Learning Center / Timing and seasons
What should you do for your lawn in spring?
Get crabgrass preventer down before the soil warms, keep fertilizer light, start mowing at the right height with sharp blades, and clear what winter left behind. Save seeding for fall.
- By David Obeid, founder
- Reviewed
- 5 min read
Green-up
When does a lawn come back to life in spring?
As the soil warms in late winter and early spring, tall fescue greens up and starts growing again. A lawn that looked tan or dull over winter is almost always still alive. Our mowing season restarts in late March.
Areas that stay bare after the rest of the lawn greens up are the ones worth a closer look. They usually need seed in the fall, not more treatments now.
Crabgrass
When should crabgrass preventer go down?
Before the soil holds around 55°F for several days in a row, which is when crabgrass starts to germinate. The date moves from year to year, so the timing follows soil temperature, not the calendar. South-facing slopes and lawn next to driveways warm up first.
Late preventer can't prevent anything, which is the most common reason a lawn fills with crabgrass by July. More on weed control.
The spring list
What else should you do in spring?
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Feed lightly
Heavy spring fertilizer pushes soft top growth that struggles in summer. For fescue, the big feedings belong in fall.
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Treat weeds as they appear
Broadleaf weeds like dandelion and chickweed are easiest to treat while they are actively growing. We favor spot treatment over spraying the whole lawn.
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Mow tall with sharp blades
Start at about 3.5 to 4 inches, never take off more than a third of the blade at once, and leave the clippings to feed the lawn. Dull blades tear the grass and invite disease, which is why we sharpen ours once or twice a week.
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Clear what winter left
Leftover leaves, sticks and debris block light from the grass underneath. Rake them off before the first mows.
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Test the soil
A soil analysis shows the lawn's pH and nutrient levels, so lime and fertilizer go where they are needed. Virginia limits phosphorus on established lawns unless a soil test shows a need. It is included free with our Package 2 and Package 3 lawn programs.
Seeding
Is spring a good time to seed a lawn?
Not here. Spring seeding works far less well than fall in Northern Virginia. New grass that comes up in April has only a few months to root before summer heat arrives, and crabgrass preventer, which most lawns need in spring, also stops grass seed from sprouting.
If the lawn is thin, plan to rebuild it with aeration and overseeding in early fall. If it is mostly bare and you need it fixed now, spring is one of the two good times to lay sod.
Looking ahead
What should you plan for in late spring?
Summer protection. Lawn disease prevention and Bermudagrass suppression both start around May, before hot, humid weather sets in. If your lawn had brown patches last summer, May is when to get ahead of it. More on lawn disease.
Related questions
What people also ask
When does your mowing season start?
We mow from late March to mid-November.
Is spring or fall better for seeding?
Fall, for most Northern Virginia lawns. Fall brings warm soil, cooler air, fewer weeds and steadier moisture, which helps tall fescue establish. Spring seeding can work but usually needs more weed control and careful watering heading into summer heat.
Do I need a soil test?
A soil analysis is included free with Package 2 and Package 3. It isn't required, but it's helpful every few years because it keeps applications right-sized and avoids wasting product. It also matters in Virginia, which limits phosphorus on established lawns unless a soil test shows a need.
Should I bag my clippings?
Usually not. Returning clippings recycles nutrients back into the turf and won't cause thatch in a properly managed fescue lawn. We can bag and remove clippings on request.
Keep reading
More from the Learning Center
- What should you do for your lawn each season in Northern Virginia? A season-by-season lawn calendar for tall fescue: what happens in winter, spring, summer and fall, and which season matters most. Timing and seasons · 6 min read
- Why shouldn't you leave leaves on your lawn all winter? What a wet mat of leaves does to a fescue lawn, why beds and walkways need clearing too, and why one cleanup in November is not enough here. Timing and seasons · 5 min read
- Should you mow your lawn shorter before winter? Why the last mows of the season should drop to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches: a long lawn traps leaves and debris over winter. Lower, never scalped. Timing and seasons · 4 min read
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