- 1. Prepare the Lawn Equipment<\/a><\/li>
- 2. Give Your Yard a Spring Cleanup<\/a><\/li>
- 3. Get a Soil Test<\/a><\/li>
- 4. Apply Herbicides to Treat Lawn Weeds<\/a><\/li>
- 5. Consider Scalping Your Lawn for Faster Growth<\/a><\/li>
- 6. Start Mowing<\/a><\/li>
- 7. Aerate During Active Growth<\/a><\/li>
- 8. Overseed Warm-Season Grasses<\/a><\/li>
- 9. Fertilize the Lawn by Grass Type<\/a><\/li>
- 10. Irrigate According to the Weather<\/a><\/li>
- 11. Kill Spring Pests<\/a><\/li>
- 12. Prevent and Treat Spring Lawn Diseases<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
1. Prepare the Lawn Equipment<\/h2>
Check your lawn equipment to ensure your mower, trimmer, and other lawn care tools are in good working order. <\/p>
For example, you should sharpen your mower blades<\/a> before you mow your lawn for the first time. You also should re-string your weed eater<\/a>, if it needs that. <\/p>
My Tip:<\/em><\/strong> If you have your lawn mower serviced by a local small equipment shop, note that many shops are busy at the beginning of a new season, so plan accordingly. Have your lawn mower serviced a couple of weeks before you need it so it’s ready to go when you are.<\/em><\/p>
See Related<\/strong>:
— How to Change the Oil in a Lawn Mower
<\/a>— How to Clean and Change a Lawn Mower Air Filter<\/a><\/p>2. Give Your Yard a Spring Cleanup<\/h2>
![\"illustration](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thatch-illustration.jpg\")
Infographic by Juan Rodriguez<\/figcaption><\/figure> Spring cleaning is not just for your house, but should extend to your yard. A clean yard leads to healthy, thriving grass, so start cleaning with these tasks:<\/p>
- Collect branches, pet waste, rocks, and garbage left behind during winter.<\/li>
- Rake fallen leaves<\/a> and other debris and bag them.<\/li>
- Trim and prune trees and shrubs.<\/li>
- Clean up flower beds.<\/li> <\/ul>
If necessary, remove thatch — the collection of dead and living roots, stems, and runners that form between the grass and soil — to help grass grow faster and healthier. The best time to remove thatch from your Atlanta lawn is during the growing season:<\/p>
- Early spring for tall fescue<\/strong> and other types of cool-season grass<\/li>
- Late spring to early summer for warm-season grasses<\/strong> (after the second mowing of the year, not including scalping)<\/li> <\/ul>
See Related<\/strong>:
— How to Dethatch Your Lawn<\/a>
— 5 Best Ways to Clean Up Leaves in Your Yard<\/a>
— How to Remove Leaves From Mulch and Flower Beds<\/a><\/p>3. Get a Soil Test<\/h2>
If you haven\u2019t tested your soil as part of a fall lawn care checklist<\/a>, spring is the next best time to check your soil\u2019s pH level. It should be between 5.5 and 6.5 to support nutrient absorption and healthy grass. <\/p>
Acidic soil reduces fertilizer efficiency by up to 60%, while alkaline soil makes the grass more vulnerable to diseases.<\/p>
You can test your soil at your local Extension office. For instance, at the Fulton County Extension Office<\/a> a basic soil test is $12. The results include data about soil pH and the macronutrients and micronutrients your lawn needs. <\/p>
Pro Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Atlanta soil usually gets acidic and requires granular lime treatment.<\/em><\/p>
See Related<\/strong>:
— How to Tell If Your Lawn Needs Lime<\/a>
— How to Test the Soil pH of Your Lawn<\/a> <\/p>4. Apply Herbicides to Treat Weeds<\/h2>
Proper weed control helps keep weeds at bay. Come spring, you can:<\/p>
- Fight winter annual weeds with post-emergent herbicides.<\/li>
- Prevent summer annual and perennial weeds with pre-emergent herbicides.<\/li> <\/ul>
Post-Emergent Herbicides and Winter Weeds<\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/chickweed-flowers-1.jpeg\")
Chickweed. Photo Credit: ccarax<\/a> \/ Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure> Winter annual weeds germinate in late summer or early fall, grow during winter, and die in late spring or early summer. Among the most common Atlanta winter weeds are: <\/p>
- Annual bluegrass (Poa annua<\/em>)<\/li>
- Speedwell <\/li>
- Chickweed <\/li>
- Henbit <\/li>
- Swinecress<\/li> <\/ul>
Remove them before they\u2019re able to spread their seeds. Apply a post-emergent herbicide<\/a>, or hand-pick them if there are only a few.<\/p>
Pre-Emergent Herbicides and Summer Weeds<\/h3>
![\"Stringy](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/goosegrass.jpg\")
Goosegrass. Photo Credit: Hendra Susanto0311<\/a> \/ Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure> Spring is also the time to prevent summer annual weeds, which germinate in spring. The most common summer weeds in Atlanta lawns are:<\/p>
- Crabgrass<\/li>
- Goosegrass<\/li>
- Lespedeza<\/li>
- Prostrate knotweed<\/li> <\/ul>
To prevent summer annual weeds from sprouting, apply a pre-emergent herbicide<\/a> when the soil temperature is 50 to 55 degrees and the seeds haven\u2019t germinated. Pre-emergent herbicides are usually granular and easily applied around the yard using a spreader. <\/p>
Pro Tip:<\/em><\/strong> When applying herbicides, always wear protective equipment, wait for a day without rain or wind, and keep children and pets away from the lawn<\/em>.<\/p>
See Related:<\/strong>
— Common Weeds in Georgia Lawns and Gardens<\/a>
— When to Apply Pre-Emergent Herbicide<\/a><\/p>5. Consider Scalping Your Lawn for Faster Growth<\/h2>
Scalping is cutting the grass much lower than usual. It\u2019s best done from early March to mid-April when the grass leaves dormancy. Scalping removes the layer of dead grass blades and has valuable benefits for your lawn:<\/p>
- Free soil warms up easier, absorbs water faster, and speeds up grass growth.<\/li>
- Removing dead grass blades prevents thatching.<\/li>
- Scalping helps you see and treat uneven areas and dead spots.<\/li> <\/ul>
In Atlanta, you can scalp Bermudagrass and Zoysia, but not tall fescue, centipede, or St. Augustine. You can hire an Atlanta lawn care pro<\/a> to scalp the lawn or DIY it by following our scalping guide<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>
6. Start Mowing<\/h2>
For a tall fescue lawn, start mowing when it gets 2.5 to 3 inches tall, usually around mid-March, and cut it to keep it at 2 inches for the entire spring. Warm-season grasses<\/a> start later, so bermuda, centipede, St. Augustine, and Zoysia lawns need mowing as soon as they start greening up around March or April. <\/p>
Here\u2019s how short you should mow Atlanta\u2019s most common grasses in spring:<\/p>
- Annual bluegrass (Poa annua<\/em>)<\/li>
- Late spring to early summer for warm-season grasses<\/strong> (after the second mowing of the year, not including scalping)<\/li> <\/ul>
- 2. Give Your Yard a Spring Cleanup<\/a><\/li>
![\"an](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/aeration.jpg\")
![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/gray-leaf-spot-11360-grayleafspot-tallfescue-plantsymptoms-leafspots-ltc.jpg?wsr\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/atlanta-LS1-small.jpg?wsr\")