For Pennsylvania lawns, clean up, dethatch, and begin mowing your lawn in the spring. Additionally, apply a pre-emergent herbicide to deter uninvited guests. In the summer, keep mowing, use broadleaf weed control, fertilize, and increase watering.
Finally, aerate, overseed, and slow down mowing in the fall to prepare your lawn for the winter. Pack away all your lawn equipment before winter and sit back and enjoy the coziness till it’s time to grab the mower again. Here’s an in-depth Pennsylvania lawn care schedule for you.
March
Clean up
When new growth emerges and the snow starts to melt, know it’s time to give your lawn a push for healthy growth. So grab that rake and clear all the sticks, and fallen leaves accumulated on the lawn over the winter.
A clean lawn doesn’t just look good but also keeps diseases and pests at bay. A little tip to remember: wait until the snow melts (which usually happens around the end of March or may even happen in mid-February) before you rake leaves to avoid mess.
Turn the sprinklers on
Although Pennsylvania receives ample rainfall, lawns here don’t necessarily need to be irrigated to survive. For watering, generally, you just need to maintain 1 inch of water per week (rainfall included).
Water infrequently in March because moderate temperatures will naturally maintain moisture.
Start mowing
First things first, dust off the lawn mower and ensure its blades are sharp. Start mowing in March, but don’t hurry. You want to mow about two times this month and then increase the mowing frequency in the following months.
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide
Spring is the best time to be proactive about weeds. Use a pre-emergent herbicide to control crabgrass and other annuals before the weed seeds have a chance to sprout out of the ground.
But keep in mind that the ideal dates to apply pre-emergent herbicides for weeds like crabgrass varies from region to region. March, around the 15th and onward, is only suitable for herbicide application in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
April
Dethatch
Before the weather gets hot, dethatch your lawn if needed. April is a great time to dethatch and let the grass breathe. If you happen to forget or skip dethatching in spring, the next best time is after summer when the hot days are over; September to early October. Read this guide to learn how to do it.
Fertilize
It’s time to give your lawn a nutrient boost. For Pennsylvania’s cool-season grasses, the best time to fertilize starts from mid-to-late spring, after April 15th, or from late summer to early fall.
Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, but perform a soil test to see if your lawn needs other nutrients such as phosphorus or potassium. You can also contact the PennState Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory to perform the soil test for you or you can get a soil test kit from the Penn State Extension county offices and do it yourself.
Mow more often and water
In April, start mowing weekly. The frequency of mowing is best determined by observing the growth rate of your grass as different grass species grow at different rates. You’ll have to adjust the frequency based on your grass type.
Generally, cool-season lawns of Pennsylvania benefit from mowing twice a week in April to support healthy growth. And, keep watering the lawn.
Lay sod
If you have to lay sod, mid-April – around the 15th of the month, is the best time for Pennsylvania lawns.
If you haven’t yet, apply a pre-emergent herbicide
As the snow melts, lawn diseases may come up to greet you. High moisture and extreme cold give way to and let already existing fungi flourish. So April is the earliest you can get on to disease and weed control.
May
Increase the mowing frequency and keep watering
Start mowing four to five times a week in May and give your lawn the right push as it enters hot weather. Keep watering the lawn to maintain moisture.
Apply a broadleaf weed killer
Broadleaf weed control, i.e. for weeds like dandelions and ground ivy, Pennsylvania State Extension suggests applying a post-emergent herbicide when you spot weeds actively growing. So it’s crucial to identify the kind of weed growing on your lawn.
Specifically for Northern Pennsylvania and high-altitude counties, the ideal dates are May 15 onwards to apply post-emergent weed killer.
If you skipped fertilization, do it now
If your soil test reveals that your lawn needs a certain nutrient, May is a good time to catch up on fertilization.
Aerate, if needed
Although fall is the perfect time to aerate cool-season grasses you can also aerate after May 15 or 18. For more, check out our guide on aeration.
June
Continue mowing
Your cool-season grass is entering dormancy in June and you don’t want to stress the lawn at this point. Mow high, following the one-third rule that suggests never cutting the grass more than 1/3 of the grass canopy.
