Lawn Care Calendar
Pick your grass type for a month-by-month treatment schedule: what to put down and when, from spring pre-emergent through fall overseeding and winterizer. Covers cool-season, warm-season, and transition-zone lawns.
Spring Pre-Emergent
Apply before soil hits 55°F
The most critical treatment of the year. Prevents crabgrass and other summer annual weeds from germinating. Timing is everything — apply too late and it's ineffective, too early and it may break down.
What to use: Granular pre-emergent with prodiamine or pendimethalin as the active ingredient. Corn gluten meal is an organic alternative (less effective but safe for new seeding areas).
Rate: 2–3 lbs of product per 1,000 sq ft, or per label instructions.
Caution: Do NOT seed within 8–12 weeks of applying a synthetic pre-emergent. Pre-emergents prevent ALL seed germination.
Early Spring Fertilizer
Light feeding to wake up your lawn
Apply a moderate, slow-release fertilizer as the lawn exits dormancy. Avoid heavy nitrogen this early — cool-season grasses can handle a push, but too much too soon promotes disease and excessive leaf growth at the expense of roots.
What to use: Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Avoid high-phosphorus products on established lawns unless a soil test shows a deficiency.
Rate: 0.5 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. Use slow-release formulas.
Late Spring Fertilizer (Optional)
Optional light feed before summer
A light application before summer heat can help carry cool-season grass through the stress period. Skip if your lawn looks healthy — overfeeding into summer heat invites disease.
What to use: Low-nitrogen, slow-release formula. Consider a humic acid supplement to improve root resilience.
Rate: 0.5 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft maximum.
Caution: Skip if temperatures regularly exceed 85°F. Cool-season grasses under heat stress cannot use extra nitrogen.
Broadleaf Weed Control
Target dandelions, clover, and broadleaf weeds
Spring is the best time to attack broadleaf weeds as they are actively growing. Selective broadleaf herbicides leave your grass untouched while killing the weeds.
What to use: Selective broadleaf herbicide containing 2,4-D, dicamba, or MCPP. Spot-spray problem areas rather than blanket spraying the whole lawn.
Rate: Follow label mixing instructions carefully. Most require 1–2 oz per gallon of water.
Caution: Do not apply when temperatures exceed 85°F or wind speed is above 10 mph. Avoid spray drift near gardens and trees.
Grub Preventative
Prevent grubs before they hatch
Japanese beetle and other grub eggs are laid in early summer. A preventative grub treatment applied in June–July kills larvae before they establish. Much more effective than curative treatments in fall.
What to use: Granular grub preventer with chlorantraniliprole or imidacloprid. Apply and water in immediately — needs to move into the soil to reach larval zone.
Rate: 2–3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. Water in with ½ inch of irrigation within 24 hours.
Fall Pre-Emergent
Block winter annual weeds
A second pre-emergent in late summer/early fall targets winter annual weeds like annual bluegrass (Poa annua), hairy bittercress, and henbit. This is often skipped but very effective.
What to use: Same prodiamine or pendimethalin products as spring. Split applications work well — apply half in August, half in September.
Rate: 1.5–2 lbs per 1,000 sq ft (half the spring rate is fine for fall).
Caution: If you plan to overseed bare spots this fall, wait until 8–12 weeks after pre-emergent application or the seed will not germinate.
Fall Main Fertilizer
The most important feeding of the year
Fall is prime time for cool-season lawns. The lawn is actively growing roots and storing energy for winter. A solid fall fertilization produces thicker, greener turf next spring.
What to use: High-nitrogen fertilizer, quick- or slow-release. A 3:1 nitrogen-to-potassium ratio is ideal for root development going into winter.
Rate: 0.75–1.0 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft.
Winterizer
Tuck your lawn in for winter
The last feeding of the year. High potassium content strengthens cell walls and improves cold hardiness. The lawn stores these nutrients through winter and uses them for a strong spring green-up.
What to use: High-potassium, lower-nitrogen fertilizer. Look for "winterizer" labeled products.
Rate: 0.5 lb N and 0.25 lb K per 1,000 sq ft. Apply before ground freezes.
Fall Overseeding
The best time to overseed cool-season lawns
Late summer to early fall is the prime overseeding window for cool-season grasses. Soil temps are still warm enough for germination (50–65°F) while cooler air reduces heat stress on seedlings. New turf has the entire fall and spring to establish before summer heat.
What to use: Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, or Kentucky Bluegrass seed for sun/shade areas respectively. Avoid overseeding with pre-emergent herbicide in the ground — it will block germination.
Rate: Tall Fescue: 5–8 lbs/1,000 sq ft. KBG: 2–3 lbs/1,000 sq ft. Ryegrass: 5–8 lbs/1,000 sq ft.
Caution: Do NOT apply pre-emergent herbicide within 8–12 weeks of overseeding. The same barrier that stops weed seeds will stop your grass seed.
Spring Overseeding (Secondary)
Spring repairs work — fall is still preferred
Spring overseeding can fill in bare or thin spots, but seedlings will face summer heat before they have time to fully establish. Reserve spring overseeding for spot repairs rather than whole-lawn renovation.
What to use: Perennial Ryegrass for fastest germination. Avoid KBG in spring — it is too slow.
Rate: Spot repair: 5–8 lbs per 1,000 sq ft of bare area only.
Caution: Applying a spring pre-emergent will block germination. Choose one or the other.
Get reminders for your lawn
SimpleLawn builds this schedule around your actual lawn and reminds you when it is time. Free on iPhone.