If you choose, you may allow your lawn to go dormant in the summer by withholding water. With fall rains, the brown lawn will turn green quickly. Cover bare soil with coarse organic matter or aged compost to bind up any available nitrogen. Plant winter cover crops, or grow winter vegetables if the temperature is mild enough. Avoid spreading fresh manure unless a crop will be growing.
Fresh manure contains ammonia that easily can convert to nitrate and leach.
Carefully identify your plant or soil problem before adding more nitrogen fertilizer. Signs of nitrogen deficiency are leaves yellowing from the tips towards the stem, plants yellowing from the ground up, and stunted growth. If your plants show signs of nitrogen deficiency but you've already added recommended amounts of nitrogen, your soil pH may be out of the optimal range. Check your pH and adjust according to recommendations. Refer to EC 1503 and EC 1492 .