If you are watering your lawn at night to protect it from the summer heat, lawn care experts have a clear message for you: stop. While setting your smart sprinklers or hose timers to run after dark feels like a convenient, water-saving hack, drenching your grass overnight is actually a lawn care mistake that invites fungal diseases and pests.

The temptation makes sense. Watering away from the sun’s harsh glare and soaring daytime temperatures prevents evaporation. However, what is easy for your schedule is damaging to your grass, leaving moisture to sit on the blades for hours without sun to dry it.

To help with your summer lawn care, we asked leading turf specialists to break down the exact risks of nighttime watering. Plus, if a busy schedule means you must water after dark (and this tripod sprinkler in the Amazon Prime sale is ideal for the job), our experts share the essential damage-control tips to keep your grass healthy, lush, and disease-free.

Why You Shouldn't Water Grass At Night

Knowing when to water grass is often key to it growing well in periods of intense heat and when there's a lack of rainfall.

When it comes to caring for your lawn in June, whilst a timer on a hose or sprinkler system, such as this highly recommended Orbit model from Amazon, is a great idea for busy homeowners, running it overnight is not what the experts advise.

‘While watering your lawn at night might seem convenient, it's typically not the most recommended practice due to one major drawback: the potential for fungal diseases,’ says Ryan Farley, CEO of Lawn Starter.

‘Watering your lawn at night means the water doesn't have a chance to evaporate quickly due to lower temperatures and the absence of sunlight.

'This can leave your lawn damp for long periods, creating a perfect environment for fungi and other lawn diseases to thrive.’

The pores on the leaves of grass open during daylight to expel moisture. If the lawn is watered at night, this process will not happen and can lead to fungal and bacterial growth, plant rot, and even pest problems.

Besides the threat of encouraging diseases and fungi there are other important health and practical issues to consider too.

Gene Caballero, co founder of GreenPal says: ‘Watering at night can create a breeding ground for mosquitos and other pests.’

How to Prevent Lawn Damage When Watering

Sometimes, with our hectic lifestyles, we simply have no choice as and when to do essential chores and watering the lawn certainly falls into this category.

If you do find yourself in this situation, try to give at least a couple hours of sunlight after watering so the blades of grass can dry before nightfall.

Gene Caballero also warns against getting into the habit of watering late in the day. ‘Watering the lawn at night can be harmful if it is done too often or if the lawn is not properly maintained. If you do choose to water your lawn at night, it is important to follow these precautions.

• Water deeply and less often: This will help to encourage the roots of the grass to grow deeper, which will make the lawn more drought-tolerant.
• Water early in the evening: This ensures that the grass has time to dry before nightfall.
• Avoid watering if the temperature is below 50˚F: Low temperatures and cold water can shock the grass.
• Keep an eye out for signs of pests and disease: Treat the problems promptly if they occur.

Gene also advises, ‘If you are using a sprinkler, make sure to adjust the sprinkler head so that the water is not hitting the leaves of the grass.’

This great value sprinkler from Walmart allows you to customise the flow of water and control coverage, so you can use it in large or small yards.

Keeping the grass in your lawn slightly longer can also help to retain moisture so there is less need to water it as regularly. Longer grass traps dew and provides useful moisture for the roots.

Shop Lawn Watering Essentials

The Best Time to Water

‘For most lawns, watering between 6am and 10am is best,’ says Teri Valenzuela, Senior Content Strategist at lawn care specialists Sunday.

‘Watering at this time allows for the watering to be absorbed properly, and it’s particularly beneficial to deter disease and prevent heat stress during high temperatures.’

This four-hour window works like magic for two reasons: The morning air is still cool, and winds are usually calm. This means the water actually sinks deep into the soil and reaches the roots rather than evaporating instantly into thin air.

In addition, any water left clinging to the grass blades will dry off naturally as the sun rises. This keeps the lawn dry during the humid evening hours when fungi thrive, but well-hydrated before the afternoon scorching begins.

If you try to water during the blazing heat of midday, you can lose up to 30% of your water to evaporation before it ever hits the soil. Worse yet, water droplets sitting on the grass in intense midday sun can act like tiny magnifying glasses, scorching the blades.

Ultimately, if you are unsure whether or not it is a good idea to water your lawn at night, it is always best to consult with a professional to avoid making any serious lawn care mistakes.

Shop Lawn Care Kit

Of course, even if you want to make your lawn green and thick, there’s no need to water it if the grass simply doesn’t need it, especially in these times of limited water resources.

Michael Deaton, turf agronomist at Pennington Seed Inc adds, ‘Whatever watering regimen you choose, look to your lawn for the final word. Well-hydrated grass springs back up when stepped on. If grass stays depressed, it may need water. Curled grass blades or dull, blue-gray color are signs grasses are water stressed.’

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If you're a keen veg grower or new to the joys of home-grown produce, June can be a surprising month in the kitchen garden. The temperate months of spring – and with them all that lush, green growth full of hope – can suddenly disappear and you can be left with a plot that looks lacklustre and distinctly lacking in vigor.

This abrupt change in pace is so common it has a name: the 'early summer stall'. There are a number of reasons this happens, and the good news is there are solutions to them all. The five principal reasons vegetables stop thriving in June are changing temperatures, lack of water, nutrient imbalances, heat stress and the natural decline in cool-season crops. Any one of these (although it's often a combination) can cause growth to stall and veg plants to struggle.

To breathe new life back into your vegetable patch, I've dug deep into the five issues affecting your crops in midsummer to find the simplest, most reliable remedies. Your kitchen garden will soon be back to its burgeoning best, healthy and productive until fall or even beyond. And then you can turn your thoughts to what to plant in June.

Changing Temperatures

With June temperatures ranging from lows of around 60°F (16°C) in the Northeast of the US to 100°F (38°C) in the Southwest, and 54°F (12°C) to 86°F (30°C) in the UK, with even the occasional frost not unheard of, the extremes are a whole lot greater than 'gentle June' may suggest. It's no surprise then that your carefully tended vegetable plants could struggle to adjust.

When plants experience dramatic changes in temperature, it causes severe stress. Sudden periods of cold can damage plant tissues, cause yellowing of the leaves and result in stunted growth. Meanwhile, heat spikes lead to rapid water loss, which risks your plants going to seed, or 'bolting'. These sudden changes in temperature are more common in US zones where two different climates meet, and in hilly areas or deep valleys.

To avoid damage from cold temperatures, always keep some horticultural fleece handy (try these fleece jackets from Lowes). Check nighttime temperatures daily and throw fleece over vulnerable crops before nightfall. Cloches (whether DIY cloche ideas or store bought), veg row covers and coldframes are also super handy moveable options to minimise stress caused by extreme, sudden cold snaps.

Shop plant protection domes at Amazon.

Buy a portable mini greenhouse coldframe at Home Depot.

Lack of Water

June rainfall across the USA can vary drastically, but generally averages 3-6in (80-144mm) overall, with parts of the Midwest and Central Plains often dealing with dry spells and flash droughts. In the UK, summers are increasingly unpredictable, with a volatile mixture of showers, often very hot sunshine and an average monthly rainfall of just 2-3in (50-80mm). It's one of the driest months of the summer.

How best to water plants in June? An irrigation system, like this soaker hose from Amazon, set on a timer is a huge help if rainfall is unpredictable, failing that make watering part of your early morning routine. The best time to water the garden in summer is before 9am, when the sun is often hot enough to significantly affect water lost through evaporation.

Remember always to direct water to the base of your plants, using the spout rather than the sprinkler attachment of your watering can. Any crops growing in pots will need careful attention if they're not to dry out.

A generous 2-3 in mulch of organic matter (ideally applied after a good soak) will help to lock in moisture and prevent water loss through evaporation. It will also help to lock in nutrients, in fact adding goodness to the soil as it breaks down and decomposes.

Straw, compost, manure and grass clippings are some of the most effective and nutritious organic mulches to use in a veg garden. Avoid bark chippings as they can remove nitrogen from the soil as they decay: annuals such as veg plants need plenty of nitrogen to grow strongly.

Shop garden straw at Lowes.

Nutrient Imbalance

When you first plant veg in spring, with decent rainfall and seasonal sunshine, chances are they'll start to grow quickly. After a couple of months, if your soil is poor or presenting challenges, that will start to show in the health of your plants.

They're bigger, putting on more vegetative and root growth, and likely starting to develop fruit, so their needs are more complex. Overfeeding your plants is also a possible pitfall. Here's how to choose the best fertilizers for your veg garden.

Lack of nitrogen
If older plant leaves are yellowing or turning pale, chances are they're in need of a nitrogen boost. Use a nitrogen-rich feed such as nettle tea or other high-nitrogen fertilizer, or work in some well-rotted manure to boost levels and restore nitrogen to your soil.

Lack of phosphorus
Spotted a purple or reddish tint to young growth? Is it perhaps in addition to poor flowering and slow root growth? Then you may need to add phosphous to your soil. This is simply done with a sprinkling of bone meal or rock phosphate.

Lack of potassium
If the edges of leaves are browning or yellowing, or your harvest is poor quality, potassium could be the issue. You can fix this with a dose of wood ash, seaweed feed, or comfrey tea.

Lack of calcium
Blossom-end rot on your tomatoes and zucchini or tip burn on your lettuce? Then your soil's probably in need of a calcium boost. Fork in some crushed eggshells, garden lime or gypsum to rectify this deficiency.

Too many nutrients!
If you've gone a little OTT with synthetic fertilizers, it can have a detrimental effect on your young veg plants, burning their roots and creating an overly salty soil environment that actually draws moisture out of your plants. It's one of the most common fertilizing mistakes and signs include crisp, brown leaf margins, lush growth without any sign of fruit and yellowing leaves that can wither and drop.

Fix this by removing the top inch of soil and replacing with fresh compost (if it's slow-release granules or top-dressing that's the cause), or soaking your veg beds thoroughly and deeply to wash away excess fertilizer from the roots.

Shop plant food and fertilizer at Target.

Heat Stress

Across the US and in the UK too June isn't too early for vegetables to start showing heat stress, which tends to happen when the mercury hits around 85°F (30°C). When vegetable plants are stressed from too much heat, it can affect not only their growth but also pollination.

Signs your plants are suffering from heat stress include curling tomato and pepper leaves (usually upwards) in a bid to reduce water loss, tall 'bolting' stems emerging from lettuces, blossom drop and poor fruit set.

Deep, targeted watering will help (in the early morning), as will setting up shade sources. These can include shade cloths, which will lower temperatures around plants, reduce leaf scorch and stop plants like peppers and tomatoes stalling). 30-50% shade cloth is best for sun-lovers like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, as well as young seedlings; 70%, like this one from Ace Hardware is best for other veg. But an old sheet is better than nothing at all!

Less costly is moving tougher, more heat-resistant containers in place to provide portable shade. Think large pots of geraniums, rosemary, lavender and salvias. Or try pots of sunflowers to shield seedlings from sunlight. Shift these to the south/southwest side of your veg beds (raise them up on bricks if you can) and you'll add an element of shade when the sun's at its hottest – to help with this try wheel plant caddies like these from Lowes.

For taller crops, it can be useful to place a large upturned pot on a stake to act as a parasol over individual plant. Remember too that moving container-grown veg into more shaded spots in the backyard. will help to reduce the effects of heat stress.

You can improve airflow around plants with some strategic June pruning. Removing the lower leaves from tomato plants will let in air and thinning out overcrowded foliage and crossing branches provides natural ventilation to help plants breeze through a heatwave.

Meanwhile, to help pollination, add in a few pollinator-friendly flowers to your veg plot. French marigolds (Tagetes), cosmos, zinnias and lavender are some of the best plants for pollinators.

One last tip: avoid fertilizing when the weather is very hot, as it will trigger a sudden onset of tender growth, which is difficult for the plant to sustain when temperatures are especially high.

Shop pollinator favorites at Burpee.

Decline in Cool-Season Crops

There are certain crops that just won't thrive in warm weather, whatever you do to combat it. And that's because they're simply not built to grow and fruit in high temperatures. So if your radishes have turned woody and won't germinate, fret not: their time has passed, but there's always next spring.

This is also partly true of other root veg including carrots, turnips and beetroot, which are often best sown early and harvested in early summer. They're what's known as cool-season crops, which need to be sown/planted early in the year for early harvests, before the weather turns scorching.

These crops, as well as salad leaves and alliums will naturally begin to decline from now until late summer, but to keep roots from turning woody continue with your deep watering, keep those salads shaded and mulch away to lock in moisture.

June is often a time when gardeners easily relax and think the garden will take care of itself. But it pays to be vigilant and aware of the challenges of vegetable growing in June, and bear watering and heat spikes in mind.

As you can see, there are plenty of low-effort ways to protect your veg crops and keep them thriving through early summer. Better still, your efforts now will pay dividends for the rest of the summer and into autumn as crops mature and harvests begin in earnest.

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Many homeowners envision the perfect summer lawn, but may look at theirs in dismay during June, as it can look worse than it did earlier in the year. If this sounds like you, the clear message is relax. There are reasons this happens, and it can be rectified.

The three main causes of a struggling lawn in early summer are heat stress, disease, or mowing too short. Any or all of these can stress a lawn, causing it to shift from a vibrant green to shades of yellow or brown.

To help turn your fortunes around, I spoke to three experts about what to do with a lawn in June if your grass is struggling with any of these issues. Their tips for summer lawn care can help transform a stressed, discolored lawn into a healthy, green carpet for the rest of the season.

The 3 Top Issues Affecting Lawns in June

Heat Stress

The temperatures vary across the US in June, from lows of 60°F in the Northeast to highs of 90-100°F in the Southwest. Depending on where in the country you are, your lawn may be struggling from too much sun and heat and too little water. This combination triggers it into ‘survival’ mode.

This issue can be exacerbated in transition zones, where two different climates meet, and the variable weather leaves lawns more susceptible to drought. ‘Typically, your grasses in the transition zone are not necessarily the best for an increase in heat and humidity,’ explains Matt Cline, COO of HillSide Lawn Service.

‘They start to go into kind of a drought-type setting, where you start seeing grass just looking a little bit thinner, not growing as much, not showing as much color as it did in the spring, it's basically going into a survivability type mode, where it's just trying to get through until the heat breaks.’

You may think that water can solve all these woes, but even if you do get some water, a lawn can still suffer from heat stress.

As Brian Feldman, Senior Director of Field Operations at TruGreen, claims: ‘Up to 40% of water evaporates before it even reaches the root zone if you're watering at the wrong time. This leaves turf thirsty precisely when it needs hydration most.’

We’ll reveal the ‘right’ time for watering a garden later to avoid this happening to you this summer.

Mowing Too Short

In the drive for a lush, green carpet, many homeowners fall foul of a mowing faux-pas, cutting the grass too short when the temperatures rise.

Many people believe this is the best approach for a perfect-looking lawn in summer. However, in reality, all this does is further stress the grass, especially if it is already struggling with heat, pests, or weed pressure.

‘When in doubt, mow high,’ recommends Theresa Smith at NaturaLawn. ‘Many homeowners will mow their lawns too short, which can encourage the turf to shorten its root systems and make it more difficult for the grass to retain the nutrients it needs.’

Matt Cline advises a better approach is reducing how often you mow your lawn in summer to avoid a stressed, browning lawn. ‘Let the grass grow a little bit, let it recover on its own without mowing it on the same frequency that you normally would in the spring,’ he says.

Increased Disease

Stressed lawns are vulnerable to disease. Along with potential heat stress, there is an increased risk that lawn diseases such as brown patch, pythium blight, summer patch, and dollar spot can take a toll on lawns during hot, humid weather.

‘Warmer temperatures create ideal conditions for disease, weeds, and damaging insects to thrive,’ warns Brian Feldman. ‘If your lawn's soil health has been neglected - whether as a result of compacted soil or pH imbalances - you will also see restricted root growth, which can compound the stress your grass can experience now.’

To reduce your chances of an unhealthy lawn struck by disease, avoid watering the lawn in the evening or at night. Grass sitting wet overnight is a perfect environment for fungal diseases to take hold. Instead, water the lawn in the morning so the moisture has all day to evaporate.

3 Ways to Fix a Lawn in June

The first thought is often that watering the lawn is the sure-fire way to fix many of the issues outlined above, but water in itself is not the golden answer to everything. So, what advice do the lawn experts suggest could be done this month to perk up struggling turf?

Give It a Summer Feed

Firstly, consider fertilizing a lawn. ‘For warm-season grasses, fertilizing now is the ideal window,’ says Brian Feldman.

Those warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda grass, Zoysia grass, and St Augustine grass, are widely used in the southern US as they tolerate heat and drought better.

A well-fed lawn has stronger roots and a thicker density. This boosts its drought and disease resistance, and helps naturally crowd out weeds.

‘We give a little bit of a shot of fertilizer and nitrogen in the summer,’ adds Matt Cline. ‘When we get a little bit of rain, it helps perk the lawn back up when it's struggling in the summertime.’

This liquid lawn food at Amazon is high in nitrogen and is perfect for delivering nutrients to all types of grasses during the summer.

Change Your Mowing Habits

The experts already touched on mowing at a higher height when you cut grass in hot weather. In addition, when you head out with the lawn mower in early summer, consider leaving the grass clippings after mowing rather than collecting them.

You can mulch a lawn with grass clippings (provided they are less than an inch) as they are full of nutrients and moisture. The lawn benefits from more moisture being retained in the ground rather than being lost to evaporation.

‘The only time grass clippings should be removed is when there is disease activity or the lawn is so long that the clippings begin to clump,’ advises Theresa Smith. ‘This will smother the plants underneath and can kill the grass. ‘

Make Sensible Watering Choices

There is no hiding that water is a key aspect of summer care if you want a green, thick lawn. Most turfgrasses need one to two inches of water per week at this period of the year, and the important thing to get right is when and how you water the lawn in summer.

‘The best window for watering is between 5 am and 10 am, when temperatures are mild, winds are calm, and the sun hasn't fully intensified,’ recommends Brian Feldman. ‘Morning watering allows grass to retain moisture longer and prepares it to withstand the day's heat.’

And when you do water, water deeply. ‘Be sure to avoid short, frequent waterings, as these can lead to several turf problems,’ insists Theresa Smith. ‘Instead, prioritize infrequent but long waterings, as they encourage roots to grow deep into the soil.’

Deep, infrequent watering helps support stronger, deeper roots, which make any lawn stronger against rising temperatures. Shorter roots, often caused by light sprinklings, make the grass more susceptible to drought.

When you need to water will depend on temperature and recent rainfall, but Brian has a simple trick to help you judge. ‘I recommend using a simple rain gauge or empty cans placed around your lawn to confirm you've hit your one to two-inch target. This prevents both overwatering and underwatering - both of which can damage your lawn,’ he says.

You can get a rain gauge at Walmart with large numbers to easily tell how much rainfall you have had and whether you need to water the lawn.

What to Shop

Protecting the grass when the temperatures spike is often an underappreciated aspect of lawn care. Lots of homeowners worry about plants in flower beds or containers during a heatwave, but don’t have the lawn at the forefront of their thoughts.

But, as we’ve covered here, hot temperatures can all too easily stress a lawn. Protecting a lawn in a heatwave must involve keeping it hydrated. It should include proactive action to water deeply a few days before the temperatures are forecast to rise.

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Meet the Experts

After winter, it's not uncommon for our lawns to look a little tired and damaged from freeze-thaw cycles, improper drainage, and general damage from harsh conditions. But, if your lawn still looks yellow in May and hasn't quite recovered, it's a sign a big adjustment is needed.

Even if you have done everything on your spring lawn care checklist, it's likely your lawn will still looks yellow in late-May if there's a bigger health issue, such as a drainage problem or even a pest infestation. But don't fret, it is possible to recover your lawn before scorching summer temperatures arrive.

Lawn care experts say the best thing to do is diagnose the issue and act with care to nurture it back to life. Here, they talk through four possible causes and how to fix them.

1. Drought

One of the main causes of a yellow lawn in May is drought. With spring temperatures fluctuating and temperature spikes towards the end of the season, it can be tricky to properly manage watering your lawn.

'If your entire lawn (or most of it) is yellow or brown, you should suspect heat or drought. Both of these problems are actually the same – not enough water is getting to the roots of your grass,' says Chris Ramos, lawn care expert from Blain's Farm & Fleet.

'In very hot weather, the sun can evaporate most of the moisture from rain and light watering before it’s had enough time to soak into the soil around the roots of your grass,' he explains.

To check the moisture levels of your lawn's soil, use a soil moisture meter (like this from Amazon).

You should then think about how long to water your lawn and how to protect your lawn during a heatwave.

You should water early in the morning and late in the evening to hydrate your lawn, avoiding watering it in the middle of the day during hot spells as this can scorch it.

'For better long-term protection against heat and drought, use a fertilizer mix with high phosphorous and potassium levels (like this from Amazon)' Chris suggests.

'This will strengthen your lawn and help it grow deeper roots, which will allow it to resist lawn problems like drought and heat in the future,' he explains.

2. Drainage

Drainage is another common cause behind yellow lawns, and with irregular and sometimes unpredictable rainfall patterns in spring, it may be that your lawn is struggling with excess water this season.

