Summer
Watch out for grubs. They go after your plants’ tender root systems in early summer.- Adjust your mower blades to 3 inches and mow frequently.
- Manually remove any weeds that have slipped past your pre-emergent herbicides.
- Water deeply and infrequently to allow water to reach your lawn’s roots. Healthy lawns need about 1 inch of water per week. Water early in the morning or at sunset to minimize evaporation.
- Look for pooling water after summer storms. These indicate irrigation issues you’ll need to address in the future.
- Clean underneath your lawn mower once a month to prevent diseases from spreading.
Fall
- Patch any dead or bare areas in the yard.
- Keep the yard clear of debris.
- Aerate and overseed the lawn if you didn’t do so in the spring.
- Only fertilize the lawn early in the season. Fertilizing in late autumn jumpstarts growth just as the grass enters dormancy, which increases the risk of winter injury.
Winter
- Keep the lawn clean of debris.
- Minimize lawn traffic, which damages dormant grass.
- Don’t forget to water your lawn in the winter. It needs less moisture than it does in the summer, but the grass still needs adequate hydration.
Spring
- Sharpen mower blades. Dull blades will tear the grass, opening it up to further damage and disease.
- Tune your mower to ensure it runs smoothly all summer. Check your spark plug and air filter.
- Refill the gas. First drain old gas, which can get watered down and damage your mower’s engine.
- Clean up winter debris. This will help your lawn grow without dead patches.
- Apply pre-emergent herbicides to stop weeds before they sprout.
- Fertilize your lawn just before the start of growing season.
- Aerate and overseed your grass to keep it in peak health.