Lawn Care Tips: A Simple Year-Round Schedule for a Thick, Green Lawn
Easy lawn care tips for every season: mowing height, watering, fertilizing, weed control and when to aerate and overseed, for both cool-season and warm-season grasses.
In this article
A healthy lawn comes down to a few habits done consistently: mowing high, watering deeply, feeding at the right time and keeping weeds from taking over. Here's a simple, season-by-season lawn care plan.
Know your grass
Cool-season grasses (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass) dominate the northern U.S. and grow most in spring and fall. Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede) dominate the South and grow most in summer. The timing of key tasks depends on which you have.
The 5 most important lawn care tips
- Mow high. Taller grass shades out weeds and grows deeper roots. Never cut more than one-third of the blade at once.
- Keep mower blades sharp. Dull blades tear grass, leaving ragged, brown tips.
- Leave the clippings. "Grasscycling" returns nutrients to the soil.
- Water deeply and infrequently. About 1 inch per week, including rain, in the early morning.
- Test your soil before fertilizing so you apply only what your lawn needs.
Spring
- Rake out dead grass and debris once the lawn dries out.
- Apply a pre-emergent to prevent crabgrass before soil temperatures reach about 55°F (don't use it where you plan to seed).
- Cool-season lawns: a light feeding in late spring if needed. Warm-season lawns: fertilize once the grass greens up and is actively growing.
- Sharpen mower blades and tune up equipment.
Summer
- Raise the mowing height during heat.
- Water deeply in the morning. Cool-season lawns may go dormant and brown in drought, which is normal, and they typically recover when cooler, wetter weather returns.
- Warm-season lawns are at peak growth: this is their main feeding and repair season.
- Watch for grubs and brown patches.
Fall
- Cool-season lawns: the best time to aerate, overseed and fertilize. See our fall lawn care checklist.
- Mulch leaves with the mower or remove heavy layers.
- Treat perennial broadleaf weeds. See how to control common lawn weeds.
- Keep mowing until growth stops.
Winter
- Avoid heavy traffic on frozen or dormant grass.
- Service your mower and store it properly.
- Plan improvements for spring.
Consider less lawn
Lawns need regular water and mowing. Replacing hard-to-grow areas, like deep shade or steep slopes, with groundcovers, mulch beds or native plantings saves time and money. See our easy landscaping ideas.
