Landscaping & Lawn CareGreener yards, simpler steps

Seasonal Lawn Care Calendar

A season-by-season landscaping and lawn care calendar for cool-season and warm-season lawns: what to do in spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Header Photo: onnola from Berlin / Koblenz (Germany) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Timing is half of lawn care. Use this calendar as a general guide, and shift it a few weeks earlier in warm climates or later in cold ones. Not sure which grass you have? See know your grass type.

Spring

Cool-season lawns

  • Rake up winter debris and check for thin spots.
  • Apply crabgrass pre-emergent in early spring, around when soil reaches about 55°F.
  • Start mowing once grass is actively growing. Sharpen the blade first.
  • Go light on fertilizer. Fall is the main feeding season.

Warm-season lawns

  • Apply pre-emergent in early spring.
  • Wait until the lawn fully greens up before fertilizing.
  • Begin mowing at the recommended height as growth picks up.

Landscaping

  • Clean up beds, cut back dead perennial growth, and refresh mulch.
  • Plant annual flowers after your last frost date.

Summer

Cool-season lawns

  • Raise the mower to the top of the recommended range to shade roots.
  • Water deeply about an inch per week. Some lawns go dormant and brown in drought, then recover when rain returns.
  • Skip heavy fertilizing in hot weather.

Warm-season lawns

  • This is peak growing season. Mow regularly and follow the one-third rule.
  • Fertilize according to your soil test.
  • Core aerate in late spring or early summer if soil is compacted.

Landscaping

  • Water new plants deeply in the early morning.
  • Pull weeds while they’re small.

Fall

Cool-season lawns

  • This is the most important season. Fertilize, core aerate, and overseed thin areas in early fall.
  • Keep mowing until growth stops.
  • Mulch-mow light leaf layers back into the lawn. Rake heavy layers so they don’t smother the grass.

Warm-season lawns

  • Stop fertilizing as growth slows ahead of dormancy.
  • Keep leaves off the lawn.

Landscaping

  • Plant trees and shrubs. Fall is an excellent planting season.
  • Plant spring-flowering bulbs before the ground freezes.
  • Call 811 before you dig.

Winter

  • Stay off frozen or dormant grass as much as possible. Foot traffic can damage it.
  • Service the mower: sharpen the blade, change the oil, and clean the deck.
  • Get a soil test so you’re ready to fertilize correctly next season.
  • Sketch out next year’s landscaping plans. See landscaping basics.

Sources