If your lawn is quite compacted from winter and you're yet to aerate your lawn, then there isn't much room for water to drain away. This results in grass roots becoming oversaturated and rotting, causing discoloration like yellowing.

This can be the cause behind brown patches on lawns, too, where specific areas have particularly bad drainage.

To fix this issue, use a lawn aerator tool (like this from Lowe's) to punch holes in the soil, creating air pockets for water to drain. You can also use methods to loosen compacted soil to improve the structure of your lawn's soil.

You may also need to dethatch your lawn if there's a lot of debris and moss on the surface, which you can do with this thatch rake from Amazon. This will provide more light and oxygen to the grass.

Adding organic compost can also help improve lawn soil health and structure.

You can then overseed your lawn to help it recover before summer settles in, or even use this Scotts patch magic lawn repair from Amazon for specific areas in the garden.

Going forward, water your lawn carefully as to not overwater it, paying attention to rainfall. You may even want to install a French drain to help reduce water surface run-off.

3. Pests

If drainage and watering aren't an issue and your lawn is yellow in May, Chris recommends taking a closer look at your grass.

'If you see any holes or brown, yellow, or orange spots on the blades of your grass, you may have an insect infestation,' Chris says.

'Also, check the dirt between your grass blades for small holes or insect eggs. Insects can damage your grass by chewing and eating the blades or roots,' he explains.

There are lots of spring garden pests to look out for when it comes to your lawn. Lawn grubs, leatherjackets, anthills, and sap-sucking grass insects can all weaken your lawn and leave it looking patchy and discolored.

Luckily, there are plenty of natural pest control methods you can use to resolve this issue.

One of the most reliable is turning to the help of beneficial nematodes – microscopic organisms that prey on a wide range of destructive pests, taking care of the issue for you.

You can purchase beneficial nematodes at Walmart.

4. Nutrient Deficiency

Another cause behind a yellow lawn in May is a nutrient deficiency. In particular, a lack of nitrogen (the essential plant nutrient responsible for green vegetative growth) can result in discoloration and a lack of new growth.

If you're yet to fertilize your lawn in spring, this is a likely cause.

'Lack of nitrogen fertilizer or a fertilizer application that runs out of steam won’t keep the lawn deep green,' explains Dr. Roger May from TruGreen.

'Likewise, when soil pH is too high (alkaline), essential nutrients like iron and manganese become harder for grass to absorb, resulting in yellow turf spots, stunted growth, and weak root systems,' he adds.

To be sure of what is happening in your lawn's soil, use a soil test kit (this one from Amazon is highly recommended).

You can then use things like turf boosting lawn fertilizer (like this from Lowe's) to encourage your lawn to become green and thick before summer.

Just watch out for lawn fertilizing mistakes, like applying fertilizer during a heatwave which may burn the roots and cause further damage.

What to Shop

As we move into June, don't forget to read up on summer lawn care. This includes watering deeply in the morning to keep your grass hydrated during hot spells.

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Some of the best tools for transforming your lawn are common gardening tools. You don’t need fancy technology or gadgets for a glorious summer lawn. A lawn rake perfectly exemplifies this, as it offers a multi-purpose, budget-friendly way to complete many essential lawn maintenance tasks.

It is particularly beneficial in the spring, as among all the tasks this essential gardening tool is useful for, dethatching makes a huge difference to your lawn and can be done quickly and easily with a rake. It means more air and water reach your grass, helping it to be lush, green, and thick for the summer.

Lawn professionals agree that a simple lawn rake is often an under-appreciated tool that comes highly recommended for all homeowners to have in their shed. If you have yet to start your spring lawn care, there is still time, and owning a lawn rake will help your lawn look fabulous.

You can get a strong 24-tine steel lawn rake with a fiberglass handle at Lowe's.

What You Can Do With a Lawn Rake

It might not win any awards for fashion or technological advancements, but a lawn rake is a valuable, budget-friendly tool for maintaining a green, thick lawn. And every homeowner should have one in their shed.

Indeed, Todd Huffine, the owner of IMPACT Lawn Service in Cincinnati, says that a lawn rake is ‘easily the second-best investment of money most homeowners could apply for a beautiful lawn’ as it is inexpensive, durable, and multi-purpose.

(If you are interested, Todd named a soil meter capable of testing PH and moisture as the best tool, as many lawn issues come from less-than-ideal pH or moisture levels. You can get a 4-in-1 soil meter at Amazon that tests for pH, moisture, light, and temperature.)

So, how can a lawn rake be used in lawn care? Let us count the ways.

As the name suggests, a lawn rake is good for raking. This can be getting rid of leaves from a lawn in the fall (allowing the lawn to breathe) or dethatching in the spring (removing moss and debris to allow air and moisture to reach the roots). Both of these are crucial tasks across the seasons for keeping a lawn healthy and attractive.

Also, a spring-tine lawn rake can be used to lift and loosen matted grass, a condition which can be caused by winter snow or foot traffic and affect the lawn’s overall health.

When grass condenses into a matted carpet, moisture is trapped under the blades, and air circulation drops – this makes the lawn susceptible to fungal diseases, including snow mold in the winter and red thread and blight in damp, humid summers.

Thankfully, a few minutes spent raking affected areas will lift the matted grass and make an instant difference.

When overseeding a lawn, raking the area beforehand is recommended to remove thatch and moss. Raking also roughs the soil surface, which helps guarantee good contact between the ground and the grass seed to aid germination.

Finally, a lawn rake can be used to disperse compost or topsoil on a lawn, flatten mole hills or worm casts on a lawn, and spread soil plugs when a core aerator is used to aerate a lawn.

Overall, it is quite a list of lawn care tasks for which one tool comes in handy – you can understand how a lawn rake can see a lot of action throughout the gardening year.

The Best Job for a Lawn Rake in Spring

A lawn rake comes to the fore in spring, when looking after the grass needs to be on any spring gardening checklist. The ideal window to give your lawn some TLC in spring is from mid-March to the start of May, depending on your location and grass type.

However, Chris McIlroy, lawn expert at The Grass People, claims to ‘not be disheartened’ if you haven’t gotten around to it by late May, as there is still the opportunity to head out with the lawn rake and help the garden ahead of summer.

‘Don’t put it off until next year, there is still time to get your lawn in great shape,’ he says.

Firstly, the rake can be used to clear the lawn ahead of getting started. As Chris recommends: ‘Before starting any lawn care, remove all the debris that has made its way onto your lawn, such as stones, twigs, branches, leaves, and even litter.’

The core task for the lawn rake is dethatching, as excessive thatch in the grass leads to unhealthy lawns with shallow root systems that are more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Todd Huffine claims you don’t need an expensive rake to make a big difference to the overall health of a lawn in spring. He says that a ‘once-per-year thatching’ with a rake benefits any lawn as there is ‘less dead debris on the soil surface, preventing air and nutrients from entering.’

‘For under $20 and less than 20 minutes of effort, you can massively improve the health of your lawn by letting more air get into the soil and making pathways for additional morning moisture to reach the grass,’ adds the lawn expert.

Depending on the size of your lawn, it may take longer than 20 minutes. It might be a workout you can break up into smaller sections, but the rigors are worth the results.

You can get plastic or metal spring-tine lawn rakes, and the latter are the best to add to your tool shed. The tines are strong yet flexible, and perfect for raking up debris. A metal-tine lawn rake is a more multi-purpose tool, while a plastic one (like this plastic lawn and leaf rake at Lowe’s) is suited to gently raking matted grass and collecting leaves.

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You can get a dedicated thatching rake (such as this thatching rake at Lowe’s) with sharp, rigid blades specially designed to rip and pull out dead grass and moss from a lawn. Whether you need one of these specialist tools depends on how often you dethatch a lawn, and if you’d rather have a tool you can use for many other jobs as well.

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Meet the Experts

As temperatures soar and the prospect of rain becomes increasingly unlikely, you might be feeling a little anxious about keeping your plants hydrated. It's easy to forget, however, that weeds compete for the moisture in your yard, which is why weeding is a crucial task to check off your list during a drought.

No gardener looks forward to pulling up stubborn weeds – especially in hot weather. But with their complex root systems and relentless growth, weeds can absorb far more moisture than cultivated plants, leaving the rest of your garden to struggle.

So, while it's easy to let a task like this drop to the bottom of your list, getting rid of weeds now will ensure you're prepared for the dry, scorching days that are yet to come. Below, experts reveal why weeding during drought is important and how it will benefit your yard.

Why You Shouldn't Forget About Weeding During Drought

When it comes to creating a drought-tolerant yard, many gardeners will think of planting and landscaping. After all, drought-tolerant plants will save you the stress of constant watering, while drought-tolerant landscaping guarantees good water management.

Yet, according to experts, a simple task like weeding can be transformative in hot, dry periods. Weeds don't just look unsightly; below the surface, their root systems can essentially 'steal' moisture and other vital resources from the plants in your yard.

There's no denying that weeding is easily overlooked, and it's especially tempting to put it off at a time like this, when many regions are experiencing heatwaves. It is, however, even more crucial right now, and ticking it off your summer gardening checklist will leave you feeling more prepared for the months ahead.

'Most homeowners don't consider weeding in a drought until their yard is suffering, but it's actually one of the first things I mention when we're working on a property that has dry, stressed soil,' says Bennett Barrier, CEO of DFW Turf Solutions.

It might be hard to believe, but competition really is the crux of the problem.

'Every broadleaf weed you ignore is silently stealing water that your garden needs,' explains Bennett. 'Weeds do not take a break when it is dry; if at all, they become more aggressive.'

With this in mind, pulling up the pesky weeds in your borders and beds can have a significant impact on moisture retention in the soil.

'In yards with dense clay soil that have been cleared of weeds, water retention is noticeably longer than those that have not been cleared,' Bennett adds.

There are plenty of different types of weeders to choose from, depending on the plants in your yard. Hand weeders, like this one from Home Depot, are ideal for everyday tasks, while standing weeders, like this one from Amazon, will assist you with more stubborn species and tougher root systems.

You can even use tools like a hori hori knife (which you can find at Walmart) or a hand tiller (which you can pick up at Ace Hardware). You can also make your own weed killer if you're looking for a low-maintenance solution.

Make Weeding a Priority – Before it's Too Late

When it comes to yard maintenance, your priorities are likely to shift as summer sets in. It's best to think of weeding as preventative: get it done as early as possible, and you'll eliminate more serious issues in the future.

'In my experience, drought conditions usually make small problems turn into bigger problems faster,' reflects Alex Wright, founder of YardCalc. 'A few weeds don't seem like a big deal early on, but once they get established, you're dealing with larger root systems and usually harder, drier soil at the same time.'

Regular weeding will also save you from the backbreaking work of pulling up entire plants, which can have detrimental effects on the rest of your garden.

'It's always easier to remove weeds while they're still small,' says Alex. 'Once they've had time to spread roots and settle in, pulling them becomes more work, and you disturb more of the surrounding soil too.'

Naturally, weeding isn't the only weapon in your arsenal at this time of year, and creating a foolproof watering system will also help you to protect your plants in a heatwave.

Drip irrigation kits, like this one from Amazon, are a brilliant way to keep your plants happy during hot weather (you can also try out a DIY drip irrigation system).

There are, in fact, irrigation kits for every part of your yard: drip irrigation grids, like this one from Garden in Minutes, will provide consistent moisture to your raised beds, while hanging basket irrigation kits like this one (also from Amazon) are perfect for container gardens.

A soil moisture meter, like this one from Walmart, is also a valuable investment if you're unsure about how much water different plants require.

Ultimately, however, weeding will guarantee a neater, healthier yard that is better equipped to handle a drought. And it doesn't just regulate soil moisture. Weeding also allows you to keep a closer eye on your plants, which helps to fend off bug infestations and diseases.

'Thick weed growth makes it harder to spot pest damage and early disease,' confirms Bennett. 'Drought-stressed plants are already weakened, so catching those problems late makes everything worse.'

Desperate for a low-effort approach to weeding your yard? Check out our tips on weeding a garden quickly, or read up on common weeding mistakes and how to avoid them.

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Whether you prefer a softer, natural look in your yard or are just short on time, opting for the ‘lazy lawn’ method where you cultivate a longer length of grass can prove a revelation.

As many landscape architects and pro gardeners know this form of lawn care is not only good for the currently trending naturalistic style of planting, but also for local wildlife, beneficial insects and general plant and soil health. Some would also claim it is way more interesting and attractive to look upon, thanks to its gentle movement in the slightest breeze, heightened texture and subtle color variations rather than striving for a static, green monoculture.

We delve into the beauty and practicalities of a longer lawn and discover the design tips and tricks those in-the-know use to highlights it’s natural charm.

Benefits Of Growing a Longer Lawn

More than just a style choice, there are plenty of practical reasons to grow a longer length lawn.

'By allowing grass to grow a little longer, or by transitioning portions of a yard into low-mow or flowering lawn alternatives, you create a landscape that’s more resilient, more biodiverse, and far more forgiving in extreme weather,' says master gardener Tabar Gibson.

'Taller grass blades also shade the soil, helping lawns retain moisture and develop deeper root systems that are naturally more drought tolerant.'

Opt For Contrast

Longer, softer lawns – or dense areas of planting – are easy-on-the-eye but can appear untamed and rampant in a yard setting if there is little contrast.

Knowing how to use architectural hardscaping elements in garden design, including details such as crisp border edges, smooth paving and linear stepping stones, throw the texture of feathery grasses and criss-crossed stems into focus as landscape contractor Coleman Cosby explains: ‘Neatly maintained borders along planting beds and hardscape, makes the lawn feel intentional, not accidental.’

Statement boulders placed strategically between border planting and a long lawn have a similar effect but also introduce scale for drama. Find natural stone boulders at Home Depot.

Swap In A No-Mow Grass Alternative

The principle of ‘right plant, right place’ is often overlooked when it comes to lawns, but ditching the vision of a verdant close-clipped lawn traditional can prove key when it comes to thriving, low-effort ground cover, particularly in tricky sites.

‘For a no mow or low-mow lawn alternative, there are a number of excellent options, but it’s important to choose species appropriate to your region, light conditions, irrigation levels, and expected foot traffic,’ says Coleman Cosby.

‘One of my personal favorites is Carex tumulicola (Berkeley sedge), which is highly versatile and adapts well to a range of conditions. Carex pansa (California Meadow Sedge) and Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalo grass) are great choices for areas with more regular foot traffic.’

As Coleman states: ‘Successful establishment starts with good soil preparation and diligent weeding before the lawn alternative has fully filled in. From there, maintenance can be very minimal.’

Take a look at the grass selection at Nature Hills which includes the blue-green and burgundy hues of Shenandoah Switch Grass.

Ramp Up The ‘Ruffle-Me’ Appeal

Embrace the unchecked movement of a longer lawn by interplanting it with tall, slender grasses that gently intermingle and sway in the breeze.

‘I’m always fond of soft, billowy grasses that respond to the wind and evoke a softer, slower moment,’ landscape designer Stacilyn Feldman. ‘We like the slender leaves of Carex pensylvanica that grow in clumps and small ripples across a larger mass planting. It can be mowed once or twice a year at a higher setting (2-4 inches) to create a more manicured look.’

‘Alternatively,’ Stacilyn continues ‘consider adding Schizachyrium scoparium, Little Bluestem, or similar tall grass in a semi-regular pattern (8-10’ on center) to an unmown lawn. It will evoke a semi-wild prairie character while catching the wind and somewhat magically changing color through the seasons.’

Burpee has a good selection of live grasses including Little Bluestem Standing Ovation.

Weave In Threads Of Seasonal Color

One of the joys of growing a ‘longer lawn’ is the notion of breaking with tradition. Ditch the idea of cultivating a uniform all-green monoculture and welcome in textural contrast, soft movement and height. Why not take the look one step further and introduce seasonal color, through planting areas of perennial flowering ground cover. While the best bulbs for naturalizing in a lawn will provide seasonal color, perennials work well too.

‘To add color to a ‘lazy lawn’ consider Ajuga reptans,’ says Stacilyn. ‘The pop of purple color in springtime flows out across a lawn in slender tendrils that help elongate the horizon line in a broad field. Also, the broad leaf turns a spectacular bronzy color in the fall.’ You can find Ajuga Reptan seeds at Amazon.

'Fine fescues, creeping red fescue, and chewings fescue all perform beautifully when left longer,' continues Tabar. 'These grasses also pair exceptionally well with flowering lawn plants like microclover (Trifolium repens), Dutch white clover, self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), violets, and yarrow - all species that provide nectar and shelter for native bees, butterflies, hoverflies, ladybugs, lacewings, and other beneficial insects.'

Other options to try include creeping thyme or rockcress, for sunny well drained spots or sweet woodruff for woodland, shady areas. You can find these plants at Nature Hills.

Growing a longer lawn is just one way to make your garden less demanding and more naturalistic in style.

Take this approach to your borders and swap high maintenance plants for easy, native alternatives plus discover just how to make the worst gardening jobs easier.

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You need the right kit for any aspect of gardening. When it comes to lawns, those who worship these green carpets in their yard can have sheds full of tools and equipment. Others may not be so well stocked, but quality can be better than quantity.

The truth is that you don’t need lots of tools for a beautiful lawn. This is especially true if you can get one piece of equipment that you can use again and again for different lawn care tasks. That is why experts all agree that any homeowner who wants to upgrade their lawn needs to consider a lawn spreader as an essential piece of kit.

A lawn spreader is a tool designed to distribute materials consistently over the grass. It can be used throughout the year to apply fertilizer, seed, or weed control over the lawn more effectively than by hand. Those consistent applications help you enjoy the best results and have a lush, healthy lawn to be proud of.

Why You Should Have a Lawn Spreader

The takeaway headline is that a lawn spreader provides consistency and saves you time. To some, lawn care can be confusing and time-consuming, but it needn’t be the case. A lawn spreader offers efficiency, makes tasks easier, and there are types suitable for any-sized lawn or budget.

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1. You Use It for Lots of Tasks

Versatility is a huge reason to invest in a lawn spreader. The range of potential uses includes fertilizing a lawn, applying seed (to overseed or start a new lawn from scratch), weeding a lawn, top dressing, or adding other amendments (such as lime or iron) to your grass.

It is quite an exhaustive list of spring, summer, or fall lawn care tasks – plus you can use it in winter to spread de-icer or grit onto driveways.

Sean Dwyer, Senior Product Manager for Wheeled Products at Husqvarna, says there are lots of key requirements for a lawn to be green, thick, and healthy over the course of a season – which is where having a lawn spreader comes in handy.

‘There are spreader-tailored products that meet all these steps,’ he adds. ‘A spreader is an important tool for those who want to have a great-looking lawn. It can be used to apply everything from fertilizer, lime, or pest control products.’

Think how much use you will get out of the kit. If you look at a list of ideal spring lawn care tasks, for example, it can overseed and fix bare patches in the grass, apply a weed-and-feed product, and top dress the lawn.

2. It Gives Reliable, Consistent Applications

‘The biggest advantage of a spreader is that it can give a more reliable application of the product,’ claims Sean Dwyer. ‘This is particularly important when using things like fertilizer to get a consistent-looking lawn.’

Any fertilizer must be applied at the right rate to have the best results. Under-fertilize, and you won’t get the benefit from the nutrients. Over-fertilize a lawn, and you risk burning the grass.

To avoid fertilizing mistakes, all products have recommended rates, and you calibrate the lawn spreader to apply them correctly. To make it easier, quite often, if you use products and spreaders made by the same company, they’ll list the recommended lawn spreader settings on the back of the bag of feed, seed, or weed products.

Using a lawn spreader is always more reliable than spreading products by hand, which can save you money but comes with many potential risks.

‘Whether you are applying fertilizer, seed, or weed control, even coverage is everything,’ says Chelsea Morris, a Lawn Love pro who owns High-Class Grass in Virginia Beach.

‘Doing it by hand almost always leads to uneven growth, missed areas, or over-application.’

‘I would absolutely recommend homeowners have a spreader, especially if they are serious about improving their lawn,’ adds Chelsea.

3. It Saves Time and Money

Lawn spreaders don’t have to be expensive; you can get budget-friendly versions that will become essential gardening tools year after year. After the initial investment, a spreader can last you for many seasons, regularly coming out of the shed throughout the year to boost the lawn.

Over time, repeated use offers significant savings compared to some alternative routes to getting a beautiful lawn. ‘Proper application of fertilizers, granular herbicides, and pest control is expensive to have done professionally,’ says Sean. ‘A spreader is a key item in making the process simpler and less time-consuming.’

The cost-saving continues with each usage. As you apply your fertilizers, grass, weed products, or moss killer at the recommended rates, you are not wasting money using more than you need to or spending extra money fixing issues that arise from over-usage.

Plus, time is money, and using a lawn spreader means you complete tasks quicker than you would do by hand.

This is crucial at peak periods of the gardening season, when there is lots of planting, watering, pruning, or feeding to be done elsewhere. You have time to look after flower beds and container gardens, without the lawn taking up all of your time.

The Different Types of Lawn Spreaders

There are three types of lawn spreaders homeowners can choose from: broadcast, drop, and handheld spreaders.

First is a broadcast spreader, such as this mini broadcast spreader at Amazon. It has wheels and a handle to push around the garden, and it spreads using an in-built spinning disc turned by the propelling motion. There are mini broadcast spreaders for smaller or medium-sized lawns, and larger versions for bigger lawns.

