Autumn Lawn Feed

Help your lawn recover from summer and prepare for winter with the right autumn lawn feed. Autumn fertilisers are lower in nitrogen and higher in potassium to harden the grass, strengthen roots and protect against cold and disease.

Autumn lawn feed and moss killer: what to use together

Autumn is when moss does its real damage. Shorter days, heavy dew and slowing grass growth let it creep through a thinning sward, and by spring it has taken ground the grass has to win back. The right autumn combination is a potassium-rich autumn feed plus an iron-based moss killer — applied together, or a fortnight apart if your lawn is under pressure.

Use Totally Autumn to feed and harden the lawn, and Iron Sward (12% Fe + 5% Mg) to blacken and kill moss while deepening colour. Iron also toughens the leaf, which helps the lawn stand up to winter disease. Rake out the dead moss a week or two after treating, and keep iron off paths and patios — it stains.

Why not a weed, feed and moss killer in autumn?

Three-in-one products such as Turf Rise rely on selective weed killers that only work when weeds are actively growing, which in the UK means roughly May to August. Apply one in October and you are paying for a weed killer that cannot do its job, and feeding the lawn nitrogen it does not want heading into winter. Save the weed and feed for spring and summer; in autumn, feed and treat moss separately. Our guide to weed, feed and moss killer — which to use and when walks through the choice, and the benefits of using iron sulphate covers the iron side in more detail.

When to apply autumn lawn feed

Apply from early September to late November, once summer growth has slowed and before the first hard frosts. Spread onto a dry lawn, water in well, and allow it to dry before letting children or pets back on the grass. A 50% slow-release feed like Totally Autumn then keeps working for up to three months, carrying colour and hardiness through the cold. See the full UK lawn feeding calendar if you want the whole year mapped out.

Overseeding or renovating this autumn?

Early autumn is the best window of the year for overseeding — warm soil, reliable moisture and less weed competition. Start with Roots & Shoots pre-seed fertiliser for fast germination and deep roots, and work in TerraCharge to help the soil hold nutrients and water. One important caveat: do not apply a weed and feed within six weeks either side of seeding or laying new turf.

See the full lawn fertiliser range, or get set for the cold with winter lawn feed. MyLawn (free) will remind you when to apply.