Spring Lawn Care Checklist

Spring is when most people overdo it. The first warm Saturday arrives, the garden center is full of bags, and the lawn gets fertilizer, weed killer and a scalping mow before the grass has even woken up.

Timing matters more than products in spring. A pre-emergent put down two weeks early runs out before crabgrass is done germinating. Fertilizer on a warm-season lawn in March feeds the weeds. I look after my own lawn, and the checklist below is ordered the way I’d do it, using guidance from university extension services: Missouri, Nebraska, UConn, Tennessee, UGA, NC State, Purdue and others.

First: which grass do you have?

Spring timing splits in two.

• Cool-season grasses (Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue) green up early, often in March or April.
• Warm-season grasses (bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede) stay brown longer and green up as soil warms, usually April into May.

If you’re not sure, my guide to cool-season vs. warm-season grass shows how to tell.

The spring checklist at a glance

1. Clean up the lawn

Start when the ground has dried enough to walk on without leaving deep prints.

Rake off leaves. Missouri Extension says leaves left on the lawn smother the grass and cause bare spots, and raking them off helps the soil warm and the lawn green up.

Check for snow mold. In the North, look for matted, gray or tan patches after the snow melts. UConn explains that gray snow mold is usually not fatal, while pink snow mold leaves tan patches with a pinkish border and can kill grass. Rake the matted areas to let them dry, and reseed patches that don’t recover.

Look for vole damage. UConn also mentions raking out dead grass where voles ran trails under the snow, then reseeding.

Pick up sticks and stones before the first mow. They dull blades and get thrown.

2. Get the mower ready

This is the part I enjoy most, because it’s just tool work.

Sharpen the blade. Missouri says to sharpen it in spring if you didn’t after the last fall mow. UConn explains why: a dull blade shreds leaf tips, which can promote disease and slows healing. My guide on how to sharpen a lawn mower blade walks through it.

Check the battery or engine. Missouri suggests starting the mower in March to check the battery and parts. For battery mowers, charge the packs fully and check the blade bolt. For gas mowers, the usual spring list is oil, air filter, spark plug and fresh fuel; follow your owner’s manual.

Set the deck height. Start at the normal height for your grass, not lower. More on that in step 8.

3. Test the soil

Missouri recommends a soil test if you haven’t had one in the last five years. Tennessee Extension says to use a soil test to guide all nutrients except nitrogen. Your county extension office can tell you how to send a sample. Spring is a good time because results come back before the main feeding season.

4. Put down crabgrass pre-emergent on time

Pre-emergents stop crabgrass seeds from establishing. They don’t kill crabgrass that’s already up. Timing is everything.

The soil temperature trigger

Missouri and Tennessee Extension both use 55°F at 2 inches deep. Tennessee says to apply before soil holds that temperature for several days in a row, which usually lines up with air temperatures averaging about 65°F. Nebraska Extension uses 55°F at 4 inches for several days.

Many state weather networks post soil temperatures online. Missouri points homeowners to its Mesonet.

The nature trigger

No thermometer? Watch the shrubs.

• Missouri’s rule of thumb: “be mellow until the forsythia turns yellow.”
• UConn gives a window: apply between full forsythia bloom and when lilacs or flowering dogwoods bloom. After that, crabgrass has probably germinated.

Don’t go too early

Nebraska explains that a pre-emergent starts breaking down as soon as it’s applied. Put it down too early and it weakens just as crabgrass germination peaks. For Lincoln, Nebraska, that meant a homeowner window of mid-April to the first week of May. Nebraska also recommends a second application around mid-June for season-long control, following the label.

Buy it in spring

Nebraska notes these products are often hard to find by midsummer.

Follow the product label for rate, watering-in and any restrictions. My best pre-emergent for lawns guide compares products.

5. Don’t seed where you spread pre-emergent

This is the most common spring conflict. Most pre-emergents stop grass seed too.

Tennessee says most pre-emergent products can’t be used for 2 to 6 months after seeding; the label gives the exact interval. The exceptions are products made for seeding:

• Siduron (Tupersan). Nebraska lists it as the pre-emergent available to homeowners that lets grass seed germinate.
• Mesotrione (Tenacity). UConn lists it as a pre-emergent option for seeded areas with crabgrass, and says it can also be applied at seeding to control broadleaf weeds.

So decide first: seed or prevent crabgrass. Or seed the bare spots with a seeding-safe product and treat the rest of the lawn normally.

6. Fertilize, at the right time for your grass

Cool-season lawns: light or skip

Missouri Extension calls September the most important time to fertilize cool-season grass. Spring feeding is optional. If you do feed:

• Missouri: about 0.5 to 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft in early to mid-April, preferably slow-release. Two or three fall feedings may make the spring one unnecessary.
• Missouri also advises against nitrogen after May 1, especially quick-release forms, because it promotes leaf disease.
• Tennessee: a light spring application when daytime temperatures are consistently 60 to 75°F.
• UConn: wait until the grass is actually growing, especially with fast-release nitrogen. For organic fertilizers, wait until soil is consistently above 50°F.