You can also get types of lawn spreaders that precisely drop product the width of the tool for more precise applications. Like this drop spreader at Amazon.

A handheld spreader also has a spinning disc, but this type is smaller and human-powered, with a handle to turn the whirler. These types of lawn spreaders (such as this hand-powered spreader at Amazon) are more suited to smaller yards.

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Most households with a lawn will have a lawnmower. However, it can get confusing if you want to buy a new lawnmower, as new models often come with lots of features – it can be hard not to be perplexed by the jargon.

Our guide to buying a lawnmower cuts through the confusion, revealing the five key aspects to look for when choosing the best lawnmower for your yard.

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Many of us long for a perfect, lush lawn only to sigh and acknowledge that this is nigh on impossible without a serious investment of time, energy, and in-depth know-how. Well, although there’s a degree of truth here, there are some game-changing tasks that can make a huge difference in relatively little time.

Good lawn care is often seen as an exacting science, intimidating to those with little first-hand knowledge and gardening experience, but lawn care experts are keen to dismiss the myth. Numerous simple and speedy jobs will improve both the health and appearance of your grass, and in turn, boost the look and feel of your yard.

Here, leading grass care experts outline the jobs to prioritise and how to get them done easily and efficiently, no matter where you live.

1. Carry Out A Speedy Spot Weed

Plants such as daisies, marestail, and dandelions, amongst an otherwise grass-based lawn, instantly grab our attention and, to many, shout about a ‘less than perfect’ yard.

Removing them takes just a few minutes but makes a big impact as a landscape contractor for Yardzen, Coleman Cosby, explains: ‘Removing aggressive weeds and highly visible broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, helps reinforce a more maintained look.’

While a long-handled pull weeder – try the Fiskars 3 Claw design at Walmart – makes light work of pulling out dandelions and other deep-rooted weeds, chemical solutions can also prove effective.

‘Focus on targeted removal rather than blanket treatments. Hand-pulling or spot-treating broadleaf weeds now prevents them from spreading and competing during peak growth,’ says lawn expert Jason Keeley.

‘I really like the AccuShot applicator from Spectracide weed killer for spot treatments.’

You can get the Spectracide weed killer at Amazon.

2. Mow Correctly And Consistently

For some, it's therapeutic, but for others, mowing the lawn is a time-consuming chore.

Whichever you feel, there’s no doubt that regular and careful mowing does reap rewards and is a factor behind how to make a lawn green and thick. While engaging the services of a lawn contractor may be possible for many, there are some simple tricks you can do to make the job easier to manage yourself.

Lawn expert Valerie Smith advises good preparation: ‘Sharpen your mower blade if you haven't already. Dull blades will tear grass, making it more vulnerable to disease, while sharpened blades neatly slice the grass.’

A pocket sharpener, like this from Amazon, will get blades sharp. This will make mowing the lawn quicker, easier, and provide better results.

Valerie also says: ‘Get familiar with your grass type's ideal mowing height. Every grass type is different. Zoysia and Bermuda grass, which are warm-season grasses, should be "scalped" for the first mow of spring by dropping the mower down a notch lower than usual.’

3. Aerate The Lawn

May is the growing season for warm-season grasses, such as Zoysia, Bahiagrass, St Augustine, and Bermuda grasses, and the perfect time to aerate these lawns.

A relatively quick job, aerating the soil is an effective DIY lawn drainage solution, transforming waterlogged and heavily compacted lawns, plus those with thin or patchy growth.

Simply grab a garden fork and use it to spike the grass at regular intervals. This will allow water, air, and nutrients to travel directly down to the roots, strengthening root growth and breaking through any thatch. You can work systematically across the whole lawn, or for speed, concentrate on key problem areas.

Tennessee-based lawn expert Bryan Clayton says: 'I recommend renting a core plug aerator.’

He adds: 'This machine plugs a hole down into the soil and it causes the roots to break up and when they heal up, they multiply and grow back stronger.’

Find a good-sized manual lawn aerator with 16 spikes and 8 core plugs at Amazon, or try an 18-inch wide rolling aerator from Lowe's.

Cool-season grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass, fescues, and perennial ryegrass, are best aerated in early fall or early spring.

4. Rake Out Any Thatch

This month is the perfect time to dethatch warm-season grasses. With the right tools, it doesn't have to be a laborious process.

A long-handled metal tine rake makes quick work of this job. It enables you to get down to the soil surface and remove any dead blades or other debris without damaging the grass crowns. Try this Fiskars lightweight rake from Walmart.

If you have a limited amount of time, choose whether to work methodically across the lawn in stages, over a period of weeks, or whether to prioritise key areas - such as those seen from the driveway or inside the house.

5. Review Your Watering Regime

Knowing when to start watering a lawn in spring to get healthy grass means that your lawn irrigation system, sprinkler, and hose need to be ready to spring into action.

A quick but often overlooked lawn care task is to review any presets on your timer to ensure it delivers the right amount of water at the best time.

Early morning is widely considered the best time for watering as the warmer daytime temperatures encourage moisture to seep down to the roots, rather than lingering on the surface and encouraging disease.

'Most grass types need one inch of water per week, including rainfall, so set a time on your calendar each week to review the weather and adjust any automatic irrigation systems,' says Valerie.

'Deeper, less frequent watering is typically better, leading to stronger roots and less nutrient runoff.'

Once you've revitalized your lawn, it's worth reading a guide to summer lawn care for great grass all season long and showcasing your efforts by learning how to create a maximalist border that's bursting with floral color and interest.

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Last year, I was disheartened to see brown patches lingering on my lawn in May, so I set about looking for a product to quickly fix it before backyard hosting season. That's when I tried a patch repair treatment, which transformed my lawn in just a few weeks.

Don't worry if your lawn has brown patches in spring; it can be caused by many common issues, from compacted soil to spring pests. You can usually repair patches in grass with a bit of TLC, and the product that saved mine was the Scotts Lawn Seed Patch & Repair, which is available on Amazon. Unlike using seed alone, this treatment is packed with fertilizer, mulch, and more for faster and stronger grass growth.

I'm not the only one impressed by this lawn care essential, as its 7K reviews reveal shoppers have had lots of success with it. 'I used this to fix some bare spots in my lawn, and after about two weeks, I started to see new grass growing. It was easy to apply, just spread it and water as directed,' one person writes.

Why Is My Lawn Patchy in May?

There are a few reasons why your lawn may be patchy in May.

It could be lingering problems from winter damage, such as compacted soil from freeze-thaw cycles, heavy rain, and poor drainage.

It may also be that you haven't yet dethatched your lawn (with a thatch rake from Amazon), meaning the grass beneath the debris is suffocating.

Another cause is that spring garden pests have woken up. The likes of leatherjackets and beetle grubs feed on grass roots and can cause bare spots.

If it's been a particularly warm and dry start to spring, drought can also cause a patchy lawn. Or, it might be that your lawn has a nitrogen deficiency.

It is important to diagnose the issue (you might find this soil test kit from Amazon helps with identifying low nutrient levels).

If it is a pest or disease problem, it's important to first eliminate it (see how to get rid of leather jackets) before trying to repair the patches. Likewise, poor drainage should be improved by aerating your lawn.

You can then apply a repair treatment, like the Scotts Lawn Patch & Repair.

Why Shoppers Love It

For me, the patch repair treatment worked quickly and restored my lawn to a lush green carpet in a few weeks, just in time for hosting friends and family in my backyard.

The Scotts Lawn Seed Patch & Repair is easy to use. You simply clear the patch of dead grass, moss, and debris, aerate the soil for better seed contact (I just used a hand fork, like this from Burpee), apply the treatment evenly, and then water.

The blend includes a mulch that expands to surround the seed, a controlled-release fertilizer, a tackifier to help keep seed from washing away, and a protectant to help keep seedlings safe while the grass establishes.

'It is easy to use and very effective, making the grass grow quickly and thick,' one five-star reviewer shares.

'I have beautiful grass growing within two weeks. It’s my spring go-to for my yard every year,' they add.

'The grass is coming in nicely,' another person writes.

I particularly like that the bottle itself is a shaker, making it convenient to apply an even layer on brown patches.

Something to note is that this treatment does require regular watering for success, just like overseeding your lawn and getting seeds to germinate.

Plus, the description notes the seeds germinate best 'when daytime temperatures are between 60°F and 80°F'.

This treatment is designed to work in both sun and shady spots, but of course, it might not be the best option if you require more drought-tolerant grasses (e.g., USDA zones 7+).

The seed mix of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescue grass is considered moderately drought-tolerant, but it requires some consistent moisture during hot spells in summer to keep it looking green and encourage active growth.

For these reasons, some shoppers have had mixed results: 'It works a little, but the results have been pretty inconsistent,' one person notes.

But, for those living in milder climes, it's the perfect quick (and affordable) fix to rescue your lawn in time for summer.

What to Shop

Not sure what else to do with your lawn this month? Our spring lawn care checklist has everything you need to know, including advice on fertilizing your lawn.

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Grass-alternative lawns have become more popular over recent years as they provide low-effort solutions to a luscious green carpet. The latest on the scene is an Irish moss lawn, loved for its soft texture, charming flowers, and low-maintenance.

Irish moss (Sagina subulata) is not actually a true moss, but rather a flowering ground cover plant in the carnation family. It has mat-forming foliage with white blooms in spring and is incredibly easy to grow and care for – it doesn't even need fertilizing. Although slow-growing, it's straightforward to grow Irish moss from seed (like with these Irish moss seeds on Amazon), or you can plant plug plants in spring to fast-track your lawn.

It's also considered walkable, thrives in full sun to partial shade, and it's fairly pest-resistant, so it really is a reliable choice for many climes. Here, I delve deeper into why so many gardeners are swapping grass for Irish moss and how to grow it in your yard successfully.

Why is Irish Moss Good for Lawns?

Irish moss is native to temperate regions of Europe, particularly common in Britain. It's hardy across USDA zones 4-8 and is a good lawn alternative to consider if you don't want to battle the never-ending list of lawn care jobs.

'Swapping a classic lawn for a flowering alternative is a fantastic choice for wildlife, as well as being more low-maintenance than your typical lawn,' says Drew Swainston, Gardens Content Editor at Homes & Gardens.

'Irish moss will be covered in small, star-shaped white flowers through late spring and summer. It not only looks attractive, but these flowers will attract beneficial insects and pollinators throughout the season,' he explains.

Irish moss's sponge-like foliage also means it doesn't require mowing, forming a low-growing, dense mat that offers lots of coverage for little effort.

'It boosts biodiversity in our yards (which is always a good thing) and also reduces the impact of using fertilizers, weedkillers, and other chemicals that homeowners often routinely put on their yards,' Drew notes.

This is true as Irish moss is an excellent ground cover to suppress weeds, too, and doesn't require feeding the same way you need to fertilize your lawn – it grows well in a wide range of soil types, even tolerating poor soil.

An Irish moss lawn is also much more resilient to pests and diseases than a traditional grass lawn. You may find some slug damage, but there are lots of slug control methods to solve this problem.

The only thing to be aware of is the fact its a perennial plant and may die back in cold winter climes. But it will make a return once the temperatures warm up again in spring.

How to Grow an Irish Moss Lawn

Just like a clover lawn or chamomile lawn, there are just a few steps to add an Irish moss lawn to your yard.

Drew says to be aware, 'Irish moss can thrive in sunny or partially shaded spots, but dislikes intense summer heat often found in warmer southern gardens.'

1. Prepare the soil: Irish moss can grow in a wide range of soil types, even tolerating poor soil. But, it will perform best in a well-draining, fertile soil, preferring sandy and loamy types. If needed, you can take steps to improve your garden soil, including putting down compost and loosening compacted soil. Use this soil test kit from Amazon to get more of an idea about your soil quality.
2. Plant plugs or seedlings: You can often find Irish moss plug plants at the garden center, but it is also possible to grow Irish moss from seed (with these Irish moss seeds from Amazon). 'It is best to plant it in spring, after the frosts and before the warmth of summer, but it is slow-growing, so be patient,' says Drew. It can often be a good idea to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse and then transplant them to give them a stronger and earlier start. You should plant plugs around 6-12 inches apart to create full coverage.
3. Water well: To help your plants settle in, water well. Ideally, Irish moss should always be watered regularly and shouldn't be left to dry out (this could cause brown patches). 'Once established, you can divide the plants into sections to grow more, which is a budget-friendly way to expand an Irish moss lawn over time,' Drew says.

How to Care for an Irish Moss Lawn

To keep your Irish moss lawn in top condition, there are a few care tasks to do throughout the year:

• Watering: As mentioned, Irish moss doesn't like to dry out and may discolor if it does. You should keep it consistently moist but not soggy, as it is likely to experience root rot in waterlogged soil and could also discolor as a result. Use a soil moisture meter (like this from Amazon) to identify when the top inch or so of soil is dry. Keep in mind it will require more frequent watering during hot summers.
• Checking for slugs: In shady, damp spots, Irish moss is particularly susceptible to slug damage. They create brown patches as they eat through it. Regularly checking for slugs and removing them is the best way to reduce this damage. Other natural pest control methods for slugs include using beneficial nematodes (available at Walmart).
• Pruning: There's no requirement to prune Irish moss as it remains growing low to the ground, but you can trim it to tidy it up. Likewise, as it dies back in colder climes, there's no need to remove it, but you can if you prefer a tidier look. You might find a garden knife (like this Fiskars one on Amazon) is helpful if you do decide to prune it.

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Irish moss is also a great choice for a rock garden, filling gaps along pathways and sprawling over rocks.

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Early spring offers an ideal window for a range of April lawn treatments that can make a big difference to your summer lawn. Ideally, you’d do them all. But, in reality, homeowners are busy and can only dedicate so much time to lawn care. So what is one quick fix that can help a lawn thrive come summer? Dethatching.

I chatted to experts about what they think are the most impactful April lawn treatments and dethatching was highlighted as a simple fix that will help your lawn thrive come summer. This is because gently raking out thatch and debris from your lawn puts it in a perfect position for healthy growth.

If you are planning your April lawn care but are short of time, this is one job you should do in the upcoming weeks. A little bit of vital attention can make a marked difference to your summer lawn. Along with this, the experts also revealed a few other important lawn care tasks you can do this month that will help your lawn stay healthy and beautiful for summer parties and family gatherings.

The One April Lawn Fix That Makes a Big Impact

If you want a thick, green lawn to enjoy come summer, you need to add dethatching to your spring gardening checklist.

It is a spring lawn care task I have always done when maintaining turf in public gardens, and at home, and a vastly experienced lawn expert highlights it as an impactful, quick fix to get done this month.

Jason McCausland, National Technical Director at Weed Man, recommends ‘a good fan raking’ in April to get the season off to a great start. And this simple April lawn treatment can make a big difference come summer.

‘This will remove a lot of the thatch and debris that has accumulated over the winter,’ says the lawn expert. ‘This ensures your lawn is ready and able to soak up the sun, water, and nutrients it needs to thrive in the summer.’

You can get a fan rake with a carbon steel head containing 22 teeth and a sturdy wooden handle at Walmart that makes an ideal tool for dethatching a small lawn by hand this month.

Thatch is a natural layer that occurs in all lawns. It comprises dead material, decomposing grass stems, and moss, and sits between the soil surface and the visible top of the grass blades.

You expect all lawns to accumulate thatch. A thin layer is beneficial, but when it builds up too thickly, it becomes a problem. A thick thatch layer acts as a barrier, stopping water and nutrients from getting down to the grass’s roots. The result is a spongy, unhealthy lawn.

All lawns will benefit from being dethatched at least once a year. The best time to dethatch a lawn is when the grass is actively growing. Cool-season grasses will always benefit from a light dethatching in early spring, but whether April is the perfect time will depend on your location.

‘April is the perfect time in many northern and central areas because the lawn is just coming out of dormancy,’ adds Jason. ‘But April is a bit late in warmer and more southern areas. Their lawn care season usually kicks off in late January, so timing is key depending on where you live.’

Dethatching and scarifying both remove thatch and debris from a lawn; the difference is that scarifying is a deeper, more aggressive approach.

Dethatching is recommended for lighter maintenance, but you may need to scarify a lawn if you have a severe build-up of thatch that potentially jeapordizes the health of your grass.

Other April Grass Treatments That’ll Make a Difference

Dethatching alone will help any lawn perform better during the summer, as it improves how much moisture, nutrients, and air get to the grass roots. If you want to improve your summer lawn further, which other April lawn treatments do experts recommend?

Before doing anything this month, Theresa Smith, SVP at NaturaLawn, hails the importance of doing a lawn soil test at the start of the new growing season.

She says ‘a beautiful lawn starts with the soil’ and a soil test will tell homeowners vital information for the year ahead.

‘It will help you understand your soil (soil pH, nutrient levels, organic matter content, and soil type) and what nutrients and treatments will help it thrive all summer long,’ adds Theresa.

‘April is a great time to do a soil test because it should inform every other task. This will help you use the right type of treatments and right amounts – saving you from wasting products and money.’

You can get a soil test kit at Amazon that provides laboratory analysis of your lawn's soil pH and the availability of 13 nutrients.

In many climates, April is when homeowners start watering their lawns in the spring. When temperatures rise and regular rainfall is absent, it becomes time to implement a healthy watering schedule

Don Chouinard, a lawn irrigation expert from Irrigreen, says optimizing watering of lawns is ‘one of the simplest and most impactful’ things homeowners can do in April.

‘April is an ideal time to establish this routine as your lawn enters its active growing season,’ he says. ‘Maintaining consistent moisture early on helps prevent common issues like disease, root rot from overwatering, and weak root systems caused by inconsistent irrigation.’

Lawns need around an inch of water per week to stay green and have strong roots. How long you water your lawn for can make a big difference, as it is more beneficial to do deep, infrequent watering rather than daily light applications.

Jason McCausland also advises fertilizing the lawn this month, saying of the April lawn treatment: ‘It is time to apply a slow-release granular fertilizer to give the lawn a boost and help ensure a green and lush lawn all summer.’

The best fertilizer for grass in spring is a slow-release product that provides a lot of nitrogen to the lawn. A good example is this premium lawn food, available at Amazon.

What to Shop

When you should start lawn care in spring depends on the soil reaching the right temperatures. It differs across the US hardiness zones and whether lawns have cool or warm-season grasses. This guide to the ideal soil temperature to start spring lawn care reveals the markers for a host of seasonal maintenance tasks.

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After a winter defined by relentless snowstorms, ice build-up, and too-many freeze–thaw cycles, lawns across the northern United States will enter spring in fragile condition. Northern homeowners are stepping outside to find matted grass, debris, mysterious patches, and soggy soil.

This year, more than most, the transition into spring demands a planned response and restraint. The urge to fix your lawn’s winter damage immediately can backfire. What northern lawns need now is not aggressive care, but a measured approach that considers the soil first rather than the grass itself.

If you are a northern homeowner tending a lawn, it’s been a few years since you’ve seen blizzard conditions pile the snow up this high. And that ‘snowcrete’ that locked in the Mid Atlantic? No more, thank you. With the last few mild winters, perhaps you’ve blissfully forgotten what your lawn needs most from you this spring. We spoke with three lawn care experts about how to give your lawn some love as it awakens.

What Harsh Winters Leave Behind

Across the northern tier of the U.S. the past few months of heavy snow and ice and continued cold temperatures through March have created ideal conditions for several lawn issues to develop beneath the surface.

'Heavy snow and ice can result in added compaction to lawns,’ Jason Dionne, owner of Dionne Landscape Design, explains. ‘It can be a detriment to roots and soil health and can also delay the turf nutrient uptake.’

That stress is often compounded by wildlife activity. ‘I have noticed voles love the added layer of insulation from snow and can create a maze of tunnels at the soil surface, removing grass blades and thatch while creating tunnels.’

Snow mold is another widespread concern after long periods of snow cover. Colorado State University Extension Horticulture Specialist Linda Langelo notes, ‘The most common problem could be snow mold.’ She says homeowners should watch for ‘Any circular gray, pink, or white patches where the grass will be matted, straw-colored, or fuzzy,’ and doesn’t appear to grow.

Langelo says salt damage will be especially visible this year, thanks to frequent applications along roads and walkways. She explains, ‘The grass will be burned, and there will be brown or dead strips along walkways and driveways.’

Patrick Parent, horticultural consultant and radio show host, explains salt damage can be averted with a gypsum-based product. ‘It can help move the salt through the soil, irrigating the soil a bit so that the salt doesn't actually burn the lawn,’ he says.

He says a pelletized gypsum product is less expensive than a fast-acting gypsum, but would take up to six months to work. Patrick recommends the Love Your Soil organic soil food from Jonathan Green, available at Ace Hardware.

In some areas, the damage is more than what one sees on the surface. Langelo points out that lawns can suffer from ice-related stress: ‘When snow melts and refreezes, it can create patches of turf that pull up easily and appear gray, dead, or slimy,’ she says. ‘This happens because the turf's root system can’t get oxygen, and this leads to an anaerobic condition that causes the roots to rot.’

With all that in mind, here are six steps to northern lawn care this spring.

