Fall Lawn Care Checklist: What to Do Before Winter
Fall decides how your lawn looks next spring. For cool-season grass it’s the most important season of the year; for warm-season grass it’s about heading into dormancy without inviting winter weeds. Here’s what to do, in order. Not sure which type you have? See cool-season vs. warm-season grass.
Cool-season lawns (fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass)
Late summer to early fall
- Aerate and seed. Overseed thin areas 6 to 10 weeks before your first frost, after aerating so the seed reaches the soil. See when to overseed and when to aerate.
- Feed. The main fertilizer of the year goes down as soil falls below 70°F. See the fertilizer schedule.
Mid-fall
- Treat broadleaf weeds. Dandelions, clover and ground ivy are moving energy down into their roots for winter, and weed killer goes with it. Fall is the most effective time to treat them, while they’re still green and growing.
- Keep mowing at your normal height, usually 3 to 4 inches for tall fescue, as long as the grass keeps growing.
- Deal with leaves. A light layer can be mulched with the mower. A thick layer smothers the grass, so rake or bag it rather than letting it mat down over winter.
Late fall
- Last feeding while the grass is still green, as the soil cools toward 45°F.
- Final mows. You can lower the blade by about half an inch for the last cut or two, which helps against snow mold. Don’t scalp the lawn.
- Winterize the irrigation. Where winters freeze, drain or blow out sprinkler lines before the first hard freeze.
Warm-season lawns (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede)
Early fall
- Last fertilizer about six weeks before your first frost. Later nitrogen can leave the grass more prone to winter injury.
- Fall pre-emergent for winter weeds such as annual bluegrass, henbit and chickweed, as the soil drops below 70°F. See when to apply pre-emergent.
Mid to late fall
- Keep mowing at your normal height until the grass stops growing.
- Skip aeration and seeding until late spring; warm-season grass can’t fill in before it goes dormant.
- Winter color, if you want it. Bermuda lawns can be overseeded with perennial ryegrass in fall for a green winter lawn. Skip the fall pre-emergent where you overseed, or it will stop the ryegrass too.
- Stay off frosted grass. Walking on frozen turf crushes the blades and leaves brown footprints.
Every lawn
- Test your soil. Fall is a good time to send a sample to your state’s Cooperative Extension office. The results tell you whether you need phosphorus, potassium or lime before spring.
- Service the mower. Sharpen the blade, and add fuel stabilizer or run the engine dry before storing it.
- Clear debris such as branches, toys and furniture that could smother grass under snow.
Time it to your weather
Every task above depends on soil temperature and your first frost date, which vary by weeks from place to place and from year to year. The ZIP code tool shows which jobs are open for your lawn right now, and the state calendars list typical dates for major cities in every contiguous state.