Water more frequently
Water up to three times a week for 15 minutes. This will prevent heat stress in your cool-season lawn which is already in its natural dormancy period.
Keep an eye out for pests
Monitor your lawn for signs of pests like grubs and treat them timely.
July
Keep mowing and watering
While it’s still hot, continue to mow the lawn at a height of 3 to 4 inches.
Increase watering, but don’t overwater
Give your lawn some extra water during dry periods but don’t overdo it.
August
Continue doing what you’re doing
Mow at the same frequency as July. Aim to water deeply and infrequently and keep an eye out for lawn grubs. Treat if necessary.
September
Reduce mowing
Bring down the mowing frequency to 3 to 4 times a week.
Dethatch
The perfect time to dethatch your lawn is when the soil is moist and the weather is cool. This happens somewhere around the 15th of the month in Pennsylvania. Avoid dethatching in drought, heat, or when it gets too cold.
How do you know your lawn needs dethatching? If you see a build-up of 1 inch in depth, it’s probably time. For more details, check out this guide.
Aerate
Aeration relieves soil compaction and September’s cool allows the grass to recover quickly. So aerate your lawn before you fertilize.
Overseed
The same rule applies to overseeding. Overseeding is best done early in September for Pennsylvania lawns. After you aerate or dethatch, top it off by overseeding the lawn so that the seeds come directly in contact with the soil, favoring germination.
Weed control
Apply a product that contains imidacloprid or chlorantraniliprole to control lawn pests like grubs, chinch bugs, and sod webworms prevalent in this month.
Fertilize
September is the best month to fertilize cool-season Pennsylvania lawns if you skipped spring fertilization.
October
Slow down the mowing frequency
Gradually shift to mowing 2 to 3 times in
Rake fallen leaves
Autumn makes a mess, we all know that. But you must remove fallen leaves off your lawn because it can block sunlight and air, and trap moisture (creating a perfect habitat for fungi to proliferate).
Apply post-emergent broadleaf control
Apply a post-emergent herbicide in October to keep nasty pests away.
Fertilize, if you didn’t in September
Early October is another chance to fertilize your lawn before it gets too cold.
Dethatch, aerate, and overseed (if you skipped these in September)
Same rules as mentioned earlier. Just make sure you do it early in October.
November
Fertilize, if you skipped it earlier
According to your soil test, apply a second round of fertilizer or fertilize the lawn if you didn’t fertilize in the spring.
Keep mowing until the grass slows down
Mow at 2 inches or above, according to your grass’s growth rate. Cut back on the frequency when you notice the grass starting to slow down. Our experts suggest mowing until the grass stops growing altogether. For more, take a look at this detailed guide.
Winterize sprinklers and mowers
Winter is coming, so you need to prepare your lawn. Winterize the sprinkler system by November 20th, by draining the water and shutting it off. Insulate the main valve, exposed pipes, and backflow preventers.
To winterize the mower: thoroughly clean it, burn off all the remaining fuel, and inspect if the spark plug and air filters need any fixing before storing it in a dry and sheltered place.
Lime, if needed
For Pennsylvania lawns, liming is best done in the fall or anywhere between late winter and early spring. If your lawn’s pH test results indicate the soil is too acidic, it might slow down turf growth. Liming is a good way to solve this problem.
Keep the soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Try to do it late in November or early in December.
December to February
Stop mowing and sip some cocoa
Winter makes the lawn fragile, so stop mowing and reduce foot traffic in the lawn.
Monitor the lawn
Keep an eye out for lawn diseases like snow mold as soon as the weather starts to rise back up. You can also lime your lawn in February and overseed late in February if needed.
Remember to not walk on frozen grass and not to pile snow on grass too.
If you’re looking for the right time to perform a specific lawn task, these links might help:
- When to Aerate Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Dethatch Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Stop Mowing Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Fertilize Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- Planting Zones of Pennsylvania
Hard to keep up? Trust the pros
Lawn care is a full-time job in Pennsylvania, I mean look at the long list above. If lawn care is burdening your to-do list, consider hiring a local pro and hand over all your lawn care tasks to them.
Main Image Credit: Doug Kerr / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
