Grass Growing Guide & FAQs

Grass Growing Guide

Everything about grass… everything.

Taking care of a lawn requires more effort than heading out with the mower every 7-10 days. If you want to have a nice lawn then you should be setting up a watering regimen that is sufficient for your climate and regular.

You should be mowing your grass at intervals that are closer together, feeding your lawn with the right fertilizers at the right times, and applying preventatives for certain types of bugs, weeds, and pets that can damage the health of your lawn if left unchecked.

Maintenance chores should be done every spring and fall at the start and end of your growing seasons. Some of these chores are obvious like raking up the leaves while others are less obvious such as core aerating your lawn every spring.

Here on Turf Mechanic I have published a lot of guides and I’ve answered many questions on the topic of lawn care.

Below you’ll find a short list of all the material I have on Spring lawn care. Further down the page I’ll get into seeding, fertilizing, and irrigation as well as tutorials for cutting grass.

You can start by watching this video I produced on improving a lawn over time without spending any money on products then you can browse some of the following topics here on the site in the list below.

Browse and read!

Spring Lawn Chores

When to Start Watering the Lawn in the Spring?
Sometimes it’s just not obvious when to start watering your grass in Spring. Do you wait until a special date? Do you wait until the ground is super dry? Do you wait until the grass is growing a lot? What if winter isn’t over yet but you feel it’s time to start?

Should You Overseed Your Lawn in the Spring?
In late winter and early Spring it’s easy to see thin patches of grass in your lawn and it’s super tempting to overseed those areas in hopes of developing a thicker lawn in your problem areas. There are however reasons why you shouldn’t bother with overseeding. In this article I discuss the times when you should and shouldn’t overseed in the Spring and give you tips on how to do it best if you decide to give it a go.

Should You Fertilize Your Lawn in the Spring?
Some people swear by waiting until late in the Spring to fertilize and others thing early Spring is the best time to get your applications on the ground. In many cases it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to the Spring fertilization schedule. This post irons out my feelings on the factors that you should be considering.

Should You Use Weed Pre-Emergents in the Spring?
Spring is the best time to use pre-emergent weed control products however there are some situations where you will not want to use them. If you are overseeding then the use of a pre-emergent is probably not the best idea. Furthermore spring is not the only time you will use them so in this article I go over a lot of the basic info you need on the timing of your pre-emergent applications.

Do Pre-Emergents Stop Dandelions?
Dandelions are a nuisance to many home owners despite the fact that some people grow them for food or supplementation. In the lawn they can crowd out good turf grasses and they can be hard to get rid of once they are in the lawn. If you are considering putting down a pre-emergent to control dandelions and other types of invasive weeds then make sure to see this article.

How to Stimulate Root Growth in Grass
Having a nice looking lawn requires effort and if you don’t spend some time and energy pushing for a deep and healthy root system in your grass then the leafy layer of turf we like to see and feel between our toes will be hard to maintain. In this article you will learn the techniques to building up the underground layer of your grass, the root system. With a healthy root system all types of lawn care become easier.

Can You Use Pre-Emergents & Overseed at the Same Time?
The best time of year to overseed is in the Fall and the best time of the year to use a pre-emergent herbicide is in the Spring but there are a few tips I can share that may shed light on how to mix these lawn chores or do them at less than optimal times of the year. For one you will have to use very specific products and get the timing just right. Of course you could also just wait a few months and get everything done with the best timing too. Read this article to find out a lot more about overseeding while applying weed control products.

How Much Water Should A Lawn Irrigation System Use?
Most irrigation systems for lawns can be configured many different ways to automate the process but the volume of water your system puts out will probably vary a lot from your neighbor next door. Water pressure a flow make a difference as does the types and amounts of sprinkler heads you use throughout your lawn and garden. One of the best rules of thumb to follow when irrigating your lawn is to measure how much time it takes to place an inch of water on your lawn based on your own systems and then set your sprinkler controller to hit that amount of time on a regular schedule.

Why Grub Worm Preventatives Are Important
Grubs are the larva of many common beetles and bugs that are typically found out in every neighborhood around the country. They are not particularly disgusting and they don’t typically infest and becomes a problem other than the fact that before they grow into “land creatures” they reside under the surface of your lawn and eat the root system of your grass. Controlling the amount of grubs in your lawn will keep your turf healthy and thick and that’s why most people consider grub preventatives.

When is it Too Late to Apply Grub Control Products?
There are different kinds of grub treatments you can do to your lawn. The preventative treatments work best early in the growing season and ar typically applied in late Spring but if you miss the window for prevention there are other control products that can be applied through the summer and even into the fall to mitigate the effects of grubs. In this article I cover a lot of the thought process on application timing.

When Should You Aerate Your Lawn in the Spring
The act of aerating a lawn requires a disruption to the root structure of your grass therefore it’s important to do your aerating when the grass is prepared to repair that damage and grow. In the Spring this can vary based on temperature and grass type. This article should give you all you need to know to dial in your best time to aerate your lawn.

Should You Dethatch Your Lawn Every Spring?
All lawns build up a layer of thatch over time but some lawns are more prone to it then others. Thatch buildup is worse for certain types of grasses and can be made worse by poor watering and mowing practices. In most cases a small thatch layer isn’t a bad thing but if it gets too thick it can start choking out your good grass and make watering a real problem. This article discusses the timing of thatch removal and whether it should be done annually in the Spring.