Purdue warns that overfeeding in spring increases mowing and can reduce the lawn’s tolerance for summer stress.

Warm-season lawns: wait for warm soil

• UGA says to wait until soil reaches 65°F. Feeding earlier forces green-up and burns food reserves, leaving the grass exposed to a late cold snap.
• Tennessee gives late April through May for 65°F soil, or after you’ve mowed the lawn twice that year.
• NC State’s Onslow County office says not to fertilize most warm-season lawns before May, and to wait until June if large patch disease has been a problem.

Always follow the label for rate and watering-in. My guide on when to fertilize your lawn has the full calendar.

Skip weed-and-feed early

NC State says not to use weed-and-feed products on warm-season lawns in March or April. Purdue adds that weed-and-feed products shouldn’t be watered in, and rain soon after application can reduce how well they work. Follow the label.

7. Fix thin spots and bare patches

Cool-season lawns. Fall is the better time to seed. Tennessee says spring seeding is possible but not ideal, and spring-seeded areas may need more seed in fall. If you seed in spring:

• Go early. Missouri Extension recommends March seeding there and says “April is too late.” Expect more seed loss than in fall, so use a higher rate.
• Purdue: you can still seed until late May, but earlier is better, and summer stress is hard on young grass.
• UConn: cool-season seed needs soil above 50°F to germinate.
• Tennessee: sod is the best spring option for cool-season lawns if you can do it.
• Kentucky bluegrass alone is a poor spring choice; Tennessee Extension says it shouldn’t be seeded in spring.

Warm-season lawns. Spring is the start of the planting season. Wait for consistently warm weather before seeding or plugging, as UGA’s Lincoln County office advises.

My guide on how to overseed covers the steps.

8. Start mowing, and don’t scalp

Mow when the grass is growing and dry. Purdue says wet grass should dry first for a cleaner cut.

Use the one-third rule from the first cut. UGA’s Lincoln County office says not to remove more than one-third of the blade at once, because it can cause die-back that invites weeds and bare spots. If the grass is long, lower the deck gradually over several mows.

Mow high on cool-season grass. Nebraska recommends about 3 inches all season. In a Nebraska study, raising Kentucky bluegrass from 1.5 to 2.5 inches cut crabgrass from 80% cover to under 15%.

Warm-season heights. UGA Lincoln County lists bermudagrass and zoysia at about 1.5 inches, centipede at 2 inches and St. Augustine at 3 inches. Tennessee notes spring heights can be slightly lower than summer heights, rising as it warms.

Scalping is optional. Tennessee says scalping bermudagrass or zoysia in early spring, after the frost risk is past, is optional; bag the clippings. It can also increase weeds by exposing soil to light.

How to mow a lawn covers patterns, heights and clippings.

9. Aerate if the soil is compacted

• Cool-season: fall is the main window, but Purdue says April or May works when soil moisture is good.
• Warm-season: NC State recommends core aeration with hollow tines in May or June, when the grass is growing.

Aerate where the lawn is compacted: paths, play areas, heavy clay. Not every lawn needs it every year.

10. Go easy on water

Spring rain usually covers it.

UGA’s Lincoln County office says warm-season lawns don’t need irrigation in spring unless it’s consistently 80 to 85°F or more and there have been 5 to 7 days without rain. Then about 1 inch a week, deep and infrequent. For cool-season lawns, wait for stress signs: a blue-gray tint or footprints that stay.

Watering lightly every day in spring sets up shallow roots before summer. How often to water your lawn covers the details.

11. Deal with broadleaf weeds

Dandelions. Purdue says they flower for about three to four weeks each spring. Spot-treat a few with a small spray bottle, or use a broadcast product on a heavy infestation.

Clover often grows in larger patches and flowers around May or June, according to Purdue.

Warm-season lawns. NC State says to control winter weeds in February and not to spray weed killers during green-up, when the grass is sensitive. UGA Lincoln County says to hold off on post-emergent herbicides until about 3 to 4 weeks after the grass leaves dormancy.

Don’t spot-spray glyphosate on the lawn. Missouri warns it kills the grass as well as the weeds.

Follow the product label for every herbicide.

What not to do in spring

• Put down pre-emergent where you’re about to seed.
• Fertilize warm-season grass before the soil is about 65°F.
• Load cool-season lawns with nitrogen after May 1.
• Scalp a cool-season lawn on the first mow.
• Power rake centipede or St. Augustine (NC State says not to).
• Treat for grubs in spring. NC State says fall is the time for white grubs in warm-season lawns.
• Water every day.

A sample spring timeline

This is a rough guide for a cool-season lawn in the Midwest. Shift it earlier in the South, later in the North, and use soil temperature over dates.

For a warm-season lawn, add: wait for soil around 65°F, feed in May, aerate in May or June. The lawn care calendar covers all twelve months.