Lawn Care Field Guide
Plain-English answers to common lawn care questions, from grass types and fertilizer to weed control, pests, and the tools that apply them.
Grass Types
Bahia
A tough, low-maintenance warm-season grass common in Florida and the Gulf Coast. It has coarse, V-shaped blades and spreads by rhizomes. Bahia is highly drought-tolerant but produces tall, unsightly seed heads frequently.
Bermuda
The most widely used warm-season turfgrass in the southern US. Bermuda has fine, dense blades and spreads aggressively by both above-ground stolons and underground rhizomes. It thrives in heat and full sun but goes dormant and turns brown in winter.
Buffalo Grass
A native North American grass adapted to the Great Plains. Buffalo grass has very fine, soft blades and is one of the most drought-tolerant grasses available. It requires minimal water and fertilizer, making it ideal for low-maintenance or eco-friendly lawns.
Centipede
A low-maintenance warm-season grass popular in the Southeast. Centipede spreads slowly by stolons and is nicknamed "the lazy man's grass" because it requires minimal fertilizer, mowing, and water. It is sensitive to over-fertilizing and performs poorly in drought.
Fine Fescue
A group of cool-season grasses known for their very fine, needle-like blades and excellent shade tolerance. Fine fescues include creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, and hard fescue. They are commonly blended with Kentucky Bluegrass for shaded and low-maintenance lawns.
Kentucky Bluegrass
The most recognized cool-season turfgrass in the northern US. Kentucky Bluegrass has fine, dark green blades with a distinctive boat-shaped tip and spreads underground via rhizomes, allowing it to self-repair. It produces a beautiful, dense lawn but requires more water and care than other cool-season grasses.
Perennial Ryegrass
A fast-germinating cool-season grass used for overseeding and quick establishment. Perennial ryegrass has shiny, fine-medium blades and germinates in 5–7 days — faster than any other common turfgrass. It forms a bunch-type grass and does not spread on its own.
St. Augustine
A coarse-bladed warm-season grass dominant in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and coastal areas. St. Augustine spreads aggressively by stolons and is one of the most shade-tolerant warm-season grasses. Its wide, rounded blades give it a distinct, lush appearance.
Tall Fescue
A versatile cool-season grass found throughout the US, including the challenging Transition Zone. Tall fescue has medium-to-coarse blades, forms a bunch-type grass, and stays green year-round in many climates. It is more heat and drought-tolerant than other cool-season grasses, making it a popular choice where summers are hot.
Zoysia
A dense, slow-growing warm-season grass prized for its weed resistance and feel underfoot. Zoysia spreads by both stolons and rhizomes to form a very thick mat that naturally crowds out weeds. It tolerates more shade than Bermuda and is popular across the South and Transition Zone.
Fertilizer
Humic Acid
A soil conditioner derived from decomposed organic matter. Humic acid improves soil structure, helps roots absorb nutrients more efficiently, and is especially beneficial in sandy or compacted soils. It is not a fertilizer itself, but makes fertilizers work better.
Iron (Fe)
Iron is a micronutrient that gives grass its deep green color. Unlike nitrogen, iron produces a rich, dark green without pushing excessive blade growth. It is especially valuable for centipede grass and St. Augustine, and for greening up a lawn mid-summer without risking disease.
Lawn Burn
Brown or yellow streaks caused by applying too much fertilizer in one area. Nitrogen in high concentrations pulls water out of grass roots through osmosis, causing them to dry out. Quick-release fertilizers applied in summer heat are the most common cause.
Nitrogen (N)
The first number in an NPK fertilizer ratio. Nitrogen drives leaf and blade growth and is responsible for the deep green color of healthy turf. It is the nutrient lawns need most, but too much can cause rapid, weak growth and increase disease risk.
NPK Ratio
The three numbers on every bag of fertilizer — for example, 28-0-6. They represent the percentage by weight of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). A 28-0-6 bag is 28% nitrogen, 0% phosphorus, and 6% potassium.
Phosphorus (P)
The middle number in an NPK ratio. Phosphorus supports root development, seed germination, and early establishment. Established lawns often need little or no phosphorus — many modern fertilizers list 0 for the middle number.
Potassium (K)
The third number in an NPK ratio. Potassium strengthens grass cell walls, improves drought and cold tolerance, and boosts disease resistance. It is the key ingredient in "winterizer" fertilizers applied in fall.
Quick-Release Fertilizer
Fertilizer that delivers nutrients to the grass immediately after application. Quick-release products produce fast green-up within days but wear off faster and carry a higher risk of burning grass if over-applied or applied in hot weather.
