Guide
A lawn care calendar for your grass type
Cool-season grass gets its main feeding in early fall, warm-season grass in late spring and summer, and both get crabgrass preventer when the soil reaches 55°F.
Satisfy+ Editorial · Published May 18, 2026 · 4 min read
At a glance
- Cool-season grasses
- Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, fine and tall fescue
- Warm-season grasses
- Bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia, buffalograss
- Crabgrass preventer
- When soil holds 55°F at 2 inches deep
- Mowing
- Never more than one-third of the blade at once
A lawn's calendar depends on its grass. Cool-season grasses grow most in spring and fall and can go dormant in hot, dry weather, recovering when it turns cooler and wetter. Warm-season grasses grow most in the hottest part of the year and go dormant in fall and winter. Feeding either one at the wrong time works against it. A cool-season lawn pushed with nitrogen in late spring grows soft leaves at the expense of roots, and fungi take their toll in summer.
Know your grass
Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue and tall fescue are cool-season grasses, which take the cold of northern regions. Bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia and buffalograss are warm-season grasses, which thrive in southern regions. If you aren't sure which you have, watch the lawn in fall. A warm-season lawn goes dormant and turns tan, while a cool-season lawn keeps growing into late fall.
The timing below follows the weather, not the date. A calendar written for one place can be two weeks or more off in another. Go by the triggers instead: soil temperature, frost, and when the grass starts and stops growing.
All year, for every lawn
- Mow by the one-third rule. Cut off no more than a third of the grass blade at once. Most lawns do best mowed at 2 to 4 inches, and a taller cut grows deeper roots.
- Leave the clippings. They return nutrients to the soil and cut the fertilizer the lawn needs.
- Water only when the grass shows stress. Rolled leaves, or footprints that stay visible several minutes after you walk across the lawn, mean it needs water.
- Test the soil. A test shows the nutrients and pH, so you know what fertilizer the lawn needs. Your local Cooperative Extension office offers soil testing.
Cool-season lawns
| Season | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late winter | Have the mower serviced and the blade sharpened. Test the soil if it hasn't been tested recently. |
| Early spring | Put down crabgrass preventer when the soil holds 55°F at 2 inches deep for several days, about when forsythia blooms. Water it in with about a quarter inch of water. |
| Spring | Spot-treat broadleaf weeds on a day that's 50°F or warmer. Fertilize lightly only if the lawn is thin or pale. |
| Late spring | Stop putting down nitrogen. Fertilizing past early May encourages leaf disease. |
| Summer | Water deeply and less often, to a depth of about 6 inches, in the early morning. Raise the mowing height half an inch to an inch if the lawn is thin. |
| Late summer to early fall | Seed or sod bare spots, aerate and overseed thin areas. This is the best time to start new grass. |
| Early fall | Fertilize. This is the most important feeding of the year. |
| Mid to late fall | Treat broadleaf weeds, which are easier to control now than in spring. Fertilize again once cool days slow the grass. Keep mowing at the usual height until it stops growing. |
Warm-season lawns
| Season | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late winter | Have the mower serviced and the blade sharpened. Test the soil. |
| Early spring | Put down crabgrass preventer when the soil holds 55°F at 2 inches deep for several days. Mow once and collect the clippings, which clears dead growth so the soil warms and the lawn greens up sooner. |
| Late spring and summer | Fertilize once the lawn has greened up, using a granular fertilizer with at least 30 percent of its nitrogen in slow-release form, at the rate the soil test calls for. Mow by the one-third rule. |
| Early fall | Raise the mowing height by at least half an inch before the lawn goes dormant. Treat winter weeds once the soil stays below 70°F at 2 inches deep for seven days. |
| After the first frost | Stop mowing. Mulch fallen leaves into the lawn with the mower rather than leaving them to mat down. |
An annotated example
What to do next
Find out which grass you have, then note your own triggers. A soil thermometer tells you when the crabgrass preventer goes down, and your state's extension service may publish a calendar for your area. Watering the lawn covers how much water to put down, and fall lawn care covers aerating and overseeding a cool-season lawn.
Set up the lawn's year
- Test the lawn's soil before you fertilize
- Put down crabgrass preventer when the forsythia blooms
- Apply fertilizer on the grass type's schedule
- Have the mower blade sharpened before mowing season
FAQ
When should I fertilize my lawn?
A cool-season lawn gets its main feeding in early fall. A warm-season lawn is fed after it greens up, through late spring and summer.
When do I put down crabgrass preventer?
When the soil holds 55°F at 2 inches deep for several days, which is about when forsythia blooms.
How short should I mow?
Most lawns do best at 2 to 4 inches, cutting off no more than a third of the blade at a time.
Sources
Checked October 19, 2026
- University of Tennessee Extension. Lawn maintenance calendar (PB 1903) (2023)
- University of Missouri Extension. Cool-season grasses: lawn maintenance calendar (G6705) (2025)
- Kansas State University Research and Extension. Homeowner do-it-yourself lawn calendar for cool-season grasses (2017)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense. Landscaping tips (2026)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense. Turfgrass and water efficiency (2026)
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