Core Aerating vs Spike Aerating
Aerating a lawn is a chore that most people don’t take on regularly but for those that do the results speak for themselves. Aerated lawns look better. They grow thicker, greener, and they require less water because the roots grow deeper. If you are looking to aerate your lawn then make sure to make the right decision on which tools to use. There is a big difference between spike aeration and core aeration. This article describes the differences.

When Does The Grass Green Up & Start Growing?
Each grass type will green up at different soil temperatures at different times during the Spring depending on where you live and what the climate is on any given year. In this article I cover the basics of each grass types and what to expect with Spring green up and growth.

Growing Grass From Seed

There is an enormous amount of questions homeowners have when they start thinking about putting grass seed down and growing a new lawn space. Many people falsely believe growing grass from seed is hard but in actuality it’s not very complicated at all. At the right time of year the prep work is minimal at best and the speed to germination and establishment is much faster than most people realize.

Because however there are so many questions posed I have a full guide to growing grass from seed here for your convenience. If you would rather look into my more specific articles on seeding I’ve listed them below.

How Much Grass Seed Do You Need Per Square Foot?
How To Properly Overseed A Lawn
Will Grass Seed Germinate on Top of the Soil
When is the Best Time to Plant Grass Seed?
When is it Too Late to Sow Grass Seed
How to Keep Birds From Eating Grass Seeds
Can You Overwater Grass Seed?
When to Stop Watering New Grass Seed?
When to Mow New Grass From Seed
How Long Does it Take for Grass Seed to Fully Grow

Grass Seed Types

The Best Grass Seed Varieties for Shade
Dog Resistant Grass Seed
Are There Pet Friendly Grass Seeds?

Sod Care & Growing Guides

When to Fertilize New Sod
Should You Fertilize New Sod?

Cutting Grass

How to Cut Grass on a Steep Hill: 6 Strategies
How to Cut Grass Under a Trampoline: The Best Ways
How to Cut Grass in a Summer Heat Wave

The Health of Your Lawn

What Does Nitrogen do for Grass
All bags of lawn food prominently display their composition of Nitrogen. It is the first number in the N-P-K label and it refers to the amount of nitrogen in the bag. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for grass so it is usually the most abundant ingredient in a bag of lawn food. In this article you will learn why it is so important and what it does for your grass.

What Does Potassium do for Grass
Potasium is one of those super important nutrients for grass that you can’t forget about. Although it isn’t known for stimulating leaf or root growth like nitrogen and phosphorus it is mostly used by the plant for less obvious purposes like photosynthesis and immune function. In this article you will learn a lot about the way grass plants grow, use energy, and stave off disease with the help of potassium.

What Does Phosphorus do for Grass?
Most people know that nitrogen aids in top growth for all grass types and that’s why starter fertilizer and many all-purpose fertilizers are heavy in nitrogen but grass needs other nutrients such as phosphorus as well. Do you know what grass uses phosphorus for? Do you know how much of it your grass should get and when you should feed it? In this article I take a close look at phosphorus and all that it does for your yard.

What Does Lime do for Grass?
Lime is an additive that only some people need to consider for their lawns. It is a product that is used to correct some issues that may only apply to certain lawns. In this article I discuss six reasons that you might need lime in your lawn, when you should apply it, and how to tell if your lawn needs a bit of lime.

What Does Humic Acid do for Grass?
Humic acid is a natural product that can be applied to lawns throughout the growing season. It is not a fertilizer per se but rather it is a product that improves the health and consistency of the soil and helps your grass uptake and use nutrients that exist in the soil more efficiently. In this article I describe more about how it works and why you should apply humic acid to your lawn.

What To Do With Grass Clippings?
Grass clippings are frequently bagged and discarded by many homeowners across the country but there are far better uses for these clippings. They can be used to nourish the soil in both the lawn and garden in many ways. In this article I explain the basics of what to do with them and how best to use them without putting them straight into the trash.

How To Remove Thatch From A Lawn
Do Trampolines Kill Grass? Why it Happens & How to Stop It
Why is There Moss in my Lawn?
Why Does Grass Make You Itchy?

Irrigation & Watering Practices

When to Stop Watering the Lawn in the Fall
Can I Water My Lawn at Night
How to Water a Lawn During a Summer Heat Wave
The Best Ways to Water a Lawn Without a Sprinkler System
How Long to Water Grass Seed With Sprinkler Heads

Other How-To Guides to Lawns

How to Grow Grass on a Steep Hill
How to Pull up Grass
How To Plant A Tree In The Lawn With A Tree Ring
How To Get Deep Dark Green Grass

I have other full guides to each season along with guides for fertilization, treatments, weed control, etc. You can see all of my other guides here.

Here are The Newest Publications On The Site

9 Common Reasons Why Your Lawn Turns Yellow-Green
The 9 Best Ways To Control Nutsedge In The Lawn
Warm vs Cool Season Grass Types: The Main Differences & Characteristics
Which Grass Types Cannot Grow In The Shade
Crabgrass vs Dallisgrass vs Quackgrass: How To Tell The Difference
Can You Grow Grass In Sand or Very Sandy Soil?
Lawn Winterization Best Practices: How To Fertilize At The End Of Fall
How To Identify Grass That Is Dormant vs Dead
Why Do People Scalp Bermudagrass Lawns