Feeding your lawn is not as easy as it sounds. Professional gardeners and groundskeepers have a variety of feeds and fertilisers at their disposal, each used for a specific application.

Needless to say, choosing the best lawn feed can be confusing for most gardeners.

To help you improve the quality of your lawn, we’ve reviewed the best products available based on price and their overall effectiveness. We’ll also tell you why you would use one type of fertiliser over another and when to combine products to keep your lawn looking as lush and green as it can be, whether summer or winter.

Scotts Lawn Feed

Scotts Lawn Builder Lawn Feed

Best Overall

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Rolawn Lawn Feed

Rolawn Groright Lawn Feed

Best For New Lawns

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Evergreen Lawn Feed

Miracle-Gro Evergreen 4in1

Best All In One

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Best Lawn Feed Reviews

One important point to note is that your lawn should be in decent condition before using these lawn feeds. If your lawn is in very poor condition, even the best lawn feed will do little to improve it.  

Compacted soil and the presence of lawn thatch will prevent lawn feeds and fertilisers from getting into the soil and root zone of the grass. If your lawn is covered in moss or thatch and soil compaction is present, you are better off fixings these issues first.

Scotts Lawn Builder Granular Lawn Feed

If you’re looking for a seasonal granular lawn feed, Scotts Spring/Summer Lawn Builder Lawn Food and Autumn/Winter Lawn Food is the best product for you. Scotts Miracle-Gro is the same company and some lawn feeds display this new branding.

Granular lawn fertilisers should be used each season and require a different percentage of nitrogen, potassium and phosphate in addition to other nutrients.

Scotts Lawn Builder Lawn food is the feed that works the best with this lawn feeding cycle.

This high nitrogen lawn food for spring/summer is perfect for when grass growth is at its best. Their high potassium autumn/winter food is perfect for strong root development which will strengthen the lawn and make it ready for the harshness of winter.

Both fertilisers are slow release and release their nutrients into the soil slowly, providing your lawn with a continuous supply of nutrients for eight weeks. This is important as it prevents surge growth where the grass absorbs all of the nutrients at once which causes grass to grow too quickly.

This feed is easy to apply and has an anti-scorch formula to prevent burnt or scorched grass which turns brown. Sensible application is important so never over apply and never use in drought conditions.

Scotts Lawn Builder is an excellent product when used as a year round feed and one we don’t hesitate to recommend.

Scotts Lawn Builder Lawn Feed

Rolawn GroRight® Lawn Fertiliser – Best Fertiliser for New Lawns

Feeding a newly started lawn requires a different approach to feeding an established lawn.

If you’re creating a new lawn or replacing an old one, whether by laying new turf or sowing grass seed, it’s best to spread the fertiliser directly into the soil. This will ensure that all nutrients get to where they need to be, giving the new grass everything it needs to grow strong roots and establish itself quickly.

Rolawn’s GroRight® Lawn Establishment Fertiliser is the best grass feed for this task.

GroRight® is a slow release fertiliser that can keep nutrients inside soil for up to four months. Compared to other lawn feeds, the nitrogen content is very low at 7%. The Phosphate percentage is 10% with added sulphur and magnesium. This combination promotes quick root development and will increase your grasses resistance to both drought and disease.

One of the biggest advantages is that you can apply any excess fertiliser as a top feed. New lawns typically require that you wait at least 6 months before applying a regular lawn feed, as the high nitrogen content can damage new grass. With the nitrogen content being much lower in this product, you can apply it without damaging new grass and it will immediately work to improve root development.

A great product and what that offers exceptional value for money when you consider the performance on offer.

If you want the best fertiliser for new lawns, this is the product for you.

Rolawn Groright Lawn Feed

Evergreen 4 in 1 Complete Lawn Feed

Those looking for an all in one lawn feed that also kills weeds and acts as a moss killer should buy Evergreen’s 4 in 1 Complete Lawn Feed.

