad-leaf weeds, including clover, dandelion, and chickweed.

It stops already-growing weeds in their tracks, prevents weed seeds from sprouting, and continues working for up to six months. Plus, it's an effective fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 22-0-4 that helps green up your grass and promote deep root growth for up to three months. You can apply it in the spring, summer, or fall.

However, this fertilizer is not suited to all types of grass, so it's not for every home. Only use it if your lawn is predominantly fescue, Bermuda grass, buffalo grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, seashore paspalum, or zoysia. Use a spreader to apply the product to damp grass, then water it well.

Do not let your children or pets onto the treated grass until it's dry. For best results, apply the fertilizer when temperatures are between 50 and 90 degrees.

_{NPK Ratio: 22-0-4︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: Up to 3 months︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 4,000 square feet}

Best for Spring

Espoma Spring Lawn Booster

$55 $45 at Amazon $53 at Walmart $45 at Ace Hardware

Prep your turf ahead of the spring growing season with this organic lawn booster from Espoma. Made from feather meal, pasteurized poultry manure, and gypsum, this effective grass greener supplies a healthy dose of calcium—plus 8% nitrogen and 1% sulfur—to wake up your spring lawn and quickly restore its lush appearance.

It's suited to all types of turf, and won't burn or discolor the grass as long as you follow the instructions. Apply it with a spreader to a dry lawn that's been recently mowed. If there is no rain forecasted for the next 24 hours, be sure to water it.

While there admittedly is a slight smell of bird droppings at first, it disappears quickly once the fertilizer has been watered into the grass and dissolved. A slight scent is also common among other organic fertilizers, so the smell isn't unique to this pick.

The fertilizer is best applied from February through April if you live in a cold-winter area, or January through February for those in warm-winter climates. The 30-pound bag will cover up to 5,000 square feet.

_{NPK Ratio: 8-0-0︱Type: Slow-release︱Feed Duration: 12 weeks︱Application Type: Granular︱Coverage: 5,000 square feet}