1. Wait for the Soil to Thaw and Dry Out

Dionne advises homeowners to resist acting too quickly: ‘Although the snow has melted, frost may very well still be in the soil,’ he says. ‘I have found it best to let the natural process play out and resist raking or aerating a wet or frozen lawn.’

Langelo echoes this caution, especially when it comes to moisture: ‘Allow the soil to dry out first,’ she says. ‘Once it does, rake away any dead or matted grass, then water.’

And in regions such as New England where the unofficial fifth season is ‘mud season,’ even walking across the lawn can cause damage.

Parent explains, ‘While it's wet, try to not walk on it as much. As we're walking, we're compacting the soil that much more. Because the frost is still in the ground in some areas, that moisture near the surface is stuck in the soil.’

2: Do a Light Clean-up

Once the lawn has dried sufficiently, start with gentle cleanup. Dionne recommends focusing on surface debris: ‘I prefer to make sure that feces, sticks, and larger debris are removed, along with matted leaves.’ The Anvil Wood Handle poly leaf rake available at Home Depot is ideal for gently gathering leaves and debris left on lawns.

Parent agrees that debris removal is especially important this year: ‘There's been a lot of storms in New England and elsewhere, and we're seeing a lot more branches, a lot more everything, all over the place.’

Ideally for Parent, the leaves would have already been removed from the lawn. ‘The large intact leaves themselves can cause some of that snow mold,’ he says. ‘I'm a big proponent of leaving the leaves in the planting beds, but just remove them from the lawn. And if not, they need to be chopped up.’

3. Don’t Rush Fertilizer

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make in northern climates is starting too early with fertilizing, watering, and seeding.

‘I don’t recommend fertilizing at this time,’ Langelo says. That goes for seeding and overseeding your lawn, too. ‘Besides, the lawn is still recovering from winter damage. Wait until the soil warms up.’

Parent emphasizes the importance of soil temperature over air temperature when it comes to seeding. ‘Seeding the lawn is definitely something we're going to need to do this spring,’ he says, considering the harsh winter we’ve had.

‘Soil temperatures can tell us when to apply our crab grass controls and when to apply seed. we just need the temperatures to warm up, and we actually need the soil temperatures to warm to 55F (13C).’

Putting products down too soon can be both ineffective and costly. As Parent notes, ‘I don't want homeowners to put seed or fertilizer down, have it not taken up by the roots due to the soil temperature and waste their money.’ Get an accurate measurement of your soil’s temperature with the Reotemp soil & compost thermometer, available at Amazon.

4. Compaction And Drainage

This winter’s heavy snow, ice, and saturated soils have left many lawns compacted. Langelo describes the warning signs: ‘If you encounter areas that are soft, muddy and stay that way for days, that’s compaction. The grass will thin and eventually die.’

Parent suggests using this moment in spring for some diagnosis: ‘Because the ground is wet, look for where puddles are forming in your yard,’ he says. ‘Those areas are telling you they are really compacted, and water just sits there.’

Parent also highlights soil amendments for compacted areas. ‘A gypsum-based product will help break up clay-filled soils,’ he says.

‘It will also help break up nutrients trapped in soil and allows them to flush out,’ making them more available for uptake by the grass.

5. Focus On Soil Health

Across all three experts, one theme stands out: healthy lawns start with healthy soil.

‘Healthy soil is a crucial step to produce happy plants, including turf grasses,’ Dionne says. He encourages homeowners to take a longer-term view: ’If you've never had a soil test, have one done. They are easy and well worth the minor expense.’

Parent strongly agrees, calling it the most overlooked step: ‘The biggest mistake I see is not getting a soil test done. Soil tests are super important.’

He adds, ‘It's basically doing blood work for the soil. I need to know what's going on under the ground in order to make it better.’

6. Patience and Observation

Early spring can create a false sense of urgency. However, our experts agree that restraint now leads to better results later. ‘Be patient,’ Dionne advises. ‘Let the soil and lawn wake up and begin to send out roots in search of nutrients. Let it do its thing but pay close attention.’

As Langelo explains, timing is everything. ‘The ideal conditions are waiting until the daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50-degree range,’ she says. ‘You’ll see the grass naturally greening and the soil is thawing.’ Until then, even well-intentioned care can do more harm than good.

And for homeowners eager to reseed or fertilize, Parent offers a practical reminder about jumping the gun: ‘Avoid putting down something too early,’ he suggests. ‘I just don't want somebody to waste the product, then have to buy more later on.’

After a winter like this one, the smartest move isn’t doing more, but doing the right things at the right time.

Northern homeowners are itching to get outside at the first sign of spring, but patience is key. Once warmer temperatures are consistent, then it’s time to plant grass seed and fertilize for the healthiest lawn possible.

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Meet Our Experts

Early spring is an important time for lawn care, and for learning how to wake up a lawn. But over-fertilizing a lawn in spring can do more harm than good, often just as the grass is coming back into active growth. Applying too much feed – particularly high-nitrogen fertilizers – can result in soft, weak grass that looks green initially but is more prone to stress, wear, and drought later in the season.

It can also lead to fertilizer burn, where excess salts draw moisture out of the grass roots, leaving yellow, brown, or scorched patches. In spring, when soils are often still wet, any surplus nutrients are more likely to be washed away, leading to uneven feeding. At the same time, this surge of soft growth creates ideal conditions for fungal diseases and can even encourage weeds.

If you are overseeding, over-fertilizing is especially problematic. High nutrient levels can inhibit seed germination and cause existing grass to grow too quickly, shading out new seedlings before they have a chance to establish. For the best results, it’s far better to take a gentle approach to lawn care in spring. I advise you to take your time and do what’s needed as it’s needed. Follow these four steps and your lawn will thank you for it later.

1. Weed Your Lawn

Without being overly dramatic, early spring is a crucial time for tackling weeds in the lawn. Get rid of them now and you may well be free of weeds for the rest of spring and into summer too.

This weeder from Amazon will make light work of a lawn that’s become over-run with perennial weeds such as dandelions, plantain and creeping buttercup.

Larger roots will leave vacant plugs of soil in your lawn, which are best filled with garden compost, topsoil or a specialist lawn mix like this one from Ace Hardware. If your lawn has a tendency to compact, add sharp sand to aid aeration.

Not too bothered by the odd daisy, buttercup or dandelion in your lawn? Then know that you’re in good company, joining a growing band of biodiversity champions.

Dandelions are one of the best plants for early-spring pollinators, which will thank you for leaving them nectar-rich treats at a time when food sources are scarce. Simply deadhead, or mow, your dandelions before they set seed and they won’t take over.

2. Remove Moss and Thatch

Let’s face it, few lawns are perfect, and most contain at least a little moss or thatch. But what exactly is thatch and how do you dethatch a lawn?

This mixture of decomposed and partly decomposed grass clippings, roots, stems and rhizomes is actually beneficial when it’s less than half an inch (1-2cm) deep, as it brings with it insulation and protects the soil from compaction. It’s this thin layer of thatch that helps to give a lawn a soft, bouncy feel.

If it builds up, however, as a result of too much fertilizer or poor soil conditions, it can stop water and nutrients from reaching the soil and your lawn, encouraging diseases and moss growth.

A small word of warning: if it’s early in the season and thatch is a big problem, give your lawn a couple of weeks after its first cut before you tackle the thatch as it can be a heavy-duty job and you want that grass to be strong and thriving before you go in with a solid rake (you can get a specialist thatching rake from Lowes).

If there’s just a little to be dealt with, then rake it out by hand with a fine metal-tine rake like this rake from Lowes.

3. Re-cut Lawn Edges

The edges of your lawn, where they meet flower beds and borders, can be looking uneven and weathered in spring.

Early spring is a good time to straighten them out and give them the definition they need to shine – again, as long as the soil’s not overly waterlogged. For nice crisp cuts, a sharp edging tool is what’s needed here.

For straight lines – and those inclined to pinpoint accuracy – bamboo canes and a taut line of twine will help you to achieve perfection.

You can shop edging tools at Lowes.

4. Feed Your Lawn Gradually

Provide a steady and consistent supply of nutrients now, without overwhelming your lawn or causing fertilizer burn.

Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer, such as the Andersons fertilizer with micronutrients from Amazon, which will kickstart new growth steadily.

As with so many gardening jobs, successful lawn care hinges on timing. So get to know your wider area and, within it, your backyard, and its microclimate, then act accordingly. If it’s still wet and cold, hold off a while before tackling jobs like mowing and reseeding.

Once your lawn is showing signs of life, you can begin to give it the care it will thank you for after a long, wet winter in dormancy.

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You can do more harm than good if you rush your spring lawn care. Best practice is to wait until the soil reaches a specific temperature. Here, lawn professionals reveal what that is, and which seasonal maintenance tasks should be done at certain temperatures.

When lawn temperatures reach 50°F, the grass starts growing, and so do weeds. That is the level after which to start mowing, fertilizing, overseeding, and using pre-emergent treatments to combat weeds.

Going too early with your lawn care poses many risks, and you can damage the lawn. If you are planning your spring lawn care, checking the lawn temperatures ensures you don’t do anything you’ll later regret. I spoke to turf experts about lawn temperatures and how they must dictate when you perform certain maintenance tasks.

The Lawn Temperature to Look For

You can do some real damage if you start doing any lawn care before the ground is ready. Even walking on frozen grass breaks the blades and compacts the ground, so you can only imagine what would happen if you tried to aerate, scarify, or mow in this scenario.

An interesting point to consider: snow doesn’t damage a lawn itself. In fact, it can insulate the grass, but human activity does do damage – so stay off your turf until it defrosts when the temperatures rise.

The best way to know when to start lawn maintenance is to monitor the soil temperature and look out for signs that the grass is starting to grow again for the new season. But what is the perfect lawn temperature to look out for that signals it may be time to start thinking about spring lawn care?

Mike Goatley, Virginia Cooperative Extension turfgrass specialist, identifies 50°F as the temperature when both grass and weeds start growing in your lawn.

‘When soil temperatures reach 50°F as we head into spring, we have a biological temperature in place that is going to result in the growth of both cool-season and warm-season turfgrasses,’ says the lawn expert.

‘Cool-season grasses will respond to the temperature first, but warm-season grasses will eventually also respond to the consistently warming temperatures and longer days.’

Once the grass starts actively growing, it is the best time to think about essential maintenance tasks like aerating, dethatching, mowing, and fertilizing your lawn in spring.

You can monitor the temperature with a lawn soil thermometer, such as this 4-in-1 soil meter from Amazon that tells you temperature, moisture levels, pH, and sunlight. Simply place it into the soil, and it reveals key information on a large LCD screen.

When it comes to cutting the grass, mowing a dormant lawn or wet winter grass is a winter lawn care mistake that risks harming the grass’s health, and you may be left with bare patches come later in the season. Don’t start mowing the lawn in spring until it is dry and actively growing, which it will do once the lawn temperature reaches 50-55°F, depending on the type of turfgrass you have.

Even if the temperatures reach the right levels, you don’t want to do any work on a waterlogged lawn. If you have puddling water and mud patches, stay off the affected area until the water drains or evaporates away, as you’ll cause more damage and make a mess if you try to repair the lawn while it is still in that condition.

Pros Reveal the Best Temperatures for Seasonal Lawn Tasks

When the ground has defrosted and the soil warms in spring, it is time to aerate and dethatch the lawn as part of any seasonal regime.

There are also three other key jobs to do promptly once the soil temperature reaches a specific level that will help you have a luscious lawn to enjoy come summer.

The Ideal Lawn Temperature for Treating a Lawn for Weeds

Once the lawn temperature hits the ideal for grass to start growing, so will weeds. If you want to use pre-emergent treatments for common lawn weeds, like crabgrass, tracking soil temperature helps you apply them at the perfect time.

‘Pre-emergent treatments should be applied just before soil temperatures reach about 55°F for several days in a row, as this is when summer weeds - like crabgrass - start germinating,’ advises Brian Feldman, Senior Director of Field Operations at TruGreen.

If you want an indicator other than lawn temperature, Mike Goatley recommends looking in your yard or others in the neighborhood for one flowering shrub. He says: ‘Homeowners should never forget one of the best predictors to watch for in the landscape is the forsythia.

‘When this plant is near full bloom, that is a strong indicator that conditions are right for crabgrass germination.’

To get rid of crabgrass, homeowners can use a pre-emergent weed killer in spring, like this one at Amazon that prevents a long list of common lawn weeds, including crabgrass, chickweed, foxtail, and more.

The Ideal Lawn Temperature for Fertilizing a Lawn

As the lawn temperature wakes the grass from its winter slumber, the window opens to fertilize the lawn. If you want a thick, green summer lawn, feeding the grass early in the year provides all the essential nutrients it needs, but you don’t want to go too early with any product.

‘As soil temperatures begin to warm, it creates the ideal conditions for applying slow-release granular fertilizers, says Jason McCausland, Technical Coordinator at Weed Man. ‘Applying fertilizer too early, before the grass is actively growing, can place unnecessary stress on the lawn and reduce its effectiveness.’

The soil temperature for fertilizer is between 50°F and 70°F. If you want to feed the lawn just once, this full-season lawn fertilizer, available at Amazon, contains nitrogen for lush growth and iron to green the lawn, which it slowly releases over four months.

The Ideal Lawn Temperature for Overseeding a Lawn

Brian Feldman adds that ‘soil temperatures should reach 50°F–65°F for optimal spring overseeding’ if you want to fill bare patches and thicken up an existing lawn.

When the soil temperature for overseeding hits, you can seed and then fertilize if you are using a starter fertilizer (such as this starter food for new grass, available at Walmart) designed for use when sowing grass seeds.

But avoid using weed-and-feed products when overseeding, as they contain ingredients that stop the seeds from germinating.

What to Shop

Once the lawn temperature hits 50-60°F, the window to start watering a lawn in spring also opens. Many climates get sufficient seasonal rain from Mother Nature to keep a lawn hydrated and ensure it grows healthily.

But the occasional watering in a warm spring may be required, especially if you have laid turf in spring or plant seed grass to establish a new lawn or overseed an existing one. Keep a close eye for signs of a dehydrated lawn, which may have a dull green color, and on the forecasts to assess the need to water in spring.

Meet the Experts

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Have you ever wondered how professional gardeners seem to have the most perfect edges between their neat lawn and productive flower borders? Well, now you can get the look too, using the 3-inch garden rule for edging – a trick that involves digging a narrow trench to keep the two areas separated.

Even the most carefully planned garden ideas can lose some of their impact if the boundary between lawn and border becomes a little blurred as grass creeps over your once-clean outline. While many gardeners turn to metal or plastic edging ideas to keep things neat, the 3-inch rule is a simpler (and traditional) technique that uses nothing more than a sharp spade (like this from Lowe's) to create a clean, defined boundary between lawn and border.

The rule refers to the depth of the trench that is cut between turf and planting bed. Three inches is enough to sever the grass roots that spread into borders, leaving you with an elegant, almost architectural line between border and lawn. Because the technique relies on spadework rather than buying in and installing materials, it is actually quite easy to maintain once established. Here's how to do it.

What Is the 3-Inch Garden Edging Rule?

The 3-inch garden edging rule is essentially a technique where you dig a narrow trench between your lawn and border to keep grass from creeping over.

The ‘three inches’ refers to the depth of the trench that separates the lawn from the border. Not only is this deep enough to sever most grass roots; it also creates a small gap between lawn and soil, casting a shadow that makes the border line more defined.

'We usually opt for a clean cut of around three inches depth once the lawn becomes established, as this offers greater flexibility in terms of shape of the lawn, it is often easier in terms of maintenance, (as stolons often creep over or under edging), and to top it off, is much cheaper,' says Alexander Warren-Gash of Mashamba Garden Design

'Once the edging cut is done, maintenance is relatively easy and can usually be done by a strimmer, with occasional detail work required,' he adds.

Well-sharpened essential gardening tools are required for this job. A half-moon edger (like this from Amazon) is ideal since its curved blade makes it easier to follow a curved border.

A flat spade (like this one from Lowe's) can work just as well, if not better, in a straight-edged bed. The cleaner the cut into the soil, the neater the finished edge will be.

Having sharp tools will make the difference between a clean cut of turf and a ragged one, so make sure to sharpen your tools when they become dull.

How to Do It

There are just four quick steps to implementing the 3-inch rule when edging your flower bed.

1. Mark Out the Area

If you are creating a new lawn edge, you need to mark out the shape first.

A dusting of sand or a garden hose laid out in the required shape can be used to outline where you intend to cut the turf. You can also use rope (like this rope from Lowe's).

Remember to step back to assess your shape before you take that first cut. A smooth, flowing line will be easier to maintain than irregular or complicated curves.

2. Make the First Cut

To make your first cut, position the edging spade along your marked line and press your foot on the spade firmly.

The cut into the turf should be to a depth of around three inches (for precise measurements, use this shovel with a depth marker from Burpee for the first cut)

Keep the blade straight, so the face of the lawn edge remains crisp and aligned. Working along the border, repeating a continuous and smooth line that separates the lawn and the planting bed.

3. Create an Angled Trench

This is the essential cut to ensure the grass doesn’t spread back into the bed.

After you have established the vertical cut, angle your spade slightly back toward the lawn and remove a narrow wedge of soil from beneath the turf.

This hollow is essentially a shallow trench that prevents the grass from spreading back into the bed and what produces the ‘shadow line’ that emphasizes the edge, making it look sharper and well-defined.

4. Tidy Up Loose Soil

Once the trench has been cut, use a trowel or small shovel to remove loose soil and tidy up the line you have dug.

You should aim for a clean, vertical face on the border side and a neat strip of soil sitting above the cut. Brushing away soil or trimming uneven sections will give a finished appearance.

How to Maintain Your Lawn Edge

With your 3-inch trench now in place, it's important to keep on top of maintenance so it stays neat and defined.

1. Use Edging Shears to Tidy Overhanging Grass

After mowing your lawn, you’ll want to neaten the edges of your border to keep it looking crisp.

Use long-handled edging shears (like this on Amazon) to snip back the blades of grass that the mower didn’t reach.

Regular mowing will help keep the grass in an upright growth and there will be less chance of the grass flopping over your carefully cut border.

2. Re-Cut the Edge Regularly

If you need to neaten the soil edge, simply place your edging spade back into the original line and refresh the cut of soil.

Doing this every few weeks during the growing season will keep the boundary defined.

3. Remove Weeds

Small weeds and occasional grass seedlings can spoil the look of your trench and if left untended, will begin to blur the boundary between lawn and border.

There are lots of ways to get rid of weeds. Regular hand-weeding (for example with this Fiskars hand weeding tool on Amazon) and light hoeing will keep the trench clear.

Our guide to keeping weeds out of flower beds has more advice.

4. Keep the Trench Clear of Soil

Soil from the border may gradually fall into the trench, reducing the gap between lawn and garden bed. Removing the soil periodically with a hand trowel will help keep the trench neat.

In addition, if you are adding mulch to your beds, take care to ensure there is a gap between the mulched bed and your lawn edge to help maintain a clear boundary.

5. Give it a Seasonal Refresh

Even with careful routine maintenance, it is still useful to re-define the edge in spring and then repeat later in the growing season.

Simply follow the original line with an edging spade (you can also find them at Walmart) and tidy along the trench, removing a sliver of soil as you go along to restore the neat finish.

What to Shop

This simple technique can make a surprising difference to the appearance of a garden. Think of your crisply edged lawn as a frame for your flower and vegetable borders, allowing the shapes of the beds to stand out.

If you want to enhance your border even more without lots of effort, take a look at our guide to low-maintenance garden border ideas.

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If your lawn isn’t impressing as much as you’d like, the problem may be hiding underneath the surface. That is why lawn care professionals all recommend carrying out a lawn soil test in spring as the key to having a healthier summer lawn.

A luscious, green lawn is the result of careful attention. It needs the right balance of nutrients, thanks to healthy soil and the right pH level. If the nutrient levels aren’t right or the pH is too high or too low, issues can arise. That is why a lawn soil test reveals vital details and gives you the chance to rectify problems and adopt the right fertilizing approach.

Consider a lawn soil test a vital cog in your lawn care. Testing the soil every few years tells you all you need to know about your lawn and helps you tailor your maintenance to guarantee a beautiful summer lawn to enjoy. Here, we look at why a lawn soil test is crucial and how to do it.

3 Benefits to a Lawn Soil Test

Lawn care experts all recommend getting your soil tested for the following reasons:

It Shows Nutrient Deficiencies

A lawn soil test gives you a great overall indication of your soil health and the levels of essential plant nutrients in the ground. For a lush, green lawn, it needs a balance of the vital macronutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as micronutrients, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and more.

The lawn soil test will show you which nutrients are lacking and which are in excess. As a lawn requires a specific balance, this information is crucial to any aspirations for a healthy lawn that can withstand the rigors of summer.

‘Soil testing can help prep your lawn for summer by showing you exactly what nutrients your soil is missing, says Jason McCausland, Technical Coordinator at Weed Man. ‘This lets you apply the right fertilizer and amendments before summer stress, leading to stronger roots, better drought tolerance, and healthier growth during heat.’

A plan to boost soil nutrients can be put in place using this information, which leads to a beautiful, healthy lawn to enjoy in summer.

It Tells You Your Soil pH

Testing the pH of soil can make a difference to how your lawn looks in the summer. As John Gualtiere, President at Hudson Landscape Contractors, says: ‘A lot of summer lawn issues are due to pH levels that are too high or low.’

