Season-by-Season Lawn Maintenance Calendar

Sharpen mower blades to ensure clean cuts. A dull blade tears the grass, leaving jagged edges that discolor the lawn and invite pathogens.

Sharpen mower blades once each month during grass-cutting season. Have a backup blade (about $20) so that a sharp one is always on hand.

Tune up your mower with a new sparkplug ($3-$5) and air filter ($5-$10). Your mower might not need a new sparkplug every season, but changing it is a simple job, and doing it every year ensures you won’t forget the last time you replaced your sparkplug.

Buy fresh gas. Gas that’s been left to sit over the winter can accumulate moisture that harms small engines. This is especially true for fuel containing ethanol, so use regular grades of gasoline.

If you need to dump old gasoline, ask your city or county for local disposal sites that take old fuel.

Clean up your lawn. Time to get out the leaf rakes and remove any twigs and leaves that have accumulated over the winter. A thick layer of wet leaves can smother a lawn if not immediately removed in early spring. Cleaning up old debris clears the way for applying fertilizer and herbicides.

Spring
Early Summer
Summer
Early Fall
Fall

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Tony, the quick answer to your question about fertilizing your lawn: Contact your local extension agent (http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/), who will ask you what kind of grass you have, when you last had a soil test, your lawn's age, and how it looks generally. The answer to those questions will determine how often (and if) you must fertilize, and what type of fertilizer you need. One way to naturally fertilize your lawn is to leave grass clippings on the turf, where they’ll decompose and add vital nutrients to the soil. Mowing wet grass won't kill your lawn. Rather, mowing wet turf is difficult on your back and your mower. Also, wet clippings will clump, which is harmful to the grass underneath the wads. If you must mow wet turf – and in some places, lawns are always wet – sharpen your mower blades, set the blades as high as possible, and double mow to break up clumps. More lawn info: http://www.houselogic.com/outdoors/landscaping-gardening/lawns/
Posted by HouseLogic on February 04, 2013

I have a lawn service that advocates SIX fertilizations/season. What do you make of this ? I am thinking of doing it myself ....esp. in light of above quotes by Dr Hentscel. BTW, I once read that mowing a wet/moist lawn could result in ripping up of 25% of your plants EACH cutting ....SCARY ! CUT DRY
Posted by Tony on February 02, 2013

A few more tips: Use a mulching mower or install a mulching blade to leave clippings. Rake up any clumps so they don't kill grass. And cut when the grass is dry to prevent clumping.
Posted by HouseLogic on October 17, 2011

Great question, John. You can leave grass clippings, which eventually will decompose and nourish your lawn. But if you'd d rather collect them, add them to your compost pile.
Posted by HouseLogic on October 17, 2011