A month-by-month lawn care calendar for Minnesota

Minnesota lawns grow in a short window. Get the timing right and a lawn can go from thin to thick in a single season. Get it wrong and the same money disappears into weeds and snow mold.

Here is the calendar our crews follow for Kentucky bluegrass lawns across the northwest metro.

April: clean up and wake it up

Wait until the ground is firm before you walk on it. Raking soggy turf pulls out healthy crowns along with the dead grass.

• Rake out snow mold, the gray or pink matted patches, so air can reach the crown.
• Clear branches and debris, and re-edge the beds.
• Apply crabgrass pre-emergent when soil temperatures reach about 55 degrees. Forsythia blooming is a reliable sign.

May: first mow and first feed

• Start mowing once the grass is actively growing, usually late April or early May.
• Keep the deck at 3 inches. Never remove more than a third of the blade in one cut.
• Put down a slow-release feed and spot treat dandelions while they are flowering.

June to August: protect it from the heat

• Raise the cut to 3.5 inches in July. Taller grass shades the soil and holds moisture.
• Water deeply once or twice a week instead of a little every day.
• Apply grub prevention in June if you had beetle damage last year.

September: the most important month

This is when next year's lawn is built. Warm soil and cool nights are ideal for new grass.

• Core aerate and overseed in late August through mid-September.
• Feed with a recovery fertilizer to push root growth.
• Treat creeping Charlie and other broadleaf weeds while they are pulling energy down into their roots.

October and November: put it to bed

• Keep leaves off the grass. A wet mat over winter smothers it.
• Apply a winterizer after the last mow but before the ground freezes.
• Drop the final cut to about 2.5 inches to discourage snow mold and voles.

If you would rather hand the calendar to someone else, that is exactly what our fertilization program does.