This is because soil pH directly impacts how efficiently your grass absorbs nutrients. If the pH is off, the roots won’t take in the nutrients as well, even after you fertilize a lawn.

A typical lawn wants a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0. At this ideal level, the grass can take in all the nutrients it needs to grow strong and healthy.

It is when the pH gets outside of this range that issues can arise. Whether too acidic or alkaline, certain nutrients are ‘locked up’ and the lawn cannot absorb the nutrients. This can lead to a yellowing lawn, bare patches, increased susceptibility to diseases and pests, or weeds taking over due to weak grass.

There are ways to raise or lower the pH highlighted during a lawn soil test so your lawn can access all the nutrients it needs. For example, you can make soil more acidic by adding sulfur or iron sulfate (you can get iron sulfate at Amazon), or make it more alkaline by adding lime.

It Helps You Tailor Your Lawn Care

With the findings of a lawn soil test in hand, you can adopt a tailored approach to your spring lawn care. There is no point in wasting money on products that your lawn doesn’t need when you fertilize your lawn in spring.

‘Soil testing is really important so that you know what's going on with your soil, so you know what to actually apply,’ advises Matt Cline of HillSide Lawn Service. ’Without knowing what your pH is, without knowing what your macro and secondary nutrient levels are, it makes it really difficult to get an effective lawn care program.’

A more targeted approach ensures you supplement any missing nutrients so your lawn gets all it needs to grow strongly, is more resilient, and looks its best for the summer.

It also reduces the likelihood of over-fertilizing a lawn, which can leave patches due to fertilizer burn and make the grass susceptible to pests and diseases. Excess nutrients can also run off into the environment or groundwater, and a tailored approach stops unnecessary applications of fertilizer from troubling the local environment.

How Often Should You Do a Lawn Soil Test?

You don’t need to do a lawn soil test every year. However, if you have long-term issues and want to conduct regular checks to get on top of the problem, or need to track improvements year-on-year, regular checks can be beneficial.

In most cases, a test every few years is sufficient for a healthy balance and a happy lawn. Mike Goatley, Virginia Cooperative Extension turfgrass specialist, says: ‘The first thing to do for top-notch turf is get a soil test done.’

‘If you haven’t performed a soil test on your lawn within the last three years, we recommend you have your soil tested,’ he adds.

You can do a lawn soil test at any time of year, but it is advisable to wait at least three months after applying lime, fertilizer, or organic matter (such as compost or manure) for conclusive results.

Early spring is an ideal time to do a lawn soil test, as it provides you with vital information to make amendments and tailor your spring fertilizing to give strong results come summer.

How to Test Your Lawn Soil

There are different testing methods to pick from, ranging from at-home test kits to sending samples to a soil-testing laboratory. For a conclusive test, you want to collect soil samples, each four inches deep, from 6-8 different areas of your lawn and mix them in a bucket ready for testing.

Each state in the US has an agricultural extension service, usually tied to a university, to which you can send soil samples for analysis. This option offers detailed results and often costs between $10 and $30. Check your local extension offices to find out more about services and costs.

There are commercial companies that offer laboratory analysis tests. Just like with the extension officer, you mail in soil samples and get in-depth results. This MySoil soil test kit, available at Amazon, is an example of such services. It measures 13 nutrient levels and soil pH, and gives you tailored recommendations.

The most basic option is home test kits, which offer quicker, but less accurate results. A test like this Rapitest soil test kit, also available at Amazon, gives you an indication of the nutrients and pH levels, and is suitable for beginners. However, they are not as thorough or reliable as laboratory results.

Shop Spring Lawn Fertilizers

March is traditionally when many gardeners start cutting the lawn again after winter. Once the frosts have passed and the temperatures warm in early spring, the grass starts to grow again for the new season.

This often means it is due for a first cut to keep it neat. The key is to set the mower height high on spring lawns and avoid removing more than a third of the grass blades.

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Aerating is one of the best ways you can help your lawn in spring. If you wonder how desperate your lawn is for aeration, this quick and simple screwdriver test will reveal whether your ground is compacted and will benefit from this spring lawn job.

Once you understand when and how to aerate a lawn, your grass can put down strong roots, and you’ll have a more resilient lawn. When the grass begins to grow as temperatures increase, it's prime time for spring lawn care.

At the core of this is a five-second lawn screwdriver test that shows when a lawn is compacted. It is a quick test I have used many times over the years, and turf experts all reveal how vital it can be to help you have a strong, healthy, and beautiful lawn. Let’s look at how easy it actually is.

How to Do the Lawn Screwdriver Test

Many gardeners aerate every spring to make a lawn green and thick so that they can enjoy it every summer. However, not all homeowners are as meticulous with their lawn and may skip a year or two.

This is perfectly OK, but there comes a time when it pays dividends to give their grass some TLC. If your lawn gets a lot of use from children, pets, or family gatherings, then compaction will occur. This can lead to patchy growth and water pooling after rainfall.

To judge when to aerate a lawn, there are a couple of methods. But the lawn screwdriver test is the most straightforward of them all. All you need is a common household tool and a few moments of your time. (And just in case you don't have a screwdriver, you can pick up this great value multi-bit screwdriver from Amazon.)

Mike Goatley, Virginia Cooperative Extension turfgrass specialist, describes the lawn screwdriver test as ‘the simplest, most effective way to assess compaction where most of the turfgrass roots are found’, which is in the top four inches of the soil profile.

The lawn screwdriver test is done after a good period of rainfall, though you can water the lawn in spring beforehand to get the right conditions.

‘Make sure the soil is moist and probe it with a screwdriver,’ explains Mike. ‘If you can push the screwdriver in three inches, you probably do not need to aerate.’

When it comes to what you are looking for, Jason McCausland, Technical Coordinator at Weed Man, adds: ‘If it goes in easily, the soil is loose and healthy. If it’s hard to push, the soil is compacted or too dry.’

Why the Lawn Screwdriver Test Is Crucial

Knowing how to check for compaction helps you maintain a healthy, strong lawn. If you wonder why to aerate a lawn, it offers many benefits that help your grass grow vigorously, get the water and nutrients it needs to prosper, and can withstand the rigours of heavy usage and challenging conditions.

Compaction reduces the pore spaces in the soil that hold air and transport water and essential nutrients around the lawn. It also reduces the beneficial activity of microorganisms within the soil. All this combines to leave households with a weaker lawn more susceptible to stress.

Jason McCausland advises: ‘Aerating your lawn in spring improves grass health by relieving soil compaction, allowing air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots more easily. This encourages deeper root growth, better water absorption, reduced thatch build-up, and a stronger, more resilient lawn overall.’

Mike Goatley adds how aerating helps to ‘prevent fertilizer run-off from overly compacted areas’. You should aerate a lawn before fertilizing to ensure it reaches the root zone where it is needed, rather than running off into local water supplies.

Compaction causes issues when homeowners spray weed killer, as the pesticide can run off and damage local biodiversity and get into water sources. Checking a lawn and reducing compaction means you have a nice turf to enjoy, and no damage occurs to the local environment.

You can aerate a lawn with a garden fork, like this Fiskars fiberglass and steel garden fork at Walmart. This is perfect for smaller spaces, but for anything larger, a mechanical aerator, such as this 24-inch rolling lawn aerator at Amazon, can do the job more efficiently than a fork and without the physical exertion.

Simple Alternatives to the Lawn Screwdriver Test

Beyond the lawn screwdriver test, two other easy-to-spot indicators will show when a lawn needs aerating. These are worth knowing to ensure any lawn remains healthy, you avoid bare patches in the grass, or a waterlogged lawn during wet winters.

Jason McCausland says one sign of deep compaction is if the ground feels ‘very hard’ when you walk on it. At the opposite end of the scale, he adds: 'If it's really spongy to walk on, that's an indicator of excessive thatch, and aerating your lawn can help reduce that thatch layer.’

Another crucial lawn care task to remove that layer is to dethatch the lawn in spring.

Aerating Tools to Shop

Spring is also a perfect time to overseed a lawn and combat any thin or bare spots. If you want to fix winter lawn damage and fill in any patches, it is recommended to aerate before seeding. This is because the small holes caused by aerating provide ideal conditions for the seeds to quickly grow stronger roots, compared to being sown on a lawn that hasn’t been aerated.

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March is the garden’s quiet turning point. Evenings stretch a little longer, the first warmth returns, and lawns that looked tired through winter begin to stir back to life. It’s tempting to tackle everything at once, but early spring rewards a lighter touch.

Rather than major overhauls, focus on gentle revival. A little tidying, clearing winter debris, and giving the grass space to breathe will help it bounce back and prepare for the growing season. Knowing what to do with lawns in March is less about dramatic fixes and more about small, well-timed tasks that support healthy growth.

With the right spring lawn care now, you’ll set the foundation for the months ahead – and before long, your garden will reward you with that lush, fresh green every outdoor space deserves.

1. Give Your Lawn a Light First Mow

If the ground is dry and free from frost, March is often the moment to start cutting the lawn again. Set your mower to the highest setting and take off no more than a third of the grass blade – a gentle cut that encourages fresh growth without putting the lawn under unnecessary stress. Early-season lawn care is all about restraint, giving the grass a nudge back into life rather than forcing it into action.

One golden rule: resist mowing when the lawn is muddy or waterlogged. It may seem harmless, but heavy foot traffic and mower wheels can compact the soil and damage delicate roots just as they’re beginning to recover from winter.

For tidying up the edges, I also like to use the BLACK+DECKER Weed Wacker with Auto Feed from Amazon to remove pesky weeds where the lawn meets flower beds. It’s a quick way to keep borders looking neat while giving the grass a clean, defined finish.

2. Clear Away Debris and Lift the Grass

Winter often leaves behind a layer of fallen leaves, twigs, and thatch that can smother your lawn and trap excess moisture, making the grass look dull, tired, and patchy.

A gentle rake (this Expert Gardener Rake from Walmart is my go-to) or stiff garden brush will lift away this debris and allow light and air to reach the soil again. Improving airflow around the roots is one of the simplest ways to make your lawn greener and thicker as growth picks up in spring.

Hold off on heavy scarifying for now, though – it’s best done later in the season when the grass is stronger and actively growing.

To make clearing up easier, Amazon Basics Lawn & Leaf Drawstring Trash Bags are ideal for gathering leaves and garden waste without creating extra mess.

3. Deal With Moss and Compacted Soil

If your lawn feels spongy underfoot or stays soggy long after rain, it’s usually a sign that the soil has become compacted over winter. A little light aeration can make a real difference. Push a garden fork into the soil at intervals across the lawn, then gently rock it back and forth to open up the ground.

For an extra boost, try the gardener’s 'penguin shuffle' technique: once the fork is in the soil, shuffle your feet from side to side to widen the holes slightly and help release trapped air pockets. This simple step allows air, water, and nutrients to travel down to the grassroots more easily.

It’s also a good time to start tackling moss. A gentle rake will help get rid of moss that has built up over winter and stop it from spreading further across the lawn. Hold off on stronger moss treatments for now, though – these are best used later in spring when the grass is actively growing and can recover more quickly.

4. Feed Your Lawn Carefully

March is an ideal time to fertilize a lawn, particularly once you start to see the first signs of fresh growth. A gentle spring feed high in nitrogen will encourage vibrant green shoots and help the grass regain strength after the slower winter months. Apply the feed evenly across the lawn, and if you can, time it just before a light shower so the nutrients are naturally watered in and can begin working their way down to the roots.

Miracle-Gro Pour & Feed Plant Food is something I reach for in my own garden when plants need a quick, reliable boost. The ready-to-use formula makes feeding effortless – simply pour it directly onto the soil, making it a convenient way to support healthy growth without any mixing or measuring.

5. Neaten Edges and Repair Bare Patches

March is also a great time to refresh the overall look of your lawn with a little lawn edging and some attention to bare patches. Taking the time to edge a lawn with a sharp half-moon edger or spade instantly creates crisp, clean lines that make the entire garden look more polished and well cared for.

While you’re there, lightly overseed any thin or worn areas to help fresh grass establish before the warmer weather arrives. It’s a small job, but these simple touches can make a surprisingly big difference to how neat, full, and healthy your lawn looks.

6. Prepare for Bigger Jobs Later

While it can be tempting to launch straight into a full lawn overhaul – overseeding, heavy scarifying, or even laying fresh turf – March is often a little too early for major renovation work. Grass is only just beginning to wake up, and cooler, unpredictable weather can slow its recovery. It’s usually wiser to save the bigger jobs for April or May, when the soil is warmer and growth is more consistent.

By waiting just a few weeks, your lawn will be far better placed to bounce back quickly and reward your efforts with stronger, healthier growth.

Why March Matters

The work you do in March isn’t about quick fixes or instant transformation – it’s about setting your lawn up for success in the months ahead.

A little gentle care now helps strengthen roots, improve drainage, and encourage the kind of dense, healthy growth that creates a truly beautiful lawn by late spring. Rush into heavy jobs too early, and you risk weakening the grass just as it’s beginning to recover from winter.

Think of March as your lawn’s gentle wake-up call: take steady, thoughtful steps now, and you’ll give your grass the healthiest, strongest start to the growing season.

Shop Lawn Care Essentials This March

Have you ever wondered why your lawn looks brown but your neighbor's doesn't? This has left me scratching my head before, until I had a realization: they have a completely different type of grass to mine, meaning seasonal weather conditions affect our lawns differently.

Even if you do everything right for lawn care over winter, early spring can leave it looking brown from overly wet and cold winter conditions. This is especially true if you have poor soil structure and your lawn sits in shade, making it harder to bounce back from winter stress. It might also be that you unknowingly have a warm-season grass in your yard, while your neighbor has a cool-season grass that stays green in the colder months (you can explore different grass seed varieties at True Leaf Market).

All of these factors can cause two lawns sitting next to each other to look completely different at any point in the year. But, don't fret, it doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong with your lawn and there are plenty of ways to help brown grass in late winter recover. Here, I explain more about why your lawn looks brown, when to be concerned, and what to do to fix it.

Why Does My Lawn Look Brown?

During winter our lawns can take a beating.

Oversaturation mixed with poor drainage can result in a waterlogged lawn and rotting roots, causing discoloration. Likewise, the constant freeze-thaw cycle can damage your grass.

The reason why your neighbor's doesn't look this way, however, is due to a few factors.

There are some grass varieties that cope better with wet and cold conditions.

For example, you may not realize you have a warm-season grass like Bermuda (you can purchase seed on Amazon) which prefers drier conditions and goes dormant and brown in winter, while your neighbor has a cool-season grass like Fescue (these seeds are also available on Amazon) which is much more resilient to wet conditions.

The same goes for if your lawn looks brown in summer and theirs doesn't, it may just be they have a drought-tolerant grass variety, for example like this Zoysia grass seed on Amazon.

Generally speaking, warm-season grass is best for hotter US hardiness zones (coping with 80-95°F in summer), while cool-season grass is best for cooler zones, preferring 60-75°F in spring and fall and staying green during colder months.

Other factors making your lawn brown include soil type. It can be surprising, but some neighboring yards will have completely different soil types which impacts soil structure and nutrients available to the grass.

It may even be that your neighbor has aerated their lawn (like with this aerator tool on Amazon) to improve drainage, coping better with wetter conditions and making their lawn greener and thicker.

Likewise, sunlight can also impact the color of your lawn in early spring.

If your grass is dormant in winter and sits in shade in your yard, it will take much longer to wake up in spring. This can be any garden shade, like shadows from trees, houses, and other structures.

In comparison, your neighbor might have their lawn in full sun, helping it to break dormancy in early spring and encouraging new growth more quickly.

When to Worry and What to Do

A brown lawn isn't always something to panic over. Usually, they go through seasonal changes and will bounce back when their dormancy ends.

Though, this does require some TLC from you to encourage good health and new growth, e.g. aerating it and fertilizing your lawn.

In the case that it's struggling to recover, you should conduct a soil test (like this lab soil test kit on Amazon) and see if your soil is the problem.

It might be that your soil isn't right for the grass variety you have grown, or nutrients are lacking.

If the latter is true, you can take steps to improve your garden soil, like with this lawn feed from Lowe's.

Another issue to be aware of is pests. Leather jackets, for example, eat grass roots beneath the surface and turn entire lawns brown. You can use beneficial nematodes (available on Amazon) to take care of this issue.

Something else that will help your lawn recover from winter damage is overseeding.

This is a tried-and-tested method helps lawns become thicker and bounce back from winter damage (and recover from summer damage in fall).

Using a seed spreader (like this one from Lowe's) will make this job more efficient, alongside special overseeding grass blends (like this one from Amazon).

Our guide to signs of an unhealthy lawn has more insight that can help diagnose the issue.

FAQs

How Often Should I Fertilize My Lawn?

Generally speaking, you only need to fertilize your lawn 3-4 times a year, roughly every 6-8 weeks from spring-fall. This will provide the essential plant nutrients it needs to stay healthy and vibrant for the whole season.

Don't forget to check our our guide to spring lawn care for more information on how to get your lawn looking its best for the spring and summer months.

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The sight of brown grass towards the end of winter may be unsettling, but there is no need to panic. It is usually a normal part of a grass’s natural life cycle, and you'd best wait rather than do something you’ll regret. Rushing to fertilize the lawn too quickly can do more harm than good. Here, lawn experts reveal a better course of action.

Brown patches in your lawn don’t mean your grass is dead. Most of the time, it just means it has gone dormant for winter. Some signs will be more concerning (which we’ll reveal later), but most often the grass will start growing again and regain its color once the temperatures warm in spring.

What you don’t want to do is rush your lawn care, trying to get rid of the brown patches. Fertilizing the lawn too soon comes with many drawbacks; it can harm the grass and your local environment. I chatted to some lawn care professionals about brown grass in late winter. This includes what and what not to do at this time of year, so you have a beautiful, lush lawn come summer.

Is It Normal for Grass to Turn Brown in Winter?

The sight of brown grass in late winter is perfectly normal and shouldn't cause you any concern. It is usually a case of the grass going into hibernation, entering dormancy for winter once temperatures drop below around 40°F.

By entering dormancy, grass saves essential plant nutrients. It preserves its food stores in the roots, where it needs them most in winter, and this sees the top growth discolor. But it is a natural way to survive the tough winter conditions.

‘Saving these resources helps it to green back up as warmer temperatures and rain return,’ explains Theresa Smith, senior vice president at NaturaLawn of America. ‘Because of this, there’s no need to panic about normal browning of the lawn during colder months of the year.’

Professor Mike Goatley, a specialist in turfgrass science at Virginia Tech, admits that many homeowners may see more brown grass in late winter this year due to the severe winter colds and snow many people have experienced in recent months.

‘However, brown grass in the winter is always in place, even for those managing cool-season turfgrasses such as tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, or fine fescue that we often perceive to be green year-round,’ adds the turf expert.

Brown grass in late winter turns more concerning if accompanied by other symptoms, such as disease, waterlogging, or a darker brown or black color. The simplest way to tell whether your grass is dormant or dead is a tug test. Simply grab a handful of blades and pull.

‘If it is firmly holding in, the roots are intact, and it's simply dormant and will begin to come back as the weather warms up,’ claims Craig Elworthy, founder at Lawnbright. ‘If it comes out easily, you may be dealing with dead patches.’

The Dangers of Rushing to Fertilize Brown Grass in Late Winter

When you aspire to a green, thick lawn come summer, the sight of brown grass in late winter may be demoralizing. And there may be a temptation to fertilize a lawn early to get ahead of the season and encourage the grass to green up quicker.

However, adding feed too early is a lawn care mistake that won’t be a miracle cure for brown grass, but can make the situation worse down the line, as it affects the soil’s nutrient levels or is just lost without offering any benefit to the grass.

‘Applying feed while the soil is still cold can do more harm than good,’ claims Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra Garden Machinery. ‘Grass isn’t actively growing at low temperatures, so nutrients may not be absorbed efficiently and can instead leach away.’

‘In some cases, early feeding can even encourage soft, weak growth that’s more susceptible to frost damage or disease,’ he continues.

‘If too much fast-release fertilizer is applied in the spring, it can lead to excessive top growth at the expense of root growth,’ adds Theresa Smith. ‘This predisposes a lawn to a variety of spring-time diseases.’

Not only does fertilizing too early stress the grass and weaken your lawn, but it is also a waste of money. Any product you put on doesn’t repair patches in the grass, but runs off rather than being used by the lawn.

What to Do About Brown Grass in Late Winter – Expert Recommendations

The best thing to do about brown grass in late winter is to wait and see if it improves once spring arrives and the temperatures increase.

The best time to fertilize a lawn in the spring is once it starts actively growing and the temperatures reach at least 55°F (you can check the soil temperature with this 4-in-1 soil meter at Amazon that measures moisture, pH, sunlight, and temperature).

This stage of spring lawn care is often late March or early April, depending on your US hardiness zone, and Mike Goatley recommends starting other maintenance tasks before feeding.

He adds: ‘Refrain from applying nitrogen fertilizers to promote color and growth on either warm or cool-season turfgrasses until you initiate a regular mowing program.’

As well as waiting until after you start mowing the lawn in spring, it is also beneficial to aerate the lawn before fertilizing to help any nutrients penetrate deep down into the lawn.

