Cool Season Lawn Care
Seasonal Guide
Everything is driven by soil temperature, not calendar dates. Follow the steps for your current season and your grass type will thank you.
Spring
Pre-Emergent Zone — "Water It In"
Spring is all about defense. As soil temperatures climb through the 50s and 60s, weed seeds like crabgrass and poa annua begin germinating. Your job is to lay down a pre-emergent barrier before they get started. We use a split application strategy for maximum coverage.
Soil temps cross 50°F heading to 55°F
First Pre-Emergent Application
Apply prodiamine (granular) at 3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. This creates a chemical barrier at the soil surface that prevents weed seeds from establishing. Think of it as painting a wall — we want two coats.
Must water in with ½″ of irrigation or rainfall within a few days. The product needs to reach the soil surface to form the barrier.
Soil temps cross 65°F heading to 70°F (about 35–45 days later)
Second Pre-Emergent Application
Apply prodiamine again at 3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. This is the second coat. It extends your protection through the peak germination window. Each pound on the ground gives roughly one month of protection.
Don’t stress if you’re a couple weeks late. Late pre-emergent is still better than no pre-emergent.
Soil temps consistently above 55°F
Begin Fertilizer Applications
Once the lawn is actively growing, start your fertilizer program. The grass is coming out of dormancy and hungry. A balanced or nitrogen-forward fertilizer will push green-up and thickening.
If you seeded last fall, this is when you’ll see that new grass really take off.
Watch Out
Do NOT seed in spring — pre-emergent will prevent your grass seed from germinating just like it prevents weeds.
Areas near concrete (driveways, sidewalks) warm faster and may need pre-emergent earlier.
Skip pre-emergent on heavily shaded areas that get less than 5 hours of sun — crabgrass doesn’t grow well there anyway.
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