The Best Minnesota Lawn Care Schedule  

The best Minnesota lawn care schedule includes mowing and watering from spring to fall,  applying crabgrass preventer in the spring, and overseeding, fertilizing, dethatching, and aerating late summer to fall. And if broadleaf weeds are a problem, treat them in autumn.

Timing is important because these approaches will give your grass the moisture, nutrients, circulation, and other maintenance it needs to thrive and remain lush and beautiful. 

Spring Lawn Care in Minnesota

As things warm up in March, snow mold often awaits homeowners as the snow melts. If your grass is covered with a fuzzy cotton-like fungus, you probably have snow mold. Soil test your soil before applying fertilizers, as the additional nitrogen encourages this fungus. 

Here is a checklist to get your lawn up and running from around April to May so that it is green and impressive-looking. 

• In March, if you have snow mold, rake the grass to allow air circulation. Give the grass time to spring back; it may take a while for the mold to die. The guide, How to Get Rid of Snow Mold, gives a crash course on the lawn disease and how to get rid of it. 
• Remove any other debris and yard trimmings.
• Overseed bare patches.
• Place a thin layer of straw over the seeded areas and keep it moist for about four weeks. 
• Manage soil erosion in your yard. Covering the soil with mulch or plants can prevent the soil from wearing away. Check out our article on controlling soil erosion for more tips and tricks.
• If you decide to fertilize in the spring instead of the fall, conduct a soil test and fertilize with a product that contains the nutrients the soil test indicates your lawn needs.

Weed herbicides will inhibit seed growth, so only apply the chemicals if you did not seed your lawn. If you did not seed the lawn, administer crabgrass preventer before crabgrass has sprouted, then mow the grass to a height of no less than 2 inches.

Summer Lawn Care in Minnesota

Your most important investments in your lawn take place in the fall and spring; summer is the time when you maintain what you have. Don’t rest easy, though. Failing to maintain your lawn properly can undo all your hard work. 

Here are the things you must do to maintain your lawn in the summer:

• Water when your lawn needs it. We generally get enough rainfall to keep our lawns green and healthy, but if the color fades or the blades become thin and dry, give your lawn some water.
• Mornings are the best time to water.
• Mow weekly, or when needed. The cool-season grasses we have in Minnesota sometimes go dormant in the heat of summer, so you may not need to mow as often.
• Hand-pull weeds when they appear.

Fall Lawn Care in Minnesota

The recurring theme for the best Minnesota lawn care schedule is to give your grass most of the necessary treatments in the fall. This includes dethatching, aerating, overseeding, and fertilizing. 

Here is a fall checklist:

• Around mid-August and the end of September, water your grass about an inch deep for two to three days before dethatching and aerating.
• Dethatch the lawn to remove thatch accumulation that builds up over the summer.
• Aerate your lawn. Remove 3 to 4-inch plugs or more when aerating. This guide will walk you through the aeration process.
• Overseed around the end of August or the first few weeks of September but no later. This gives the roots time to establish so they can survive the cold winter weather. 
• Fertilize the grass from mid-August through mid-September. Minnesota home lawns thrive and look their best when fertilized again around the middle of October through mid-November. Water one to two hours after fertilizing.
• Administer broadweed leaf control herbicides in September.
• Mowing the lawn to a minimum height of 3 inches can help the grass tolerate heat better.
• Remember to water regularly until the ground begins to freeze.

Lawn Mowing Schedule for Minnesota

Your grass will grow the fastest in the spring and fall, so to keep your grass at the recommended heights, start mowing around the last week of April. Stop mowing in early November, when temperatures begin to fall.

How often you mow depends on your grass variety and how fast it grows. If you like your grass at a height of 3 inches, cut it when it reaches about 4.5 inches tall. 

And if you’re planting a new lawn or seeding and existing one and aren’t sure what seed to use, check out our article on the best grass seed for Minnesota and their recommended mowing heights.

When to Apply Crabgrass Preventer in Minnesota

Crabgrass grows at the end of spring or the beginning of summer, so the best time to manage it is to treat it with a pre-emergent herbicide before it starts growing. Apply control chemicals between mid-April and mid-May.

If you miss this period and small pieces of crabgrass have begun to sprout, apply a post-emergent herbicide between the middle of May and early July.

When to Sod in Minnesota

The ideal time to sod is when the soil is warm and the lawn can get daylight longer. In Minnesota, the best time to sod is between early May and June or mid-August to late October. 

The next best time is between the end of June and mid-August. 

To understand the differences, and the pros and cons between sodding and other methods of grass growing, read our guide, The Best Types of Sod for Your Lawn.

When to Stop Watering the Lawn in Minnesota

Your lawn needs regular watering starting in May when the grass is growing actively. Irrigation in the summer will help it survive the heat and dryness. Stop watering by the end of October. 

Watering the grass properly is essential for a healthy lawn. Get some tips on watering your lawn, including the best time of day to water and how to water per soil type. 