Slow-Release Fertilizer
Fertilizer that releases nutrients gradually over 6–12 weeks. Slow-release products provide consistent feeding, reduce the risk of burning, and require fewer applications per season. They typically cost more but are safer and more forgiving.
Starter Fertilizer
A fertilizer high in phosphorus specifically designed for new lawns, overseeding, and sod installation. The extra phosphorus supports fast root development so new grass establishes before it faces heat, cold, or drought stress.
Winterizer
A fall fertilizer high in potassium and lower in nitrogen applied before the lawn goes dormant. Winterizer helps grass store energy, harden cell walls against cold, and green up faster in spring. It is one of the most beneficial treatments a lawn owner can do.
Weed Killer
2,4-D
The most common broadleaf herbicide active ingredient, found in most lawn weed killers. It has been used since the 1940s and is highly effective against dandelions, clover, plantain, and hundreds of other broadleaf weeds. It is safe for most established lawn grasses.
Broadleaf Herbicide
A selective herbicide that targets plants with wide leaves — dandelions, clover, chickweed, henbit, ground ivy, and more — while leaving grass unharmed. It works by mimicking natural plant hormones, causing affected plants to grow uncontrollably until they die.
Glyphosate
The active ingredient in Roundup and similar non-selective herbicides. Glyphosate kills virtually all plants it contacts, including your grass. It is used for total vegetation removal, not for weed control within an established lawn.
Non-Selective Herbicide
An herbicide that kills all plants it contacts regardless of species. Non-selective herbicides like glyphosate are used for total vegetation removal — clearing an area for renovation, killing tough perennial weeds, or removing grass before a new lawn installation.
Post-Emergent Herbicide
A herbicide applied to weeds that are already visible and growing above ground. Post-emergent products are what most homeowners use when they see weeds in their lawn. They are most effective when weeds are small and actively growing.
Selective Herbicide
An herbicide that targets specific types of plants while leaving others unharmed. Broadleaf herbicides are selective — they kill dandelions and clover without harming grass. Selecting the right selective herbicide is critical to avoiding damage to your lawn.
Weed & Feed
A combination product that includes both a granular fertilizer and a broadleaf herbicide. Weed & feed granules must be applied to damp grass so they stick to weed leaves. They are convenient but less targeted than separate weed killer and fertilizer applications.
Pre-Emergent
Crabgrass
The #1 target of spring pre-emergent applications. Crabgrass is a warm-season annual grassy weed that germinates when soil temperatures reach 55°F and spreads aggressively through summer. It dies in the first frost but leaves bare patches behind.
Dithiopyr
A pre-emergent herbicide with a unique advantage: it also provides some early post-emergent control of crabgrass in its first leaf stage. This wider application window makes it popular in areas where spring pre-emergent timing is uncertain.
Pendimethalin
A widely available pre-emergent herbicide often sold under the brand name Pendulum. It works by preventing root and shoot development in germinating seeds. Pendimethalin is effective but breaks down faster than prodiamine, making timing more critical.
Poa Annua (Annual Bluegrass)
A winter annual grassy weed that germinates in fall and winter, produces light green clumps in your lawn, then dies as temperatures rise in late spring — leaving bare patches. It is the primary target of fall pre-emergent applications.
Pre-Emergent Herbicide
An herbicide applied to soil before weed seeds germinate. Pre-emergents create a chemical barrier that prevents seedling roots from developing. They don't kill existing plants — they only prevent new ones from sprouting from seed.
Prodiamine
One of the most effective and long-lasting pre-emergent herbicides available. Prodiamine (sold as Barricade) provides up to 4–5 months of weed prevention and is effective against crabgrass, goosegrass, and dozens of other annual weeds.
Soil Temperature
The temperature of the soil at a 4-inch depth — the key timing indicator for pre-emergent applications. Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures consistently reach 55°F. Pre-emergents should be applied before this threshold, ideally when soil temps are 50–53°F.
Split Application
Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in two half-rate applications spaced 4–8 weeks apart instead of one full-rate application. Split applications provide better season-long protection and are especially useful in warm climates where crabgrass germinates over a longer window.
Bugs & Pests
Armyworms
Caterpillars that can devastate a lawn in 24–48 hours by consuming grass blades in large, sweeping "armies." Most common in late summer and fall. Fall armyworms are the most damaging species in the South, while true armyworms cause problems in the North.
Billbugs
Weevil-like beetles whose larvae feed inside grass stems at soil level. Billbug damage appears as brown, dying patches in summer that tug out of the ground easily because the roots are severed. Zoysia and Kentucky Bluegrass are especially susceptible.
