LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --  Fall is the perfect time to think spring and fertilize your lawn. The Home Depot's Joe Autry show what we need to do in autumn to ensure lawns are green and healthy in spring.

Why is fall the best time to fertilize? Because your grass is not only still growing, it's also storing away nutrients and other essential elements needed to flourish come spring.  Plus, the cooler weather, warm soil, ample rain and lots of sunshine create the perfect environment for grass to develop strong roots and grass seeds to germinate.

For all these reasons, if you had to choose just one time of the year to fertilize your lawn, you'd want to do it in the fall. An application of nitrogen-rich, slow-release fertilizer will continue to feed your lawn and provide essential nourishment for the coming spring.

And here's a tip: Before you fertilize your lawn, check your local weather forecast. Plan to fertilize just before the forecast calls for a day of light, steady rain. You'll save water and your grass will be well-fed.

Second only to the fall, spring is next most important time of the year to fertilize your lawn. Spring grasses come to life hungry and ready to be fed. Fertilize your lawn as soon as the dormant grass is at least 50 percent green again.  Use quick-release weed and feed fertilizer to eliminate unsightly weeds without harming your grass. They provide all of the benefits of a lawn fertilizer but contain a broad-spectrum herbicide to kill weeds while not harming the grass. It's important to always apply weed and feed to damp or wet lawns so the herbicide can easily contact the weeds and eliminate them.

Avoid using weed and feed if you plan to reseed your lawn in the same season. As a general rule, you can apply weed and feed in the spring and overseed in the fall and be safe.

Summer is hard on lawns. The heat, drought, insects and increased traffic can really take their toll on your lawn during the summer months. Feeding your lawn with an application of slow-release fertilizer at the start of summer will help keep your grass healthy and green throughout the season. And if insects are a problem in your yard, be sure to use one of the many fertilizers available with insect control.

But, if your lawn is of the cool-season variety, you may not need to fertilize. Since cool-season grasses are semi-dormant in summer, you may end up feeding more weeds than grass.

To learn more about the best way to fertilize your lawn, CLICK HERE.

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