Spring Into Action: The Ideal Time to Begin Your Spring Lawn Care Routine

Spring is here! Whether or not good weather has followed in your area, it’s time to start thinking about lawn care. When’s the right time to start mowing? Is there anything I need to do before I start cutting grass? Today, we’re answering those questions and more with our guide to starting your spring lawn care routine. Keep reading for definitive tips on when to get your turf grass under control.

The Basics: When is it okay to start lawn care?

There’s a quick and fast rule you can follow to determine when it’s okay to start working on your lawn and in the garden: wait until the weather consistently stays above 40°F.

Climates in the US vary wildly, so there’s no catch-all date to start aerating, mowing, and de-weeding. In some parts of the country, you may be free of frost in March. Other places may need to wait until Mother’s Day or even later before it’s safe to do serious yard work. Keep an eye on your local weather forecast, and watch for the signs that the ground has warmed sufficiently. Blooming flowers like magnolias, grass actively and rapidly growing

Grass grows year round, but it slows during the winter months when the ground temperature is cold. Mowing too early can potentially damage your lawn, leaving you with patches of dead grass and a whole lot more work later in the season. So, let things come to temperature before you get started.

Your Early Spring Lawn Care To-Do List

Don’t just jump right into mowing the lawn as soon as it’s warm enough. For the health of your lawn and the condition of your equipment, you’ll want to get things prepared first. Here’s your spring lawn care prep to-do list:

1. Ensure your lawn equipment is ready for spring

If you haven’t done so already, there’s some maintenance you’ll want to do on your lawn equipment. Mowers will need filters, spark plugs, and fuel checked or changed, and trimmers and edgers will need their batteries charged.

Want a bit more guidance on how to get your lawn equipment ready for spring? For a quick rundown, have a look at our spring lawn equipment checklist or check out one of the many lawn mower care guides on our blog.

2. Grab a rake and get to cleaning

Spring cleaning isn’t just an indoor activity, you need to bring it out into your yard, as well. Here are some things you’ll want to take care of before mowing season starts:

• Make sure there aren’t any rocks, toys, or other large debris hiding in your mowing path.

• Once the ground is warm and dry, dethatch your lawn with a flexible rake. This clears away dead leaves and grass leftover from fall, improving aeration and access to water for your lawn.

• Optionally, you can aerate your lawn. This tool pulls up bits of soil, ensuring your lawn’s roots have easier access to the air, water, and nutrients it needs to thrive. It’s especially useful if your yard is a high traffic area for your home.

• Be sure to compost, mulch, or otherwise remove any remaining dead leaves or grass clippings from dethatching!

3. When the time is right, you can start mowing

Once the temperature in your area is consistently over 40°F and your grass is really growing, you can rev that mower up and get to work!

Be sure to avoid cutting grass too short; the optimal length will depend on the variety of grass in your lawn, but most experts recommend keeping cool weather grass between 2.5 and 3 inches long.

You should also switch up your mowing pattern to avoid compacting your lawn with multiple passes over the same path. This will give the added benefit of a more even cut.

4. Fertilize

Knowing when to fertilize your lawn can admittedly get a bit complicated. Generally, you’ll want to fertilize your lawn when the grass is in its fastest growing season. Depending on where you live and what type of grass you have, this may come before you start mowing for the season, or well after your mower’s first pass over your lawn.

Determine what type of grass you have – the categories are typically cool-season or warm-season grasses – to get a better idea of when you should be fertilizing. Cool-season grasses are fertilized in early spring, while warm-season grasses typically need to be fertilized in late-spring or in summer.

Additionally, you’ll want to avoid fertilizing if your lawn won’t have adequate access to water – either because it’s a dry season or you live in an area that caps water use – as fertilizer that isn’t absorbed by the soil can burn your lawn. On the opposite end of the spectrum, fertilizing after a heavy rain can lead to fertilizer run-off.

Answering Your Spring Lawn Care Questions

Before we wrap up, we’re answering a few common questions we’ve had about spring lawn care.

What’re the best weather conditions for mowing?

Sunny, with the temperature consistently over 40°F, and dry – although overcast is fine, too.

Mainly, for your safety and the health of your lawn, you should avoid mowing when the grass and ground are wet, and definitely skip this chore if the ground is muddy. Here are a few reasons to put off mowing when it’s wet out:

• Wet grass greatly increases the chances of you slipping and falling while you mow.

• When the grass is wet, your mower is more likely to tear, rather than cut, grass blades. This can lead to uneven cuts and browning on your lawn.

• Wet grass will clump up when cut. Clumped or matted grass clippings can potentially suffocate and kill the lawn beneath or clog up your mower, causing mechanical problems or just making it difficult to clean.

• Even a push mower can sink if the ground is muddy, leaving marks in your lawn at best and increasing the chances of damage to your lawn or your equipment.

Whether you’re dealing with a rainy season or a dewy morning, wait to start mowing until your lawn is no longer damp.

What’s the best time of day to mow the lawn?

The best time of day to mow is mid-morning, around 9 or 10am. By 8:30 or 9, the morning dew should have dried up, but you won’t have hit the warmest part of the day, yet, leaving you more comfortable while you work.

If you can’t get to your lawn before noon, wait until you’re a little closer to sundown to start working. For the health of your lawn and your skin, skip mowing in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest point.

What do I do if there’s an unexpected frost?

If you’ve already begun lawn care and a sudden frost descends, press pause on any further yard work until it’s warmed back up again. Your lawn will thank you if you let it warm back up a bit first before the next trim.

How high should I cut my grass?

If you want to get really specific, it depends on the variety of grass in your lawn, and you may need to do some additional research to find out the exact optimal height.

For a quicker answer, 2 ½ to 3 inches in height is typically ideal. At this length, the grass provides adequate shade for the ground to avoid drying out, and is long enough to catch and feed on sunlight.

What do I do with my grass clippings?

Properly mulched, grass clippings are a great source of water and nutrients for your lawn. You can leave grass clippings behind after mowing – particularly if your mower has a mulching feature – rather than bagging and disposing of them to improve lawn health. They can also go into your compost heap, if you have one.

How do I sharpen my lawn mower’s blades?

We’ve got a guide for that! Your lawn can only benefit from being cut with a sharp mower blade. Dull blades can damage grass and pose a greater safety risk for you. Be sure to thoroughly check your blade before you sharpen it. If it is cracked, chipped, thin, or if it has already been sharpened once before, it may actually be time to purchase a new mower blade.

Wrapping Up

The best time to start working on your lawn is after the final frost of the year, once it’s gotten consistently warm, and your grass is ready to start growing. Be sure you complete annual maintenance on your lawn equipment before you start any work, and prep your lawn properly before that first pass with your mower.

If you have more questions that weren’t answered by this article, you can head over to our blog to check out more of our great guides or speak directly with one of our friendly experts through our main site. AppliancePartsPros.com is always here to help with your DIY home care needs.