Chinch Bugs
The #1 insect pest of St. Augustine grass. Chinch bugs pierce grass blades and suck out plant juices, injecting a toxin that causes yellowing and death. Damage appears as expanding yellow or brown patches in hot, sunny areas of the lawn during summer.
Grubs (White Grubs)
C-shaped white larvae of beetles — primarily Japanese beetles, masked chafers, and June bugs. Grubs feed on grass roots in summer and fall, causing brown patches that lift up like a carpet because the roots are destroyed. A preventative treatment applied in June–July is far more effective than a curative treatment.
Mole Crickets
Burrowing insects that tunnel through the soil just below the surface, uprooting grass and severing roots. Mole crickets are a major lawn pest in the Southeast, particularly in sandy soils. Damage appears as spongy, raised tunnels and dying turf.
Sod Webworms
Caterpillar larvae that feed on grass blades at night and hide in silk-lined tunnels at the soil surface during the day. Damage appears as irregular brown patches with ragged, closely clipped grass. Adult moths (buff-colored, with a snout) fly in a zig-zag pattern over the lawn at dusk.
Spreaders
Broadcast / Rotary Spreader
The most common type of lawn spreader. A broadcast spreader uses a spinning disc to throw granular product in a wide arc as you walk. It covers large areas quickly and evenly. Most bag labels will list settings for popular broadcast spreader brands.
Drop Spreader
A spreader that drops granules straight down in a precise band as wide as the hopper. Drop spreaders offer precise control with no sideways throw, making them ideal for applying product near beds, driveways, or in narrow strips. They require more passes to cover large areas.
Handheld Spreader
A small, hand-cranked rotary spreader for small areas, spot treatments, and tight spaces. Handheld spreaders are inexpensive and convenient but are not precise enough for accurate rate application over large areas.
Perpendicular Passes
A technique where you apply product in two separate passes at 90-degree angles to each other — for example, north-south first, then east-west. Each pass uses half the total product. This technique ensures even, uniform coverage and eliminates the streaks or gaps that can occur with a single-direction pass.
Spreader Calibration
The process of setting your spreader to deliver the correct amount of product per 1,000 square feet. Every spreader has a numbered dial that controls the size of the opening. Product bags list recommended settings for popular spreader brands — always start with the bag's recommendation.
Sprayers
Backpack Sprayer
A pressurized sprayer worn on your back with a capacity of 3–4 gallons. Backpack sprayers are ideal for treating medium-to-large lawns with liquid herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides. The backpack design distributes weight comfortably and reduces fatigue on large jobs.
Hose-End Sprayer
A bottle that attaches to your garden hose and automatically dilutes concentrate as water flows through. Hose-end sprayers are fast and convenient for large-area applications. The hose pressure does the work, so no pumping is required.
Nozzle Types
The nozzle on a sprayer determines the pattern and droplet size of the spray. Fan nozzles produce a flat, even sheet and are best for broadcast applications. Cone nozzles produce a circular pattern for spot treatments. Stream nozzles deliver a concentrated jet for hard-to-reach areas.
Pump Sprayer
A hand-held pressurized tank for applying liquid products. Most homeowners use 1–2 gallon pump sprayers for spot-treating weeds, applying liquid fertilizer, and treating small areas with insecticides or fungicides. You pump the handle to build pressure, then pull the trigger to spray.
Spot Spraying
Applying herbicide or pesticide only to the specific areas where weeds or pests are present, rather than treating the entire lawn. Spot spraying uses less product, reduces environmental impact, and minimizes risk to the surrounding turf.
Micronutrients
Calcium (Ca)
A secondary macronutrient that strengthens cell walls and supports root development. Calcium is rarely deficient in established lawns but plays an important role in soil pH management. Lime (calcium carbonate) is often applied to raise soil pH and as a calcium source simultaneously.
Iron (Fe)
The most commonly applied micronutrient in lawn care. Iron is essential for chlorophyll production — the pigment that makes grass green. Iron applications produce deep, rich green color without stimulating excessive growth. See also: Iron (Fertilizer section).
Magnesium (Mg)
A secondary macronutrient at the center of every chlorophyll molecule. Without adequate magnesium, chlorophyll cannot form and grass turns yellow. Magnesium deficiency is more common in acidic, sandy soils with high rainfall.
Manganese (Mn)
A micronutrient that plays a role in photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and root function. Manganese deficiency looks similar to iron deficiency — interveinal chlorosis — but is most common in high-pH soils and sandy soils. Bermuda and St. Augustine are particularly susceptible.
Sulfur (S)
A secondary macronutrient that supports protein synthesis and plays a role in deep green color. Sulfur is also used to lower soil pH in alkaline soils — a valuable use in the West and areas with hard water.