If the lawn stays brown a few weeks after spring arrives, it might be time to investigate the cause. This begins with the tug test to check if the grass is dead or if the roots are still healthy.

‘If recovery doesn’t happen naturally as growth resumes, light scarification to remove debris, followed by aeration and overseeding, usually does the trick,’ recommends Peter Chaloner.

‘Ensuring the lawn receives appropriate nutrition once active growth begins will also help it thicken up and restore color.'

The best fertilizers for grass in spring are slow-release granular products to provide nutrients to the lawn over several months. An example of such a product is this Scotts turf builder lawn food, available on Amazon.

FAQs

Will Grass Come Back After It Turns Brown?

Brown grass can recover and turn green again. If it is dormant over winter, it should come back once the temperatures rise. If it is stressed and brown during the season, it may be conserving energy during a heatwave. In this scenario, aerate the lawn, water deeply, and stop mowing to reduce the stress. This should help it recover.

Why Has My Grass Died Over Winter?

Grass often dies over winter due to waterlogging, but frost damage, pests, or disease can also kill a lawn. Aerating in spring helps to fix a waterlogged lawn, and homeowners should rake away any dead grass and overseed the lawn once the ground warms to fill in any bare patches before moss and weeds take over.

A good option for spring is a weed-and-feed product. These offer the combination of killing weeds and providing nutrients for the lawn, and spring is the perfect time, as the weeds are starting to grow and the grass is waking up for the new season.

Putting down weed and feed in spring (this Scott's weed and feed, available at Amazon, kills over 50 lawn weeds, including dandelions and clover) targets weeds that may blemish a summer lawn, and gives the grass essential nutrients to grow strong roots and shoots for the season ahead.

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Meet the Experts

Late winter and early spring are key times for a lawn, and addressing problems early can prevent summer issues. During this important transitional period, a vital step is to improve the oxygen supply to the grass. Treating winter lawn damage helps with strong growth, healthy grass, and means a lush lawn come summer.

Even small, cosmetic winter lawn damage can become more time-consuming later if it is left to develop. Taking simple steps in late winter or early spring to remove moss, clear debris, and reduce compaction means more air gets to the grass roots, which helps them grow deeper, stronger roots that can take in more water and nutrients.

Just a few key lawn care jobs in late February or early March can make a big difference and help you have a lush, green, and thick lawn come summer. However, if the soil is frozen or waterlogged, postpone any early spring lawn care until conditions improve.

1. Moss

Moss can thrive during the winter months, as it likes cooler, wetter, and shadier conditions. It can take hold of a lawn when the grass growth slows or when the grass is weak. Not only does it affect the look, but it also weakens the soil, allowing the moss to spread.

Peter Chaloner, managing director of Cobra Garden Machinery, says that early spring sets the foundation for how the lawn performs for the rest of the season. And failing to deal with moss prevents the grass from prospering.

‘Moss thrives in cool, damp conditions and can quickly form a dense layer that blocks water, air, and nutrients from reaching the soil,’ he says. ‘If that isn’t addressed early, it becomes much harder to remove and repair once the growing season is in full swing.’

Peter adds: ‘Heavy moss or thatch build-up can prevent moisture from penetrating the soil evenly, leading to stressed or patchy turf during heatwaves.’

To get rid of moss in lawns, late winter and early spring are ideal times to dethatch a lawn. This involves raking out moss and dead thatch from the surface, which boosts air circulation and water penetration into the ground, and helps the grass build strong roots.

This can be done either with a garden rake or with a mechanical scarifier, like this electric dethatching machine at Amazon, for larger areas.

2. Compaction

A compacted, unhealthy lawn may show signs of water pooling over winter, or the grass may be patchy or turning yellow. Chrissie Handley from Online Turf claims that soil compaction is ‘one of the main lawn issues homeowners face after winter’. She adds: ‘If not tackled now, it’s likely your grass will struggle to grow over spring and summer.’

Compacted soil means grass roots struggle to grow deeply. This is primarily because the amount of oxygen, water, and nutrients is being restricted. Weak roots ultimately put the lawn at risk of increased damage come summer.

‘It’s important to ensure your lawn has a strong, deep root system to survive extreme temperatures – both hot and cold – as these roots allow the grass to store nutrients and water it needs,’ claims Theresa Smith, senior vice president at NaturaLawn of America.

‘Additionally, it is a strong, lush, and healthy lawn that is best equipped to choke out weeds.’

To combat any winter lawn damage from compaction, early spring is also the perfect time to aerate a lawn. This essentially means poking holes in the soil so air, water, and nutrients can reach the roots.

This can be done manually with a garden fork placed deeply into the soil at 12-inch intervals, or with an aerating tool, like this rolling lawn aerator at Amazon.

If you are planning to repair patches in grass by seeding, it helps to aerate before seeding, as the new grass develops strong roots quickly.

3. Debris

A lot of debris can find its way onto a lawn over the winter months. While fallen leaves or twigs may not seem much, they will harm the grass if left unchecked for too long.

A quick trip around the lawn at the correct time (remember that walking on frozen grass or a waterlogged lawn will do more damage than good) to clear debris helps the grass grow healthily come spring.

Theresa Smith claims that removing debris that fallen during winter storms should be considered the ‘first step’ to fixing winter lawn damage. She adds: ‘These leaves and limbs block airflow and sunlight from reaching your grass and can lead to diseases if not removed.’

The lawn expert also recommends one quick task to help deal with a common winter lawn disease. ‘In areas where snow mold may be present, it’s also a good idea to lightly rake, or fluff up, the turf,’ she says. ‘This also allows for proper air circulation to help get rid of any disease before it can damage the lawn.’

Gently raking (an expandable metal rake like this at Lowe's is good for clearing debris) is the best way to get rid of snow mold once the ground has dried. Air circulation is crucial to curing the issue, and any bare patches can be fixed by overseeding once the temperatures warm in spring.

4. Dehydration

One more unexpected form of lawn winter kill comes in the shape of dessication, or dehydration. Brian Feldman, senior director of technical operations and agronomy at TruGreen, claims dessication is ‘the most common damage’ lawns experience during the winter months.

‘This often occurs when turf is unprotected by snow cover and subject to drying cold winds,’ he explains. ‘Under these conditions, the exposed turf can lose significant moisture in crown tissues.’

This kind of winter lawn damage shows as brown or straw-colored patches on the lawn. The good news is that it initially affects the leaves, rather than the crown or roots. However, if not treated, such severe dehydration can lead to total winter kill of the grass.

‘To prevent desiccation, depending on the temperature, water once every one to two weeks if it has not rained,’ advises Brian. ‘You don’t want your lawn to go into a drought-stressed condition. A good rule of thumb is to water your lawn when it is still above 40 degrees with no rain in the forecast.’

Provided the crown itself is not desiccated, continue to water the lawn as required in late winter and rake out any dead grass. The grass should recover by spring.

There is no set date when you should start mowing the lawn in spring; it changes year to year depending on the weather. Watch for when the lawn has started actively growing, the temperature exceeds 50°F, and the soil is dry. When you do decide the time is right, cut spring lawns at a higher mower height than in summer to prevent stressing the grass early in the season.

Tools to Fix Winter Lawn Damage

Dethatching is essential for a healthy lawn. It removes excessive thatch to help the grass get light, moisture, and nutrients. However, get the timing wrong and it can place the lawn under undue stress, so when is it too late to dethatch your lawn?

The usual timings for dethatching a lawn are in spring or fall for cool-season grasses, and late spring to early summer for warm-season grasses. These windows give the lawn time to recover, rather than placing it under added stress during hot summers and cold winters.

But what if you have missed the absolute best time to dethatch your lawn in the fall? Is it better to go ahead and do the task or skip it? To answer this, I spoke to lawn experts to discover how late you can dethatch, and what the signs are that the opportunity has passed for the year.

When is it too late to dethatch your lawn?

Lawn care can be confusing to some gardeners, and admittedly, there is more maintenance needed to have a thick, green lawn than many people think. Whether it is keeping on top of mowing, watering, feeding, aerating, or dethatching, a spring or fall lawn care checklist can be lengthy.

Dethatching and scarifying are two terms for removing debris, with the key difference being how aggressive the process is. Dethatching disturbs the top layer, whereas scarifying goes a bit deeper, but the truth is that both tasks take a toll on the grass, and it needs time to recover from the process.

The process of removing thatch, which is made up of dead leaves, roots, and other organic matter, is tough on the lawn. The blades of a dethatching machine, or a garden rake, tear at the thatch and the soil surface. It leaves the lawn vulnerable afterwards, so you want to give it enough time to bounce back fully.

When the temperatures drop in late fall, the grass will enter dormancy. This shouldn't happen with the lawn still weak from the dethatching, so provide enough recovery time to ensure the winter weather doesn't damage the lawn.

'You want to give your lawn at least a full month to recover from dethatching, so I'd suggest the latest you can dethatch is about four weeks before the typical first frost date,' advises Craig Elworthy, the founder of DIY natural lawn care company Lawnbright.

The lawn expert recommends showing caution, saying to 'be safe and give yourself a lot of runway' rather than cutting it fine before the frosts arrive.

Chrissie Handley, a lawn care specialist for Online Turf, also advises caution and dethatching when the temperatures are mild.

She adds: 'The earlier you do it, the more time your grass has to recover from it, so you don't want to do it right as it goes into winter dormancy, as your grass won't be able to grow and recover.'

How to tell it is too late to dethatch a lawn

If you are wondering whether it is too late to dethatch a lawn in the fall, the lawn experts provide a few helpful tips to help you decide.

It can be as simple as looking at the garden and considering the weather – all simple measures to avoid making any lawn care mistakes and damaging your lawn.

'If you've noticed that your grass has stopped growing, or temperatures have dropped significantly, it's probably now too late to dethatch,' says Chrissie.

And Craig adds: 'If you're seeing leaves falling from the trees, it's probably too late to dethatch.'

It is not worth getting too disheartened, though. If it is too late to dethatch a lawn, then you can just wait for the ideal window to come around again. If it is too late in the fall, then add the job to your spring lawn care checklist and do the task then.

How often you need to dethatch a lawn can vary. While it can be beneficial to do the task annually, it doesn't always need to be done. Hillary Thompson, horticulturist and director at Super-Sod, says dethatching is only recommended when 'more than one inch of thatch' builds up in the lawn.

'Unlike yearly aeration, we don't recommend yearly dethatching because it's typically not necessary, especially if good maintenance is provided, such as weekly mowing and not using too much nitrogen fertilizers,' she adds.

This means it is not the end of the world to miss a window, as it may not be required. If you regularly aerate a lawn, mow the lawn often, and fertilize the lawn properly, these all help prevent thatch build-up and reduce the need to dethatch as much.

FAQs

Can you dethatch a lawn in summer?

You can dethatch warm-season grasses in early summer, provided you give the lawn adequate recovery time before the temperatures reach their seasonal highs. Craig Elworthy from Lawnbright claims that late summer can be a good window to dethatch cooler-season lawns, saying: 'It gives your lawn plenty of time to recover and fill in before winter dormancy.'

Can you dethatch in late spring?

Late spring is an ideal window for dethatching warm-season grasses, such as zoysia grass and Bermuda grass, as the lawn is actively growing at this time of year. It is a good time of year for gardeners in warmer climates, or those in transition zones whose lawns contain warm-season grass types.

Can you dethatch the lawn in the fall?

Fall is an ideal season to dethatch cool-season lawns, such as fescue grasses, perennial ryegrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. Chrissie Handley from Online Turf says: 'Fall is a perfect time to dethatch, it improves airflow and allows water to soak through to the plant roots more effectively, which is ideal for the heavier rainfall.'

As mentioned earlier, dethatching is stressful on the lawn. So you don't want to dethatch a new lawn; it needs to be well-established to withstand the stress the task puts it under. After you lay turf, it needs to be given at least two years to establish strong, healthy roots before dethatching. Keep a close eye on the amount of thatch, and only plan to dethatch when you can see a thick layer of thatch or it feels spongy underfoot.

October is a prime time to give your lawn some attention, but it is not a standard approach across the country. The best way to plan your October lawn care will depend on your location and the type of grass you have.

Warm-season grasses are suited to hotter climates, while cool-season grasses prefer (yes, you guessed it) cooler temperatures found in northern regions. Then you also have a transition zone in the middle, where both types of grasses can be planted. The growth cycle of different grass types will affect your fall lawn care.

When planning your lawn care tasks for October, understanding the makeup of your lawn is crucial. It dictates which tasks you should do, and what you shouldn't. Here we look at October lawn care across the different zones, including which jobs are a must for all gardeners this month and those that differ based on your grass.

October lawn care in focus – let’s start with 1 essential task for all

Wherever you live, collecting leaves from a lawn is a prerequisite. When the leaves fall in the fall, they block sunlight when left on a lawn, causing bare patches while also trapping moisture and inviting lawn diseases.

Whatever your preferred method for getting rid of leaves, whether a leaf blower or a rake for a more physical workout, always collect leaves and use them to make leaf mold or compost.

Leaf collecting is a must, no matter where you live or the type of grass. But other aspects of October lawn care do differ depending on those factors. So, let's look at the crucial October lawn care jobs for warmer and cooler zones.

October lawn care – What to do in warmer zones

Warm-season grasses, such as zoysia grass or Bermuda grass, go dormant when the soil temperatures consistently drop below 55-60°F in the fall. Your October lawn care is designed to help the grass as it winds down for the season and stops growing during this month or next, depending on your climate and location.

• Mow – Keep mowing the lawn until it stops growing. The growth of warm-season grasses will slow when temperatures are in the 60s, but not stop completely until it goes under the 60°F mark. Monitor your grass and local weather forecasts to gauge when to give the lawn its final mow of the year, which can be as late as November. To maintain the health of your lawn, raise the cutting height in the fall and don't mow wet grass. Raise the cutting deck to 2.5 to 3 inches to leave longer grass blades that can insulate the roots during winter. This tactic also helps combat the risk of winter fungal diseases, including snow mold.
• Weed – Fall can be an efficient time to kill weeds and prevent future ones. Removing weeds before they seed prevents their spread, and they will compete with the grass as it begins to grow in spring. The best way to kill weeds but not grass is to remove them by hand. It may not sound appealing, but it is effective. It need not be back-breaking, though, as a weed puller tool like this one on Amazon allows you to remove weeds without bending or kneeling. To stop cool-season annuals like henbit, chickweed, and poa annua, you can apply pre-emergent herbicides in October. Such products prevent winter annual weeds from sprouting.
• Water – Depending on your climate and the local weather patterns, you may need to continue watering the lawn into fall. Warm-season grasses need 1-1.5 inches of water per week during this time of year. If this cannot be achieved thanks to natural rainfall, you may need to use your irrigation system or head out with a garden hose to keep your lawn hydrated. Giving the grass the moisture it craves helps it recover from the stress of hot summers. It also helps to repair any patches in the lawn, and means the grass stores enough energy in its roots to survive winter. A soil moisture meter like this one on Amazon can quickly provide key information on soil temperature and moisture levels. It will help gauge when to water grass and also give you an idea of when the grass will start to go dormant when the soil temperatures drop. Avoid overwatering the lawn (a common lawn watering mistake) as the cooler temperatures of fall reduce evaporation. And keep an eye on the forecasts to stop watering the lawn in fall ahead of the first hard freeze.
• Overseed with ryegrass – If you have bare patches in the grass, you can overseed warm-season lawns in the early weeks of October. Doing it earlier is required as the soil temperature needs to be at least 65°F for strong germination. Warm-season grasses are suited to seeding in spring, but to provide year-round color, you can overseed with ryegrass in the fall. This fast-growing grass seed germinates quickly and can add winter color to lawns in southern climates. It is a short-lived grass, but it can provide that desirable green over winter before dying back when the rest of the lawn comes back to life. You can get bags of annual ryegrass seed at Walmart to overseed your lawn in the fall. Plant the seeds using a spreader or by hand six weeks before your first frost and water frequently until it is established.

October lawn care – What to do in cooler zones

Cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass are more suited to cooler northern climates. These grasses go dormant when the soil temperatures fall below 45°F. Good October lawn care for cool-season grasses helps it recover from the summer usage and develop strong roots to keep the grass stronger for next year.

Mowing, weeding, and watering as required are also essential October lawn care jobs for cool-season grasses. However, there are also other tasks to add to your fall gardening checklist when dealing with these grasses.

• Fertilize – October is a crucial time to fertilize a lawn and strengthen your cool-season grasses. Applying a tailored feed in the fall encourages strong root growth, preparing the lawn for the incoming winter. The key is to use the right type of fertilizer, which is a feed higher in potassium and phosphorus. These essential plant nutrients help support root development and provide the strength needed to survive winter and grow strongly come spring. An example of one such product is this winter survival fall lawn food at Walmart. If you wonder how often you should fertilize a lawn, feeding 3-4 times a year is the maximum, and a fall feed is the last of the year. Cool-season grasses want this fall feed, while August or September is the best window for a final feed of warm-season grasses. Avoid using summer lawn feeds that are high in nitrogen in the fall. This encourages fresh, lush growth that will be damaged by the winter cold.
• Aerate – Cool-season grasses can benefit from aerating in the fall to reduce compaction and boost root growth, as the holes in the lawn created by aeration allow for improved air, water, and nutrient penetration. It is a useful task to do before other tasks, as there are benefits that come with aerating a lawn before fertilizing or seeding. As for how to aerate a lawn, it can depend on the size of your space. A small lawn can be aerated easily with a garden form, while a mechanized lawn aeration machine may be needed for large lawns. A good time to aerate is when the soil is damp (which makes it easier for the spikes to penetrate), but not when it is waterlogged or frozen (both of which will make a mess and damage the grass).
• Overseed with cool-season grass seed – Early to mid-October offers the opportunity to overseed with cool-season grasses as the soil is warm from summer, and there is often good seasonal moisture to aid germination. Sowing this month is dependent on warmer falls as the seeds want at least 4-6 weeks until the first heavy frost. Plant grass seed earlier in the month and keep it moist until the frosts arrive. You can cover the newly-seeded area with horticultural fleece or germination sheets to retain warmth and stop birds from eating grass seed. Get it right and the new grass can develop roots before the winter frosts arrive. This helps the lawn withstand winter weather and be strong enough to cope with hot, dry spells next summer.

October lawn care – What to do in transition zones

The transition zone is an area where you can grow either warm-season or cool-season grass. Before making plans for October lawn care, understand the types of grass you have in your lawn, and tailor your approach accordingly.

As mentioned earlier, for both types, you should mow, water, weed, and remove leaves. However, only fertilize and aerate if you are dealing with cool-season grasses.

Potentially, the trickiest aspect comes when lawns in this zone are a mix of grasses, such as a warm-season base overseeded with cool-season grasses. The safest way to approach this is to keep mowing at a higher height, water as required, and remove weeds and leaves. But avoid fertilizing until spring and leave other maintenance tactics like scarifying and aerating until then, too.

Once the grass goes dormant, it should be left alone for the rest of the fall and winter. There are many winter lawn care mistakes to avoid making during the coldest season, but maybe the biggest is walking on frozen grass. Many people will do this without thinking about the consequences, but treading on a frozen lawn can damage the grass blades, cause bare patches, and compact the soil.

Shop tools for October lawn care

As autumn cools the soil, grass growth naturally slows down. However, giving your lawn one last cut before winter's chill arrives is often a smart move. The challenge is timing this final mow just right so you don't inadvertently damage your lawn's health.

Correctly judging the timing and height of this last seasonal mow is a key part of an effective lawn care regimen. Aim to get this done before the first hard frost of the year hits your lawn. Keeping an eye on the falling temperatures is crucial for this.

If a final mow is on your fall gardening checklist, remember to adjust the cutting height. Leaving the grass slightly longer provides a layer of insulation. This extra length helps to protect the grass roots from the deep winter cold and encourages the lawn to emerge healthy again next spring.

The right time for that final mow before winter

The exact timing for any final mowing before winter will depend on your location and US hardiness zone, which will directly influence when the grass enters its dormancy.

We hear from some experts about the signs to look out for and get some tips for the final lawn cutting before winter.

The seasonal signals for your final mow

Most grass species naturally prepare for winter by entering a state of dormancy once temperatures consistently fall below 50°F. This cooling trend provides the clearest seasonal reference for your final mowing date.

Warm-season grasses begin to slow their growth when temperatures are in the 60s, whereas cool-season grasses start their slow-down once temperatures reach the 50s.

Jeremy Yamaguchi, previously CEO of Lawn Love, suggests a proactive approach: monitoring your local weather forecasts and planning a final mow right as the mercury looks set to dip below 50°F.

He notes: ‘Once temperatures are below this mark, most species of grass naturally go dormant and thus no longer need to be mowed. In areas like the Midwest where winter comes earliest, this usually happens in around early-mid October, and in other areas like the Southwest, this can be as late as late November or early December.’

Sarah Jameson, the founder and owner of Lawn Chick, agrees that dropping temperatures and slowing growth is ‘nature's way of signalling the lawn's preparation for dormancy’ and a definite sign that it's time for the final cut before winter arrives.

She points to another critical seasonal reference: the forecast of the first hard frost. ‘Another clear sign is the forecast of the first hard frost,' she explains. ‘While it’s normal to see frost on your lawn with regularity during those chilly fall mornings, the first hard frost is different.

