A great lawn in Minnesota requires year-round attention. In the spring, you should clean up, apply pre-emergent herbicide, and start watering and mowing regularly. Reduce mowing in the summer if your grass goes dormant. In the fall, aerate, dethatch, seed, fertilize, and apply broadleaf weed control. Finally, stop watering, stop mowing, and winterize your lawn.
A good monthly lawn care schedule in Minnesota is critical for achieving a healthy, beautiful yard.
April
Clean up your lawn
Remove all debris and tidy up your lawn, getting it ready for the season ahead. Rake your lawn as soon as the last snowfall melts, so that you don’t damage it.
Diagnose and treat lawn problems and diseases
In the spring, your lawn is likely to deal with diseases and other issues, so look out for common lawn problems.
A few examples of Minnesota lawn problems and diseases are:
- Ice cover damage
- De-icing salt injury
- Snow mold
- Leaf spot
- Necrotic ring spot
Diagnose and treat insect pests pests
As if lawn problems and diseases weren’t enough, you may also have to deal with uninvited critters.
Common Minnesota insect pests include:
Spring is the perfect time to check for these uninvited guests and treat minor insect pest problems before they become an infestation.
Maintain your lawn mower and other lawn equipment
Before you do your first mow, it’s time to pull out your lawn mower and other lawn equipment and perform annual maintenance.
For instance, clean the lawnmower engine, clean underneath the lawnmower, and change your oil as needed. Check each lawn mower part, including your blades; are they sharp enough? This is when you need to check off all those and other boxes.
Control crabgrass
Apply pre-emergent crabgrass control in mid-April to mid-May. This is enough time for the herbicide to work before these notorious weeds emerge.
Start mowing
As you approach the last week of April, your grass should now be growing. It’s time to put your lawn mower to work. Continue mowing until early November.
May
Sod your lawn
It’s best to sod Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass when the temperatures are between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, tall fescue and fine fescue do better at 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
To give you an idea: In Grand Falls, northern Minnesota, average daytime temperatures hit 50 in mid-April and 75 in mid-June. In Brainerd, central Minnesota, as well as Owatonna, southern Minnesota, the average daytime temperatures hit 50 in early April and 75 in early June.
According to the University of Minnesota, the best times to sod are generally May to June or mid-August to late October. Alternatively, sodding in late June to the 2nd week of August is okay, too.
Start watering
Your grass has now been actively growing for a few weeks and is due its first watering session.
But rather than observing a lawn care calendar, in this instance, observe your grass. Is it showing signs of dehydration? If so, that’s how you know you should start watering.
Signs of dehydration include:
- Wilting grass
- Faded color
- Visible footprints
Usually, you’ll begin watering your grass in May until late October.
June and July
Keep watering as needed
Keep watering your grass to maintain green turf throughout the summer. However, you may notice that growth slows as the weather warms up, especially in southern Minnesota, where temperatures can reach over 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. If your lawn goes dormant, only water it once every two weeks with one-half inch of water.
When does grass in Minnesota go dormant? Usually, Minnesota grasses go dormant when temperatures reach around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. In cities in southern Minnesota, like Owatonna, this could be as early as June. In central and northern Minnesota, July is more likely to mean winter dormancy for your grass.
However, the further up north you are, the less likely your grass is to be stressed by warm weather in the summer. In some regions, like the Grand Falls or Roseau, your grass might not go dormant at all.
Keep mowing until dormancy
Keep mowing your lawn as usual. Again, if your grass goes dormant, stop mowing it until it starts growing again.
Test your soil
Test your soil at least 45 days before you fertilize. If you want to fertilize in the fall, you can test your soil now.
August
Aerate and dethatch your lawn
The best time to aerate and dethatch is directly before you overseed. But if you’ve already overseeded and still want to aerate and dethatch, that’s okay, too.
According to the University, the best time to aerate is anytime from mid-August to mid-October and the best time to dethatch is anytime between mid-August to September. Aerating and dethatching before the winter keeps your grass as strong as possible and promotes strong root systems.
Alternatively, the University recommends aerating in late April to May if you can’t do it in the fall.
To read up more about the best times to aerate and dethatch, check out our articles:
Seed your lawn
The best time to seed is in the fall, because the cool weather is better for growing your grass. Your turf is also less likely to struggle against weeds at this time.
Depending on grass type, Minnesota grasses grow best when soil temperatures are between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s usually from early August to mid-September. But, just like it is with aeration, the timing of seeding depends on your grass type and region. If you have tall fescue and live in southern Minnesota, you could seed as early as late July.
The University of Minnesota gives you the green light for seeding anytime from early August to late September or seeding in mid-November.
Alternatively, if you don’t seed in the fall, you can also seed in the late spring, usually in late April to late June.
Here’s a chart with an overview of when you should most likely seed:
| Northern Minnesota | Central Minnesota | Southern Minnesota | |
| Hardiness zone | 3a to 4b | 4a to 4b | 4b to 5a |
| Optimal time for growing grass | Mid-August to mid-September depending on grass type | Early August to mid-September depending on grass type | Late July to mid-September depending on grass type |
Fertilize your lawn
In general, the best time to fertilize is when soil temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. But you also have to consider your lawn’s recovery from summer dormancy. Plus, fertilizing in the fall helps your grass store carbohydrates, and so resist winter injuries and diseases.
Minnesota University recommends fertilizing early August to mid-October. Alternatively, you can fertilize in May to late June. Make sure you wait at least four to six weeks after seeding.
For more information, read our article When to Fertilize Your Lawn in Minnesota.
September
Control broadleaf weeds
Spray broadleaf weeds when they’re actively growing. That’s usually in September to late October. However, an okay time to do it is also May to late June.
Apply weed and feed if you don’t fertilize or apply herbicides
We discussed the best times to apply fertilizer and broadleaf weed control. But if you want to apply weed and feed instead, the best time to do it is in September to mid-October.
For more information, read our article When to Apply Weed and Feed in Minnesota.
Have you heard some bad news about weed and feed before? It’s a controversial topic. Find out why in our article Is Weed and Feed Bad for Your Lawn?
October
Stop watering
As we approach a rainier season, and the growth of your grass slows down, it’s time to stop watering. The best time to do so is late October.
November
Stop mowing
In mid-November, it’s time for the last mow of the season.
Winterize your lawn
Clean up debris, rake or mulch leaves, and winterize your lawn equipment and sprinklers. Get your lawn ready to sleep so that it flourishes in the season ahead.
Get help from the best pros around
Checking off lawn care tasks from your to-do list in each month of the growing season gets tiring. Instead of spending hours on it, hire a pro in your area.
Main Image Credit: Rufus Rand Summer House | McGhiever | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
