Fall Lawn Care Basics: A Simple Weekend Plan
A calm, no-jargon starting point for getting your lawn ready for winter — and enjoying the yard while you do it.
Tool · Beta
Lawn calendar
Enter your ZIP code and get a simple, month-by-month plan for your lawn: what to do, when to do it, and what to look for at the store.
Get updates and tips
Get updates and tips when the timing's right for fertilizing, weed control, watering and more. Pick the emails you want. Some may include clearly labeled ads. Unsubscribe anytime.Privacy
You're signed up.
Subscribe to this calendar
This shared feed uses the zone-wide timing rules. The month grid above is tuned with your state's climate.
General guidance only. Timing shifts with each year's weather, so watch your soil and local conditions. Always read and follow product labels; the label is the law. Your local cooperative extension office can give advice for your exact area.
Climate data: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — ZIP code listings, PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University / USDA-ARS. Matched to your ZIP in this browser. This is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
How this works
You don't need an expensive lawn service to have a yard you're proud of. Most of a healthy lawn comes down to doing a few simple things at the right time. This calendar takes care of the timing.
- Your browser matches your ZIP code to a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone (2023 map) using climate data bundled with this page from Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group. The ZIP is not sent to our server.
- We combine your zone and state to estimate which grass usually grows there: cool-season, warm-season, or the transition zone in between. You can override this.
- We match those to timing rules of thumb from university extension services. For example, crabgrass preventer goes down when soil warms to about 50–55°F, and cool-season lawns are fed mainly in fall.
Hardiness zones describe winter lows, not soil temperature, so the months are approximate. A warm or cold spring can move things a few weeks. Let the weather have the final say, and always read and follow product labels.
Sources
- 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — ZIP code listings (PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University / USDA-ARS)
- Crabgrass Control in Home Lawns (Michigan State University Extension)
- Managing Crabgrass in Lawns (University of Illinois Extension)
- Preemergence Herbicides for Warm-Season Turfgrass Lawns (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)
- Fertilizing lawns (University of Minnesota Extension)
- Fertilizing Lawns (HGIC 1201) (Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center)
- Aerating Lawns (HGIC 1200) (Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center)
- Mowing Lawns (HGIC 1205) (Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center)
- Watering Lawns (HGIC 1207) (Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center)
- Overseeding in the Fall (University of Nebraska–Lincoln Turfgrass Science)
- Tip Sheet #11: Lawns (Western Washington lawn calendar) (Washington State University Extension, King County)
- A Turfgrass Maintenance Guide for Residential and Commercial Lawns in the Low Elevation Arizona Desert (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension)
- Overseeding Winter Grasses into Bermudagrass Turf (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension)
- Selecting Turfgrass for Virginia (SPES-748) (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
Rather have a pro do it?
Just curious. Your answer helps us plan future guides.
Related reading
What a Lawn Service Brings
The daytime equipment a lawn crew typically shows up with, and what each piece is for.
Leaves: Mulch Them or Rake Them?
How to decide what to do with fall leaves, and how to turn the chore into time together outside.