'The final mow should ideally be done just before the first hard frost. This ensures that your grass remains resilient throughout winter. On my lawn, I do my final mow as part of my leaf clean up, typically in November.’

Essentially, watch the forecasts: when the grass is slowing down and the first hard frost is imminent, that's your cue to put the mower away until spring.

Final fall lawncare for healthy spring grass

The transition from fall to winter is a critical period for lawns, according to Sarah Jameson, who states that work undertaken at this time ‘can impact how healthily a lawn starts growing again in the spring.’ Your approach to fall lawn care, particularly how you handle the last cuts of the year, can have a long-term impact on the health of your grass.

Adjusting the cut

One of the most important things to avoid is cutting the lawn too short for winter. Sarah advises, ‘maintaining a height of about 2.5 to 3 inches is optimal for most lawns.’

By raising the height of your mower for the final few cuts of the season, you allow longer grass blades to provide some extra insulation over the cold winter months. Most new lawn mowers will have adjustable height options built in, such as this Soyus mower available on Amazon, with five different height settings.

The mulching advantage

Using a mulching mower, such as this cordless Litheli model available on Amazon, can also be beneficial. It chops up grass clippings and fallen leaves into fine pieces, which decompose and provide valuable nutrients to the lawn.

However, leaving a thick mat of whole leaves on the grass throughout winter is a common lawn care mistake, as they can smother and kill the lawn underneath them. Be sure to remove leaves regularly and take advantage of them by adding them to your compost or using them to mulch the garden. This is a great way to recycle your autumn harvest of foliage.

Keep it dry

Finally, only mow when the grass is dry. This can be trickier to manage during the increasingly dewy and damp fall months, but it will ultimately benefit the lawn. Mowing wet grass causes the cut to be uneven and often clogs up your mower. This can damage your machine or leave clumps of wet grass dumped haphazardly around your lawn, which is not ideal heading into the slower-growth season

FAQs

Should I leave grass clippings on my lawn in the winter?

Leaving short grass clippings on the lawn can provide nutrients to the grass over winter. It is best to use a mulching lawn mower, or a mulching plug in your lawn mower, to chop up the grass clippings into small pieces that can settle between the grass blades and nourish the soil as they break down during the colder months.

Completing that last mow of the season is a powerful step in combatting snow mold, a fungal problem that can affect residential lawns during winter. This troublesome lawn disease thrives on dampness and a lack of air circulation, typically occurring underneath fallen leaves or blankets of snow that persist through the colder months.

By reducing the length of the grass before winter sets in, you actively minimize the moisture that can get trapped at the base of the blades. This, along with dethatching a lawn (removing the layer of dead material between the grass and soil), significantly helps to curb the conditions that allow the fungus to flourish.

When the snow finally melts in late winter or early spring, snow mold often becomes visible as strand-like mold that can look like spider webs spread across the turf. Fortunately, good fall lawn care can actively prevent this issue, ensuring your lawn stays healthy beneath its wintry blanket until the growing season returns.

I moved home earlier this year and was delighted to finally have a large lawn. The one thing I was less pleased about? The weedy nature of it. There were classic dandelions and nettles, but also some more vigorous offenders: vine lawn weeds.

The first thing I did when getting rid of these weeds was identify them. Vines, or rather creepers, have a habit of crawling along your lawn, eventually taking over large patches of it and leaving the grass below to suffocate and die. Diagnosing exactly what they are allowed me to take effective action in removing and killing these weeds but not my grass.

The only problem is there are several kinds of vine lawn weeds, and often you need slightly different methods to remove them. So, to help you out, I have compiled a quick guide here about three of the most common types and how to get rid of them.

3 common vine lawn weeds

Vine lawn weeds aren't the only kind to crop up among your grass. You may also have white flowering weeds, like clover, and may wish to learn how to get rid of dandelions. Although, many flowering weeds are excellent resources for pollinators, so consider leaving a patch of your lawn to grow wild for them.

Having said that, if your vine lawn weeds problem is taking over your grass like mine did, keep reading:

1. Ground ivy

If the vine lawn weeds in your yard have scalloped leaves, spread quickly, and have tiny little purple flowers in spring, you likely have the same issue I did: ground ivy.

It's also known as creeping Charlie, as this creeper grows rapidly across large areas. In my yard, it was particularly prominent in the shadier spots, as it's a ground cover plant for shade that thrives in moisture.

Unfortunately, getting rid of creeping Charlie permanently is not a quick or easy task. However, I have found that regular weeding helps reduce its rapid growth.

It's a weed with very shallow roots, so it can very easily be pulled up. Because of its density, I employ the use of a hand rake (like this one from Amazon) to efficiently pull up the vines. They come away easily, and I ensure the roots are coming up with it to reduce the chances of regrowth.

Other options include making a weed killer to get rid of ground ivy. One effective recipe is apple cider vinegar (from Amazon), salt, and soap, all of which burn and dehydrate the creeper.

I am now also improving my lawn care to make it a less favorable environment for ground ivy to grow. This includes aerating my lawn (with an aerator tool, like this from Amazon) , to improve drainage.

2. Field bindweed

This is another common vine lawn weed, and one I have also spotted in my yard. Bindweed refers to two plants: field bindweed (the one that sprawls along the ground) and hedge bindweed (the one that can grow vertically, often up shrubs).

Bindweed can be deceiving because it has attractive funnel-shaped white or pink flowers. But, leave field bindweed to grow and it can dominate your garden and smother plants.

It's a common weed to find in the US and requires careful action to get rid of it entirely. It can tolerate drought, poor soil types, and partial shade, though it grows more vigorously in sun.

The best action to take is digging it up (using weeding tools, like this weed puller from Amazon), and mulching to smother it.

3. Creeping buttercup

This is a vine lawn weed identifiable as yellow buttercup flowers. Unlike the clumps of buttercups that crop up randomly on a lawn, creeping buttercup is a low-growing, spreading plant.

It grows most vigorously in moist, poorly drained, and compact soils, and tolerates anything from partial shade to full sun.

Regularly mowing your lawn can help manage this weed, but manual removal is the best way to get rid of it. It would be a weeding mistake to let creeping buttercup take over your entire lawn, as it would leave you with brown, smothered grass.

Promoting thicker grass can also help stop the spread of creeping buttercup. Do this by improving drainage, raising your mower height, and fertilizing your lawn (such as with this Miracle-Gro lawn feed from Amazon).

FAQs

Do vine lawn weeds make grass brown?

Yes, vine lawn weeds can make grass turn brown where it smothers it. That's why you should work to repair patches in grass once you remove the weeds. You can do this by aerating, improving drainage, and sowing new lawn grass seed (from Burpee).

Sometimes the source of vine lawn weeds aren't even in your yard. They can creep beneath and through fence panels. If this is the case, you might find our guide on how to stop your neighbor's weeds from invading your yard useful.

Our recommended weeding tools

If you see or feel something not quite right, it may simply be your lawn telling you it’s unhappy. To help you understand the signals your grass might be giving you, here, turf experts reveal their top signs of an unhealthy lawn.

Many homeowners aspire to achieve the perfect turf and dedicate numerous hours to lawn care throughout the year. However, even the most meticulously maintained lawns can endure stresses, which are often evident in certain key ways.

Whether it is patchy growth, yellow grass, an increase in weeds, moss, or fungi, or simply the lawn feeling spongy underfoot, these are all signs of an unhealthy lawn that you should be able to spot. This guide highlights some of the most common indicators you may experience, along with expert tips to combat the issues and help you have a pristine lawn.

6 signs of an unhealthy lawn

Checking your lawn regularly can be a quick and simple way to spot any signs of stress or unhappiness. And it needn’t be tough to identify any problems, they may show themselves while you are simply out enjoying the garden or be spotted from inside the home.

'As a natural product, lawns are usually quite good at telling you when they’re unhappy, but it’s important to be able to recognise which signs are for which issues,' claims Chrissie Handley, a specialist at Online Turf.

The grass may appear yellow, patchy, or thinning, but often any issues can be easily rectified. Knowing how to identify problems and potential solutions is a key aspect of good lawn care.

Patchy growth

Despite striving for a green and thick lawn, one of the most common signs of an unhealthy or unhappy lawn is patchy grass with irregular growth, thinning or bare patches, or spots of discoloration. Such a lawn can be the result of a combination of factors, including soil compaction, drought, and low nutrient levels.

'Anything other than lush green dense growth is normally a sign that it’s not thriving as it should,' says Chrissie. 'A patchy lawn that isn’t growing as densely as it should is usually a sign that your soil isn’t of good quality. You may want to fertilize later in the year to help balance out your soil pH for optimal, dense growth.'

The lawn expert adds: ‘You can also test your soil to see exactly what nutrients it’s deficient in for a more tailored fix.’ The best soil pH for a healthy lawn is between 6.0 and 7.0, and you can test the pH of soil with a simple home testing kit, such as this soil testing kit at Amazon.

However, it may require more than just fertilizing the lawn to repair such issues with patchiness. Skye Durrant, the founder of LawnGuru, recommends increasing the frequency of lawn watering, followed by aeration of the grass, and then an application of fertilizer.

'You should notice a greener lawn within a week and thicker growth within one to two weeks,' he adds. 'For very thin areas, overseeding can help. The best time to overseed is in late summer or early fall.'

Discoloration

No one wants to look at their lawn and see it turning almost completely yellow or brown.

Discolored patches can be caused by pests like grubs or diseases, such as snow mold or red thread, that can cause a lawn to yellow in winter, but once it spreads from patches to the whole lawn, it becomes a larger problem.

'A consistently yellow or brown lawn across a large area is often a sign of drought,' claims Skye. 'Increasing irrigation is a good first step. Most lawns need at least one inch of water per week during the summer to stay healthy.'

Yellow grass should recover if you regularly water the lawn in summer. Best practise is to water in the morning or evening, outside of the hottest times of the day, but not to water the lawn at night.

Watering grass in the sun during peak hours gives the lawn little chance to soak up the moisture before it evaporates.

'If you have a sprinkler, you’ll want to make sure this is left on for a few hours in the coolest hours of the day and is reaching the full lawn and soaking through to the ground below,' recommends Chrissie.

Feeling spongy

If your lawn feels spongy when you walk on it, it can be a sign of an issue hiding beneath the top layer of grass. It is usually the tell-tale indicator of a build-up of excessive thatch, which is a layer of dead plant material that sits between the blades and the soil surface.

A build-up of lots of thatch can prevent water and air from reaching the roots of the grass, and this layer increases the risk of diseases and can harbour lots of pests. It is recommended to dethatch the lawn to remove the excess material in the lawn.

'This can be done manually on small lawns with a garden rake, though it’s hard work,' says Skye. 'For larger areas, it’s best to rent or purchase a dethatching tool, or hire a local lawn care professional.'

The best time to dethatch a lawn comes in spring or fall, whereas doing the task in summer can unnecessarily stress the lawn.

Another reason for a spongy lawn can be overwatering, which may show itself if you have a waterlogged lawn with water pooling on the grass after heavy rain.

'The sponge-like texture is normally due to compacted soil underneath; the water cannot drain away properly, so it pools underneath the grass surface,' says Chrissie. 'Over time, the boggy conditions will cause patchy grass growth, and you’ll notice your lovely lawn starts to turn into a mud patch. You can help increase drainage by aerating with a garden fork.'

Lots of weeds

Weeds are always going to pop up in a lawn, but if the situation progresses from some weeds to a lawn full of weeds, then it can indicate an unhappy or unhealthy lawn. It can be a sign that the grass is struggling and not able to compete with the weeds.

The priority has to be weeding out the unwanted plants that are present. 'Weeds may become a problem if left alone for too long. They can eventually overtake the turf without timely removal,' warns Nastya Vasylchyshyna, resident botany expert at Plantum.

'Weed your lawn throughout the whole growing season to keep them from spreading. It’s especially important to do so before they flower and fruit since they’ll scatter their seeds across the yard otherwise.'

It is vital to completely remove the weed’s root system to prevent it from resprouting, and this stand-up weed puller tool at Amazon can help you easily kill weeds but not grass without the need for kneeling or bending.

Ongoing maintenance like regular mowing, watering, and feeding can help boost the strength of your grass to fend off weeds.

Increased fungi and moss

In a similar way to an influx of weeds, the sight of lots of moss and fungi on a lawn is a sign that the overall conditions are favoring them over the turf.

If you see mushrooms growing in the yard, there are likely damp, shady spots with poor drainage, which are the perfect conditions for fungi to thrive. Moss also revels in such damp and moist conditions, and is often found in shady and overwatered lawns.

To get rid of mushrooms on a lawn, cut back on how often you are watering and regularly aerate the lawn in spring and fall to improve the drainage. Dethatching annually will also remove the fungi’s food source, and you may need to trim overhanging branches to increase the amount of sunlight that reaches the lawn.

You can apply moss killer to eradicate issues, such as this moss control product at Amazon, which kills moss and feeds your grass for future protection.

Holes in the turf

There may be holes in the lawn caused by animals digging to get to grubs in the lawn. The likes of birds, foxes, skunks, raccoons, or moles like to dig for the soil-dwelling chafer grubs or leatherjackets, which can cause major damage in their search for food.

The lawn grubs themselves cause bare spots and dead patches of grass, severing the roots as they go. To get rid of lawn grubs, dethatching and aeration make a lawn less attractive for them. Or you can apply grub control to prevent them from causing mass damage to your grass.

Garrett Lang, a turf management specialist with Lex Lawn & Irrigation in Southern Indiana, claims irregular dead patches where turf lifts like a carpet is 'a clear sign of grub damage'.

'They sever the root so your lawn can not take up water. Leaving dead spots that pull up easily,' he says. 'During the late summer, the only option is a curative application. To prevent damage, a preventative application can be applied earlier in the season.

'The curative and the preventative use different active ingredients, so make sure you choose the right one.'

Such a preventive treatment is this long-season grub killer at Walmart, which can prevent grubs for up to four months.

FAQs

How do you tell if a lawn has a disease?

Typical indicators of lawn disease will include patches of dead grass, discolored areas of yellow, brown, or red turf, or an increased presence of fungus, which can be white or pink.

The symptoms on show will depend on the disease. For example, red thread disease produces a pink tint on grass blades, while dollar spot causes circular patches of dead grass, and fairy rings on lawns appear as circular patterns of dark-green grass with mushrooms.

If your turf feels hard underfoot, that can be another sign of an unhealthy lawn to be aware of. This is a typical issue in high-traffic areas of the garden, and it is advisable to make a few simple adjustments.

One is to change the mowing pattern each time you head out with the lawn mower to help reduce compaction and keep the lawn healthy. And another is moving play equipment, paddling pools, and trampolines around the garden to reduce the impact on a particular area.

As well as those easy changes to your lawn care, aerating the turf annually in spring will help relieve compaction and encourage the grass to develop strong roots.

Whether you love it or hate it, regular mowing is a necessary part of maintaining a healthy and attractive lawn. But when you choose to mow is important, as some times of day stress your grass more than others. So, we reveal what the worst time to mow a lawn is.

Get your mowing right and you’ll have a lush, green lawn that looks great and is the envy of your neighbors. However, by choosing the worst time to cut grass, your lawn may become stressed, unattractive, and, at worst, diseased.

To help you get your lawn care routine on point, and avoid falling foul of any pitfalls, we got turf experts to reveal the worst time to mow a lawn. This guide highlights mistakes to avoid, as well as the hours of day professionals recommend you should mow your lawn.

The worst time to mow a lawn - according to the pros

Steve Peeler, an agronomist with Simple Lawn Solutions, claims: 'The worst time to mow a lawn is when it is wet, and the hottest part of the day.' Let's take a closer look at these two key times of day that turf experts say to avoid taking out the lawn mower to reveal why they are problematic.

Don’t mow early in the morning

It is not advisable to mow early in the morning. Not only will it be unsociable, especially on a weekend, but it actively risks the health of the lawn, potentially ruining any ambitions for a green and thick lawn to enjoy.

Mowing wet grass from dew or rainfall is a mistake for various reasons. It results in uneven cuts because a lawn mower tears moist grass instead of cutting it smoothly, and the mower is likely to become clogged.

However, even more concerning is how it can leave the lawn more susceptible to diseases.

'It is best to wait until the dew has cleared or removed before mowing,' says Steve Peeler.

'Disease pathogens and fungus can spread from one area to another by foot and mechanical traffic if the grass has heavy dew and high humidity,' he adds.

'By 10 am, most dew has evaporated, making for a better time to mow.'

Don’t run the risk of your grass succumbing to lawn diseases such as summer patch, red thread, lawn rust, or more, by heading out too early with the mower. Sit back and relax, before heading out when you’re confident any moisture has cleared.

Don't mow in the hottest part of the day

Mowing is vital in summer lawn care to keep it healthy and attractive for families to enjoy, and looking good for events or gatherings. However, you should not attempt to mow stripes into a lawn in the middle of the day during the height of summer. It is not good for your lawn, or yourself.

The temperatures peak between midday and 4 pm during the hottest months of the year. It is advisable to avoid mowing during these sunniest hours of the day, to prevent placing stress on your turf.

'Hot afternoon sun can stress newly clipped grass blades, making them more prone to disease and to drying out and turning brown,' says Greg Cuoco, CEO of The Difference Landscapes.

'If you're not a morning person, mow between 4 pm - 6 pm when the grass won’t be as scorched from the midday sun.'

Mowing during the hottest part of the day also places more stress on you and your lawn mower. It is safer all around to wait until the temperatures have cooled, but before evening sets in.

'After 6 pm or during the evenings are meant for lawn appreciation, not mowing,' adds Greg. 'A late mow won’t give the grass time to recover before evening moisture sets in and makes the turf more susceptible to disease and fungal growth.'

A lawn wants time to heal after mowing before the temperatures drop at night. Moisture and low temperatures put lawns at risk of fungal attacks, which is also why it is inadvisable to water the lawn at night.

FAQs

What time of year should you not cut your grass?

You should stop mowing your lawn in fall once the grass stops growing and goes dormant for winter, and before the first frosts. This tends to be October or November, depending on your location.

Then, you start mowing a lawn in spring once the temperatures rise and the grass is actively growing again. An ideal time to start is once it reaches around three inches, and you should pick a high mower height for spring lawns.

While discussing why early in the morning is potentially the worst time to mow a lawn, we mentioned it would be unsociable to go out with a lawn mower so early in the day. So, when is it antisocial to mow?

Early hours, especially on a weekend, are always unsociable and should always be avoided. Other potential timings to consider are the levels of disturbance from mowing late on an evening if neighbors have young children, or heading out with a noisy lawn mower when your neighbors have guests.

A lawn will undoubtedly suffer during prolonged periods of high temperatures, and it can be tricky to judge exactly when to water your grass. However, there is a super-simple way you can tell if your grass is suffering from heat stress and needs watering.

Something as basic as walking on the grass can be a good indicator of when you should water the lawn in summer. This easy test helps you water your lawn effectively and efficiently when it needs it, preventing the grass from going brown and turning to straw.

As temperatures rise and extreme weather becomes more of an issue, knowing such a simple measure to illustrate how often you should water the lawn in summer is very helpful.

The lawn ‘bounce back’ test – what do the experts say?

In the peak of summer, lawns can suffer from heat stress as they lose large amounts of water as a result of soaring temperatures.

If you want a green lawn, watering will form part of your summer lawn care routine. To protect your lawn in a heatwave, any watering needs to be done efficiently. This ensures no water is wasted and your lawn receives maximum benefit.

When and how much you should water the lawn depends on the grass, soil type, climate, and the levels of natural rainfall. However, in periods of extreme warmth, there likely will come a time when you want to water your lawn.

This simple test can be quickly carried out to show if your lawn needs watering. And it is as simple as walking on the lawn and seeing how the grass responds.

Chris McIlroy, lawn expert at The Grass People, calls it a lawn ‘bounce back’ test and claims it is a good indicator of whether you need to water the grass during a heatwave.

‘All you do is stand on the grass. If it stays flat, it needs watering. If it bounces back, then it’s likely sufficiently hydrated,’ says the lawn expert.

Experts from the University of Florida recommend doing this test late in the afternoon and examining how long it takes for the blades to bounce back from being trodden on.

‘When feet compress the leaf blades of the turfgrass, the low water levels in the plant tissue prevent the leaf blades from recovering, or springing back up, after being pushed down,’ they say.

‘If the footprints remain for an extended period of time, water the lawn to prevent the turfgrass from turning brown and becoming dormant.’

But what exactly is ‘an extended period of time’ to monitor the footprints for and judge when to water your grass?.

Well, fellow experts from the University of Illinois add: ‘A sign your lawn does need a good drink of water is if footprints stay visible on the grass for more than thirty minutes.’

To keep the lawn adequately watered, apply a half-inch to an inch of water during the cooler periods of the day. The ideal time to water your grass is early morning, but you can water in the evening too. There are risks linked to watering the lawn at night worth considering, as a lack of evaporation increases the risk of fungal lawn diseases.

A lawn will benefit from more deep watering during these cooler times, rather than a light soaking in the heat of the day. The latter approach is a lawn watering mistake, as most of the moisture will be lost to evaporation before the grass gets to appreciate it.

