Tag
Lawn grasses are cool-season (Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue) for the North or warm-season (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia, buffalograss) for the South. Pick by region first, then by sun, traffic and water.
October 28, 2026
Apply crabgrass pre-emergent in spring, a week or two before the soil holds about 55°F for several days in a row, then water it in. That ranges from mid-February in the Florida Panhandle to mid-April through early May in places like Nebraska.
October 14, 2026
Mix 10 or more small soil cores from your lawn, send about 2 cups to your state's extension lab, and add lime only if the report says your pH is too low, in spring or fall, at no more than 50 lb per 1,000 sq ft at a time.
October 12, 2026
Topdressing means spreading a thin layer of compost, topsoil or sand, no more than 1/2 inch at a time, over a growing lawn to improve the soil or fill shallow low spots. Match the material to your soil and keep the grass blades showing.
October 10, 2026
Chinch bugs are tiny black-and-white bugs that suck sap from grass and leave yellow-to-brown patches that don't green up with water. Confirm them with a can test at the edge of the damage, fix thatch and watering, and spot-treat only if you count about 20 or more per square foot.
September 30, 2026
Weed and feed can kill broadleaf weeds like dandelions and clover while it fertilizes, but only on damp, actively growing weeds. For most cool-season lawns, early fall is the best time to apply it.
September 26, 2026
Nutsedge is a sedge, not a grass, so regular weed killers miss it. Pull or spray young plants in late spring to early summer before new tubers form, use a sedge herbicide like halosulfuron, fix wet spots, and expect 2 to 3 years of follow-up.
September 22, 2026
Grub worms are beetle larvae that eat grass roots, leaving brown patches that peel up like carpet in late summer. Treat only if you find about 5 to 10 or more per square foot: preventive products go down in late spring to midsummer, curative ones in late summer before grubs reach full size.
September 18, 2026
Many brown spots come from drought, dog urine, grubs or fertilizer spills, not fungus. Rule those out with a screwdriver and a tug, then match the spot, season and grass type to red thread, dollar spot, brown patch or large patch.
September 13, 2026
Water your lawn in the early morning, roughly 5–9 a.m., when less is lost to evaporation and grass dries quickly. Most lawns need about 1 inch of water a week, rain included, applied in 1–2 deep waterings rather than daily sprinkles.
September 5, 2026