It contains lots of nitrogen to promote growth and potassium to promote root development, resulting in a stronger, thicker lawn. Evergreen claim this product has a higher nitrogen content than other brands of feed, weed and moss killer. The benefit to you is that it will make your lawn greener than any other feed available.

Such a high Nitrogen content does come with a slight risk. It can scorch your lawn if applied in hot, dry weather or what we refer to as drought conditions. Just be careful when you apply it.

This one should only be applied twice a year. We apply it in April and September when there is enough moisture in the soil and growth conditions are best. Application is easy but it will need to be watered in if it hasn’t been raining. Your garden hose or sprinklers will do the job.

We found results to appear quickly with a greener lawn clearly visible in a matter of days. You will also notice that any moss present will turn black and begin to die.

Weeds may start to grow faster but they will soon die as the formula takes effect. This growth is simply due to the high nitrogen and potassium levels present. You can safely remove these weeds and moss when they’re dead.

Perfect for keeping a healthy lawn with minimal effort, Evergreen 4 in 1 Complete is an excellent grass feed.

Looking for a standalone moss killer? We’ve found the best moss killer for lawns.

Miracle-Gro Evergreen 4in1

Westland Safe Lawn – Best Lawn Feed for Kids & Pets

Chemical lawn feeds come with a warning that states children and pets should be kept off the grass until the product has it been watered in. This is because they’re potentially harmful when ingested and some also have a high iron content which can causing staining to skin, clothing and concrete paving.

If you have children and / or pets, Westland SafeLawn Natural Lawn Feed is the feed for you.

It’s a natural product which is actually produced from chicken manure. It contains plant nutrients as well as the addition of healthy bacteria which encourages strong root development in grass. Grass plants grow more shoots and runners which then sprout more grass leaves to create a denser sward. This dense sward outcompetes moss and weeds, starving them of nutrients in the process.

It also helps in the breakdown of dead organic material which prevents the build-up of lawn thatch.

As a manure-based fertiliser it does tend to smell a little. Some animals do like this smell as well as the protein content so we suggest watering it in as soon as applied which will also eliminate the odour.

Westland SafeLawn contains grass seed which helps to fill in any sparse or patchy areas and form a denser sward. The grass seed blend contains the species creeping red fescue and dwarf perennial ryegrass which is ideal for most home lawns.

If you have an ornamental lawn which contains only bents, browntops and fescue grasses, you might want to avoid using this product to avoid introducing ryegrass into your lawn.

If you’re looking for a pet friendly lawn feed because you’re concerned about the safety of your children or pets after feeding your lawn – or if you simply prefer organic lawn feeds over chemical fertilisers – we recommend using Westland Safe Lawn.

Miracle-Gro Liquid Lawn Food

Miracle-Gro Lawn Food is great for regularly feeding your lawn.

Most granular lawn foods and fertilisers require at least three months between applications. Water-soluble lawn feeds like Lawn Food can be used as often as you like to provide your lawn with an extra dose of nutrients when required.

Instead of penetrating soil so that grass plants can absorb the nutrients through their roots, soluble lawn feeds work differently. The food is sprayed directly onto the grass and enters the plant through the leaves. The result is that grass receives an immediate intake of nitrogen which quickly works to turn your lawn greener.

Nitrogen content is 36% which is high but nothing to worry about as it is a soluble feed. This reduces the risk of grass scorching. As always, follow the instructions and never apply it in periods of hot and dry weather.

It’s designed to be applied once a month to provide grass with a nutrient boost. You can use it as a standalone feed, but we suggest introducing a slow release fertiliser to complement the formula.

This is an excellent product and one that any gardener can make use of.

Final Verdict

Feeding your lawn needn’t be complicated. A nice green lawn is available to everyone with a garden.

There are thousands of products to choose from, but we believe we’ve selected the best ones in this guide. Our review process recommends these fertilisers as the best lawn feed products for maintaining a beautiful garden lawn.

Scotts Lawn Builder is our overall recommendation and makes the best lawn feed for most gardens.

Looking for more information on applying lawn feed? See our guide on how much lawn feed to apply.

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