Lawn fertiliser that wont hurt my feathered and furry garden friends?

I feel my lawn needs a boost over winter (granted, I'm new to this), but I don't want to damage or make life harder for any of the wildlife that lives around here at the same time.

For years, we have been feeding birds, hedgehogs and squirrels, which are seen around our garden for most of the year.

I'm wondering if anyone can shed any light on the effectiveness of using organic/natural lawn feed or fertilisers this time of year - or if they are even worth using at all?

Not sure if it's ok to post links here. But these are for reference only - what I'm looking at... (I can remove the links if needed).

this:

Nature Safe Lawn Feed (10kg bag) | Original Organics

or

this:

All Natural Nutriboost

 

@trevor.biggins
I would say you are too late too apply fertiliser to a lawn; as the grass will have stopped growing when the temperatures dropped below 5°C. Unless the grass is actively growing there is no point in feeding it. I'd save the money and wait until spring when growth resumes.
This of course assumes you are in the UK.
I've never deliberately applied fertiliser to a lawn, I just don't cut it very short or very often.

 

It is recommended to use a fertiliser that is appropriate for the season. Autumn & Winter is generally used but it is recommend to use in the months of September to November, before it gets to cold. The fertilisers in your link would be more widely used in the warmer months, March to September.

You can still use autumn and winter fertiliser in the cooler months, but not when freezing temperatures are forecasted.

My sales of autumn and winter fertiliser have dropped right off now, which is the norm. Most popular in the Dec/Feb months, is lawn sand, as it has the least amount of fertiliser incorporated.

 

That's a good point! I didn't realise that.

I have gone ahead and purchased this now Winter Remedy - my lawn doesn't look great and a neighbour (gardening fanatic) suggested it needs a good feed. I'll apply this soon and makes sure it's well watered in.

Thanks again for your help!

Regards

 

Thanks for your reply, I'll take that into account.

Cheers.

 

Always check the application rates and when to apply on the packaging, the above lawn food they recommend to use in October. If you still want to apply the lawn food, I would recommend using it at a reduced rate, maybe 50% less than the application rate than the recommended rate on the packaging.

 

Thank you for your advice, I have only applied 50% (as suggested by a friend also) - thankfully I managed to get it down before frost etc, so hopefully it will work as intended.

 

That’s a slow release so 50% will do very little. With slow release it’s always best to apply at correct rates. Straight fertilisers can be adjusted but the small amount you applied will do next to nothing.

timing of application would have been before we had a cold spell and well before due to being a slow release product.

With straight release fertilisers you can adjust the amount but you would need to calculate the required amount in conjunction with your needs. In most cases it’s not needed and you have the make up of fertiliser to take into account ie. course or fine particles.

I would wait till spring and then think about a correct program to suit your needs. This includes mechanical intervention too like scarification or aeration.
this way you will not only achieve a better lawn but will save costs.