Autumn lawn feed vs summer feed
Updated: October 2026
The summer bag is already open on the garage floor, it is the middle of October, and the lawn looks tired. Autumn lawn feed vs summer feed is a narrower question than a full shop: whether that high-nitrogen bag is the wrong analysis now, and what to do instead. The packs that belong in autumn are the ones in the [autumn lawn fertiliser comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/autumn-lawn-fertiliser). The checks that are not about nitrogen sit on the [buying guide](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/autumn-lawn-fertiliser/sub/autumn-lawn-fertiliser-buying-guide). Peter F. checked the listings in October 2026. This is not a lawn trial.
The summer bag is already open on the garage floor, it is the middle of October, and the lawn looks tired.
The summer bag is already open on the garage floor, it is the middle of October, and the lawn looks tired. Autumn lawn feed vs summer feed is a narrower question than a full shop: whether that high-nitrogen bag is the wrong analysis now, and what to do instead. The packs that belong in autumn are the ones in the autumn lawn fertiliser comparison. The checks that are not about nitrogen sit on the buying guide. Peter F. checked the listings in October 2026. This is not a lawn trial.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | NPK | Season | Form | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro 4-in-1 Autumn Lawn Care 360 m² | 6-5-10 | September, October, or November | Granules | 7.2 | about £24.75 | View offer |
 Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro EverGreen Autumn Lawn Care 12.6 kg | n/a | September to November | Granules | 9.2 | about £24.00 | View offer | |
| Preis-Tipp |  Miracle-Gro Miracle-Gro Autumn Lawn Care 80 m² | 6-5-10 | September to November | Granules | 8.9 | about £12.48 | View offer |
Two bags, two jobs
Miracle-Gro's own table puts Complete 4 in 1 at UK NPK 14-0-5 for spring and summer, and Autumn Lawn Care at 6-5-10. Fourteen parts nitrogen against six is more than twice the nitrogen, and the summer bag has no phosphorus in that declared analysis. The autumn bag carries phosphorus and twice the potassium of that summer line.
The season on the summer bullets is April to September. The autumn listings in this set say September to November, and the manufacturer page says September to mid-November. October sits inside the autumn window and outside the summer one. Your bag's label wins if a maker calendar disagrees.
What soft growth costs you
Extra nitrogen in October feeds soft leaf. The RHS says that lush growth is more open to disease, and its fusarium patch note is specific: avoid high nitrogen in late summer and autumn, use a proprietary autumn feed, and remember there is no fungicide an amateur gardener can buy for lawn diseases. You cannot spray your way out of a bag you should have left in the shed.
That is not a claim that summer feed kills the lawn overnight. In the Amazon reviews of autumn iron packs, people describe brown patches from heaps, which is a spreading fault, not the nitrogen contrast. If you already spread the summer bag last week, do not stack an autumn dose on top. Next September is the honest time for the 6-5-10, if the lawn still looks weak.
The 4-in-1 trap
4-in-1 on the summer bag is not the same product as 4-in-1 on an autumn bag. Miracle-Gro Complete 4 in 1 is the April to September feed at 14-0-5. It was taken out of this comparison because those bullets are the summer season. The autumn listings that say 4-in-1, such as the 360 m² and 80 m² Autumn Lawn Care pages, are the September to November products, and the ones that print an analysis use 6-5-10 with iron sulphate.
The name overlap is how the open bag gets onto the lawn. Turn it over. If the window is April to September, it stays shut in October even if it still claims moss or a weed killer. The season test is the one that decides the open summer sack.
What to do instead
If the lawn is weak, thin after drought, or just scarified, and you are still inside September to November with no frost in the ground, use an autumn-labelled feed from the main comparison. The granular packs that state an analysis are 6-5-10. Put it on at the packet rate, which for Miracle-Gro's autumn product is a maximum of 35 g per square metre. The steps are on the how to apply page.
If the lawn is fine, buy nothing until spring. Store the summer bag dry and use it when its own window opens next April. Do not pour washings down a drain. If the problem you actually have is moss under trees, iron will blacken it for a fortnight and the moss will return while the shade remains. That limit is on the moss control page.
Common questions
Can I use summer lawn feed in autumn?
No. The RHS says not to use leftover summer feed, because too much nitrogen stimulates lush growth that is vulnerable to disease. Miracle-Gro's summer Complete 4 in 1 is 14-0-5 for April to September. Its autumn feed is 6-5-10 for the autumn window. Leave the summer bag shut.
What is the difference in NPK?
On Miracle-Gro's UK table, summer Complete 4 in 1 is 14-0-5 and Autumn Lawn Care is 6-5-10. You get less nitrogen, some phosphorus, and more potassium on the autumn bag. Other brands differ. Aftercut's autumn product is 4-5-15, which is still a low-nitrogen, higher-potassium pattern, and it is not in this amazon.co.uk set.
Will summer feed kill the lawn overnight?
Do not expect a dead lawn by morning. The risk the RHS describes is soft growth, frost damage and disease such as fusarium patch, not an instant burn from the analysis alone. Burns in the autumn-pack reviews come from heaps of granules, which is a spreading problem on whichever bag you overdose.
I already put summer feed down in October. What now?
Wait. Do not add an autumn fertiliser on top of last week's summer dose. Water only if the label you used tells you to, and keep pets off if that label says so. Mow higher while the grass is growing. Judge the lawn in spring, and use an autumn analysis next September only if it still looks weak.
Does autumn feed green the lawn more slowly?
It is built to. Less nitrogen means less of the quick flush a 14-0-5 bag is sold for in May. Reviewers of the autumn granules still report a thicker green after about four weeks, and they often judge the real result the following spring. If you wanted a fortnight of deep colour in October, that is the summer product used in the wrong month.
Can I use autumn feed in April?
The listings in this set say September to November. April is the summer-bag window on Complete 4 in 1. An autumn 6-5-10 in April will not match the growth the lawn is ready for, and you will have used one of the two applications Miracle-Gro allows in a year. Keep it for autumn.
Is a 4-in-1 the same as an autumn 4-in-1?
No. Complete 4 in 1 on Miracle-Gro's table is the spring and summer feed at 14-0-5. An autumn 4-in-1 in this comparison is a different listing, with a September to November window and, where it is printed, NPK 6-5-10 plus iron. Read the season line, not the count of jobs on the front. Late high nitrogen is the fusarium risk the RHS describes, and there is no amateur fungicide for that lawn disease.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the nine amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Farming Rules for Water is an agricultural limit, not a householder statute. A pet line is quoted only where that listing prints it.
- RHS, lawn care in autumn (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, lawns in October (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, fertilisers (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, fusarium patch and snow mould (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE, garden pesticides (retrieved October 2026)
- Miracle-Gro Autumn Lawn Care UK (retrieved October 2026)
- Miracle-Gro Autumn Lawn Care 360 m² pack label (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Farming Rules for Water (retrieved October 2026)