When to Overseed in Minnesota

Overseed from early August through the end of September. Mid-November is also an ideal time to overseed. You can also seed from May up until the last week of June. Check out our overseeding guide for tips and tricks.

When to Fertilize the Lawn in Minnesota

The best time to fertilize grass in Minnesota is the beginning of August through mid-October. The next best time is from May until the end of June. If you fertilize in the spring, do not fertilize too early. Doing so can cause the grass to grow too quickly when it should still be dormant from the winter or growing slowly.  

Avoid fertilizing in the middle of the summer. Minnesota is the hottest during these months, and feeding your grass during this time may permanently damage your lawn.

Minnesota’s Phosphorus Lawn Fertilizer Law states that homeowners cannot use phosphorous-containing fertilizers for routine lawn maintenance. Fortunately, Minnesota lawns usually have a high concentration of this nutrient, so the grass does not need phosphorous added. On the other hand, adding phosphorous is advantageous when establishing a new lawn. 

For every rule, there is an exception. Fertilizers with phosphorous can be used in the following situations:

• When a soil test indicates the lawn needs the nutrient 
• When establishing a new lawn via seeding or sod

The University of Minnesota can provide a soil test. You can also find out more about soil testing and how to collect a sample to send to a lab in our guide, Why, When, and How to Test the Soil pH of Your Lawn. 

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture gives more detail about the law restricting phosphorus fertilizer use, which was enacted in 2002 and expanded to the entire state in 2005.

When to Dethatch the Lawn in Minnesota

Dethatch your Minnesota home lawn between the middle of August and September. Taking good care of your lawn keeps it lush and thriving. However, a well-kept lawn may produce excessive thatch. 

When organic matter forms between the grass and soil, it produces thatch. This matter consists of living and dead material from things like leaf sheaths, crowns, and stems. A small amount of thatch can improve the grass’s wear tolerance. But when thatch accumulates to about ½ inch thick, it can make the lawn more vulnerable to disease and drought injury. 

Here are two ways you can reduce thatch accumulation:

• Fertilize just enough for your grass to maintain its color and grow at the rate you prefer. This can help promote thatch breakdown. 
• Fertilizing in the fall instead of the spring can reduce the chances of thatch accumulation. Grass grows fastest in the spring and fertilizer helps grass grow. So, when you fertilize when the grass is growing most actively, these combined factors enhance grass growth, which can lead to increased organic matter, or thatch build-up. 

When to Aerate the Lawn in Minnesota

Aerate between mid-August and mid-October for the best results. Aerating your lawn is important because it opens the soil so that oxygen, water, and nutrients can penetrate and circulate in the soil to promote healthy roots and growth.

Alternatively, you can aerate in mid to late spring, between late April and May. When aerating in the spring, do so after mowing the lawn twice. Watering the lawn often and regularly after aerating during the spring or summer will produce the best results.

When to Apply Weed Killer in Minnesota

The ideal time to spray broadleaf weeds is in the fall, between September and late October. Like fertilizer applications, it is okay to administer weed control chemicals from May through the end of June. But be mindful that spraying herbicides to control weeds when it is warm increases the risk of injuring your lawn.

Weed and Feed 

Applying weed and feed can be tricky. It may be more effective and healthier for the environment and your grass to spot-treat weeds or use weed control products and fertilizers separately. 

Here are two reasons it is advantageous to apply herbicides and fertilizer separately:

• Weed and feed must be applied at the right time for both the weed killer and fertilizer to be effective. However, the effective time for the pesticide and fertilizer may not be the same. 
• Herbicides should only be used for the specific weeds you are treating when they are a problem. Contrarily, weed and feed must be applied to the entire lawn for the fertilizer to do its job.

Our article Is Weed and Feed Bad for Your Lawn? goes into more detail and tells how and when to apply weed and feed.

FAQ About the Best Minnesota Lawn Care Schedule

Why should you fertilize your lawn?

Fertilizer provides the nutrients your lawn needs to survive and thrive. It keeps your lawn strong and helps grass retain its color longer.

What else can you do to reduce thatch buildup?

To reduce thatch buildup, you can occasionally bag your clippings when mowing, you can use a mulching lawn mower to shred the clippings, and you can have your lawn dethatched once every year or two,

What cool season grasses grow best in Minnesota?

Some of the best grass seed for Minnesota include Kentucky bluegrass, turf-type tall fescue, and fine fescues. Learn the best time to plant grass seed in Minnesota so you establish a healthy, lush, and green lawn.

When to Call a LawnStarter Pro

There’s a lot that goes into maintaining a lawn. LawnStarter has all the guides you need to start and keep your grass healthy and beautiful. But why go through the trouble of doing it yourself when we have professionals who have the expertise to do it for you? 

LawnStarter can connect you with a lawn care professional who will maintain your grass on a schedule that creates a yard as beautiful as the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Main Image Credit: Doug Kerr / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0