Good lawn care during summer should also include adjusting your mowing technique. For example, when cutting grass in hot weather, raising the height of the lawn mower keeps the grass healthier by reducing stress on it.

In the same vein as with watering, it is also recommended to mow during the cooler periods of the day rather than during intense afternoon sun. You never want to mow the lawn when temperatures peak above 90°F.

The heatwave has arrived and I would be lying if I said I'm not feeling a little nervous. Yes, I'm ready to soak up the sun with friends and family, but ever since moving into a home with a large lawn, threats of hot dry spells leave me a little anxious for my yard. Luckily, Amazon Prime Day is serving the perfect solution, and it's only $21.

This Eden oscillating water sprinkler on Amazon immediately caught my attention as a number one best seller in the Amazon Prime Day outdoor deals. I'm joining the 7k+ shoppers who have already got their hands on it to keep on top of lawn care and protect my lawn from the heatwave. I'm already seeing areas of my grass turn brown and trying to keep it hydrated every day is quite frankly time-consuming. Instead, this sprinkler promises to save me time and energy, so I can focus on relaxing in the hotter weather instead.

Even if there aren't rising temperatures where you are, lawns are susceptible to becoming dehydrated if not watered correctly over the summer. But, with the help of this sprinkler designed for maximum coverage of large lawns, yours can stay looking green and thick this season.

How will this sprinkler save my lawn in a heatwave?

During extreme hot temperatures, just like other plants, your lawn is susceptible to drying out much more quickly and blades of grass may even experience leaf scorch. This dehydration can result in browning and dead patches of grass.

To avoid this, it's best to water your lawn in summer in the evening or early morning. Watering your lawn in the sun won't burn it, but the hot temperatures during the peak of the day will cause quicker evaporation, making your watering efforts counter-productive.

But, when you have a larger lawn like I do, it can be incredibly time-consuming to give your lawn such a deep watering as frequently as needed in a heatwave. I also find it hard to judge whether I have watered my lawn enough before my arm gets tired from holding up the hose pipe.

That's where this Amazon oscillating water sprinkler comes in. You simply set it up in the middle of your lawn and turn it on to move back and forth, watering each side of your grass thoroughly.

The one downside is that I'd quite like for it to have a timer, but it's easy enough to figure out how long you should water your garden with a sprinkler with our expert guide. Or, you can pick up this sprinkler timer from Amazon, which is currently on sale for less than $20.

Why shoppers love it

With a 4.5 star rating and thousands of positive reviews, I trust this Amazon oscillating water sprinkler is going to be the one thing to save my lawn in the coming days.

'This garden sprayer is awesome. This saves so much time watering our garden by just turning on the hose and letting it work its magic,' one satisfied reviewer writes. 'The sprayer is super durable as well and made of not so cheap of plastic,' they add.

And whether you have a small backyard or expansive lawn area to keep hydrated, the range control seems to come in handy:

'Sprinkler has great spread and directional controls are easy to operate. Just slide levers to desired stop points,' one reviewer explains.

Some shoppers even made a repeat purchase: 'I love this sprinkler so much that we started with one but now have three for our backyard. It provides good coverage and I like that you can adjust the range on either side using the red tab,' another customer writes.

Of course, as with all of your essential gardening tools, there is a word of warning for looking after this Amazon oscillating water sprinkler to make it last for years to come:

'It is plastic, so I recommend emptying and storing in a shed during the winter,' one reviewer writes.

Shop other heatwave essentials for your yard:

It's worth getting watering right in the yard when a heatwave comes around to keep your plants looking happy and healthy. But, if you find your lawn does become dehydrated, don't fret. There are a few things you can do to repair patches in grass easily.

Have you noticed small, spiralled heaps on the surface of your lawn in the morning and been left scratching your head? Those distinctive deposits are worm casts, and they are actually the sign of a healthy lawn.

Worm casts, or worm castings, on lawns result from earthworms and are commonly seen on spring or fall mornings. While they are beneficial, they can also be a nuisance. If you take pride in your lawn care and having pristine grass, these heaps may be undesirable.

So, what should you do about worm casts on lawns? To answer this, I spoke to some lawn experts who revealed the positives that come from worm casts on lawns and their recommendations for the easiest way to deal with them to keep your grass healthy.

What are worm casts on lawns?

Worm casts are small, spiral heaps of waste soil that appear on the surface of the lawn. They are caused by certain species of earthworms that live in the soil but come to the surface to deposit their waste.

The earthworms eat thatch and leaf litter in the grass and break it down. Many species will deposit this material underground, but some do it at the surface, leaving the distinctive strings of sludgy material.

'Worm casts are just little mounds of soil left behind after earthworms do their thing underground,' says Taylor Olberding, co-founder of Heroes Lawn Care. 'In most cases, they're not doing real harm, more of a nuisance, especially if you're aiming for that immaculate green carpet look.'

Worm casts are commonly left during the night, and they are most often seen in spring and fall after spells of wet weather. The sight of worm casts on lawns is perfectly normal, but they can be an inconvenience.

Are worm casts bad for lawns?

No, the resounding response from the experts is that worm casts on lawns are not a bad thing.

They can be a nuisance, as mentioned earlier, though how much so will depend on the type of lawn you want. However, there are real positives that come from having such evident signs of earthworm activity in your lawn.

Ryan Farley, the CEO of LawnStarter, claims that worm casts on lawns shouldn’t be seen as a problem whatsoever when people spot them on their grass at home. So, don’t think of worm casts as an issue when aspiring for a green and thick lawn.

'I'd regard them as a positive sign and can provide great natural fertilizer for your soil,' he adds. 'Worm casts are essentially just waste products from earthworms, and earthworms in your soil are a great sign that things are working as they should.'

That sentiment is echoed by Chrissie Handley from Online Turf, who speaks highly of the benefits worms bring to soil and grass health.

She says: 'Worms can enrich the soil, aerate the soil, relieve compaction and also decompose thatch, so when compared to small mounds of soil that are on your lawn, the benefits worms provide outweigh the negatives of the unsightly casts.'

Finally, Steve Peeler, an agronomist with Simple Lawn Solutions, reckons that worm castings cause more of a visual issue on low-cut turfgrass such as golf courses and athletic fields, adding: 'There is not so much of a problem on home lawns unless maintaining the turf at a very low height of cut.'

Expert tips for dealing with worm casts on lawns

Worm casts can impact the look of your lawn, and potentially the health of your lawn if they are not managed properly. What do the experts recommend you do with worm casts on lawns, leave them in place or act to get rid?

Chrissie Handley says it is better to deal with them than just leave worm casts on lawns untouched.

'If you leave worm casts on the lawn, they can smear into your grass when mowing, making them look even more unsightly,' she claims. 'Smeared casts can prevent airflow to the grass and ground, making it more liable for weed growth.'

It is not just mowing that risks smearing the worm casts over the surface. Just walking on them can do the same, and the flattened castings can create bare spots in the grass that become an ideal environment for lawn weeds to germinate, especially in spring.

What is the best time and way to remove worm casts on lawns? Thankfully, it is quick and simple to eliminate worm casts and keep lawns healthy, using everyday household or garden tools.

'I wait until they've dried out a bit, usually mid-morning is perfect, and then lightly brush them off with a stiff broom or the back of a rake,' says Taylor Olberding. 'That way, you're not damaging the grass.'

It is best to wait until the mounds are dry, so that they crumble easily and mix into the ground rather than smear over the surface of the grass.

'Some people ask about worm suppressants, but personally, I'd steer away unless you're dealing with an extreme situation,' adds Taylor.

You can get products that will deter earthworms from lawns. However, as mentioned earlier, earthworms offer many positives to lawn and soil health, so it is not recommended to use such products as they can negatively affect the garden’s natural ecosystem.

To reduce earthworm activity in the soil, without eradicating them, and limit the amount of worm casts, you can collect grass clippings and consider when and how long you water your lawn.

Steve Peeler advises: 'Controlling soil moisture is key to controlling worm cast on home lawns. Reduce irrigation frequency, improve drainage, and avoid night-time irrigation.'

FAQs

What can I put on my lawn to get rid of worms?

Earthworms are less plentiful in acidic soils. There are ways you can lower the pH of the soil and make the soil more acidic, including adding sulfur or using fertilizers with aluminum or iron sulfate.

Worms are very beneficial in a garden, and even away from your soil, they can be utilized for their natural ability to turn waste into useful material.

When you use a wormery for compost, you put in kitchen waste, and the worms convert it into nutrient-rich compost to add to beds, borders, and pots.

You can make a wormery or buy one such as this three-tray worm composter at Amazon to make usable compost in under three months.

If you want your lawn to appear lush and green this summer, April provides an excellent opportunity to make that happen. Here are seven lawn care tips for this month that can transform your yard.

As the temperatures rise in spring, April is a time to mow, feed, seed, and smarten the look of any lawn. It is worth the investment, as giving your grass some TLC this month will reward you with a beautiful lawn for the summer months.

I maintained formal lawns in public gardens for many years. April was always a peak time for lawn care, and the work put in got the lawns into top shape. The following tasks were always part of my list for lawn care in April and I recommend adding as many as possible to yours.

Lawn care in April - 7 steps to follow

Any spring lawn care regime starts after the frosts have ended in your US hardiness zone. Add the following tasks to your spring gardening checklist for lawn care in April, and you can look forward to a green and thick lawn come summer.

1. Mow at the right time

When to start mowing a lawn in spring is changeable; it can depend on your location and the seasonal weather. You will likely have begun mowing for the year in April, but it is key to wait until the grass is actively growing and the ground is dry enough to mow, as mowing frozen or soggy grass will damage both the lawn and your lawn mower.

Always remember that, however tempting it may be if the lawn looks a little long, mowing wet grass is a bad move that can lead to uneven cuts, ripped grass blades, and a lawn susceptible to fungal diseases. If the grass is wet, let it dry before mowing and also ensure you cut a spring lawn at a higher mower height than you will cut come summer.

2. Aerate to improve drainage

Aerating a lawn in spring comes highly recommended - it was a task I always did annually as a gardener. This simple job involves making small holes in the soil and offers multiple benefits when done in spring.

Why aerate a lawn? You may ask. It reduces compaction caused by lots of usage and improves drainage, preventing a waterlogged lawn that can kill patches of grass. Boosting the drainage also reduces the risk of fungal problems caused by grass sitting too wet for long periods.

Aeration can be done using a garden fork. Push the tines of the fork a few inches into the soil and give it a little movement forward and backward to gently open the holes. Do this at intervals of 12 inches across the lawn.

The alternative is to get a mechanical aerator to do the job quicker, such as this spike aerator at Amazon that has steel star-shaped spikes to penetrate the soil.

3. Overseed bare patches

A lawn may be left a little worse for wear after the previous summer’s heavy use, followed by the challenging winter weather. Any bare patches in the grass can quickly and easily be repaired by overseeding a lawn in spring.

April is an ideal time to plant grass seed. Overseeding is spreading fast-growing grass seed to fill in these bare and damaged patches, and the seed will germinate efficiently in the warm and moist soil this month.

Mow and aerate the lawn before broadcasting the seed over the area. Keep the soil moist and consider covering the area or setting up deterrents to stop birds from eating the grass seed before it germinates.

4. Give a boost of nutrients

Fertilizing a lawn in spring promotes strong growth and a healthy lawn for the season ahead.

Plan to feed the grass once the soil temperatures reach around 55ºF, which can be in April in many locations, and it is up to you whether to seed or fertilize first in spring. When planting seeds, however, it is important to use a starter fertilizer designed to be used when seeding so as not to inhibit the germination.

Only ever apply the fertilizer at the recommended rates. A spreader is recommended to apply the right amount over the lawn evenly, and these come in push-along or hand-held types.

5. Define the edges

Taking time to sharpen the edges of a lawn at the start of the season makes a difference. Not only does it differentiate the lawn from the rest of the garden, but a well-defined edge looks neat and satisfying.

Putting in an edge this month means it is easier to maintain that neat lawn edge throughout the season with a pair of edging shears.

To edge a lawn, use a wooden board or string line to mark the straight lawn and work your way along with an edging tool, such as this half moon edger at Walmart. Any removed turn can be used to make compost.

6. Tackle lawn weeds

It is never the most glamorous task, but April is a good time to tackle unwanted weeds. Getting rid of weeds early in the season is beneficial to stop them from spreading and becoming a bigger problem in the future.

Several options are available to kill weeds but not grass and help you have a pristine lawn. Any large tap-rooted perennial weeds, like dandelions or thistles, should be removed by hand with a garden fork or weeding tool to get the entire root out.

Spring can be a time to spray weed killer on a calm and dry day to tackle existing weed problems, while also offering a great window to put down weed and feed products. Such products contain post-emergent broadleaf herbicides to kill weeds and fertilizer to provide essential nutrients to the grass.

7. Control moss

As well as tacking weeds, April can be a good month to get rid of moss in lawns. This can be especially beneficial if you have had a wet winter and spring.

Dethatching a lawn, or scarifying, and aerating, helps remove moss and dead thatch and improve conditions to discourage it from returning. These tasks improve garden drainage to prevent lawns from sitting wet for long periods, and boost air circulation through the lawn.

When it comes to how to dethatch a lawn, it can be done with a spring tine rake, or you can get a mechanical scarifier for larger lawns - like this electric dethatcher and scarifier at Amazon, which has a 16-inch clearing path and the option of either a 20-blade scarifying head or 24 steel-tine dethatching head.

The alternative to tackling moss by hand is to apply a moss killer product to the lawn. However, this will be a short-term fix and not combat the conditions that cause moss, like dethatching and aerating. Apply the product according to the manufacturer's recommendation and rake out the dead moss after it turns black.

Shop essentials for lawn care in April

Doing a bit of lawn care in April sets your grass off to a great start for the rest of the season. To help plan further ahead, these guides to summer lawn care and fall lawn care give you all the advice you need for healthy grass throughout the year.

Lawncare is one of those tasks that gets more and more complicated the more you know. What seems like a simple task - pushing a mower over grass - has surprising complexity and depth.

One of the little things that can make a huge difference is a balanced lawn mower blade. Blades can become imbalanced over the years, and this can make for a poor cut. If your lawn is looking patchy despite all your best efforts, you might need to balance the blades.

Thankfully, balancing mower blades is fairly simple. I spoke to mowing experts about the best ways to balance lawnmower blades.

Why should you balance a lawnmower blade?

Unbalanced blades mean uncomfortable mowing, a patchy lawn, and eventually, a broken lawn mower.

Lawn mower expert Michael Clarke explains that: 'A lawnmower with an imbalanced blade will vibrate excessively during use, which can cause discomfort when you're mowing.' If you've ever wrestled with a rattling mower that struggled to turn, the blades likely needed to be balanced.

An unbalanced mower can also ruin your lawn. 'Additionally, a balanced blade ensures an even and clean cut,' says Michael. 'When a blade is unbalanced, it may cause uneven cutting, leading to patches of grass that are cut unevenly or left uncut.'

On top of that, imbalanced blades can even break your mower. Michael warns that: 'Imbalanced blades can also lead to excessive wear on the motor, bearings, and other parts of the lawnmower. Proper balance helps reduce unnecessary strain on these components, ultimately increasing the lifespan of the mower.'

How can you tell if a lawn mower blade needs balancing?

The good news is that this imbalance is easy to spot. A rattling mower indicates that the blades need to be balanced. If you're nailing the rest of your lawncare but your grass looks patchy and uneven, you may need to balance the blades.

Sometimes, you can even tell it by sight. When you get your mower out of storage for the first time in the spring, take a look at the blade. Michael Clarke explains: 'If you notice that one side of the blade is noticeably duller or has a different shape than the other, this could also indicate an imbalance.'

How do you use a lawn mower blade balancer?

All you need is a lawnmower blade balancer. It's an incredibly simple tool, a notched cone that fits a lawn mower blade. If the blade tilts, it needs to be balanced.

It's a very simple process. Michael Clarke explains: 'Before balancing, you'll want to clean the blade thoroughly to remove any grass, dirt, or debris, then set the blade horizontally on the blade balancer. The balancer will typically have a small rod or groove in the middle where you place the center hole of the blade. If the blade tips to one side, it indicates that side is heavier.'

If the blade tilts, you need to file down the heavier side. This should remove enough weight that the blade sits evenly. Michael explains 'To balance the blade, you can grind or file down the heavier side slightly until the blade rests level. It might take a few adjustments, but once balanced, the blade should stay level on the balancer.'

You don't need anything fancy to sharpen a lawn mower blade. You can use a power drill attachment like this from Amazon (which also includes a blade balancer), a file like this from Walmart, or even a pocket sharpener like this from Amazon, though you may find it trickier than the other methods.

Just clamp the blade into a workbench vise and run your sharpening tool along the cutting edge. After a few attempts, take the blade out of the vice and replace it on the balancer. Once balanced, the blade should sit straight on the balancer without tilting.

Do you need a lawn mower lade balancer or can you just use a nail or a screw?

You don't even need to use a lawn mower balancer. In a pinch, you can just use a nail. Mowing expert Steve Corcoran says 'You can use a blade balancer, but you don’t have to. It’s just as effective to utilize the simple trick of hammering a nail into the wall and then hanging the blade on it – if it leans to the side, then it needs balancing.'

However, while this works, it's much trickier than just using a balancer, and balancers are so cheap that you might not be saving any money. Michael Clarke warns: 'While it is possible to use a nail or screw to balance a blade, it's not the ideal method. A lawn mower blade balancer is designed to be more precise, allowing you to easily see which side of the blade is heavier.

Additionally, placing a blade on a screw or nail could cause it to become scratched or damaged, especially if the surface is uneven, whereas a blade balancer provides a stable and safe resting point to adjust the blade.'

A rattling mower is a sign of an imbalanced blade, but there's a lot of other potential problems with a lawn mower. Thankfully, there are surprisingly easy fixes to a stuck mower pull cord, and even a smoking lawnmower can be fixed without too much hassle.

A good mower is essential for a healthy, luscious lawn. The only drawback? These machines can take up a lot of space.

It's tempting to just roll your mower into any old corner of your garage and forget about it. However, storing a mower incorrectly is among the worst mistakes a gardener can make. Poor mower storage can stop a mower from working or break it beyond repair. It can even be a fire hazard.

I spoke to a lawn mower expert about the five most common lawnmower storage mistakes - and how you can avoid them.

1. Don't store a gas mower vertically or on its side

Firstly, one of the most common and damaging mistakes is to store a gas mower on one end or on its side. It seems totally harmless and an obvious solution to tricky garage or shed storage. You might have a gap between a workbench and a shelving unit that's the perfect fit for your mower if you tip it on its side or on one end.

This is fine if you use a battery mower. Mowing expert Steve Corcoran told me that there are even battery mowers designed to be stored vertically, such as the Craftsman V20, available at Lowe's.

But Steve warns that this isn't the case with gas mowers. 'Gas mowers, on the other hand, are almost never designed to be stored this way,' says Steve. 'If they are not fully drained, the risk of leaking is high, which is a major fire and safety hazard.'

Gas mowers should be stored on all four wheels because engine oil can leak into the air filter, clogging it up and stopping the engine from working. It's a leading cause of broken lawnmowers; if you've ever wondered why your gas mower won't start, it could be because you've stored your mower on its side.

'Some mowers are labeled as leak-proof, but even in those cases, it is risky,' adds Steve. 'Sometimes you can hang a gas mower vertically if it is fully drained, but since these kinds of mowers typically aren’t meant for this, it’s still generally not a great idea.'

2. Don't leave a mower outside

Lawn mowers seem like robust pieces of equipment, so it's tempting to store your mower outside rather than give up crucial storage space. However, this is a mistake.

In a pinch, you can store a gas riding mower in the yard under a tarp like this from Walmart. These steel-frame mowers are very hardy. You can even get away with leaving them outside without a tarp, but the seat will crack from exposure to sun and rain, and pests may nest in the lawnmower deck. It's also a security issue because the mower could be stolen.

However, push mowers cannot be stored outside. Gas mowers might survive a day or two, but rainwater in a spark plug means hours or days of drying before you can use it again. Cordless and corded mowers, however, cannot be stored outside. Like any piece of electric equipment, these can be damaged by water.

3. Never keep cordless batteries in a shed

If you use a cordless mower, you should never keep the batteries in a shed or uninsulated garage. Cold weather interferes with a battery's capacity - if you've ever been unable to use your cellphone in the cold you'll know this effect. If your batteries are stored in the cold, they'll lose capacity, so a battery that used to run for an hour might only run for 15 minutes.

The best way to keep cordless batteries running at their best is to store them in your home. This will prevent them from dropping below freezing. It's a little inconvenient to have to run between your home and your shed every time you want to mow, but it beats using batteries that aren't up to the task.

4. Don't forget to clean your mower before you store it

Another common mistake is to mow the lawn and roll the mower back into storage as soon as you're done. However, you need to remove dirt and grime after every use.

Steve Corcoran explains 'It is essential that you take good care of your mower’s blades and entire body so that it doesn’t incur damage. If debris gets caked on the blades, for example, and that gets left on there for the entirety of the fall-winter seasons, that can cause serious damage to the blades that is unable to be fixed, resulting in you having to buy all-new blades.'

Cleaning the mower doesn't have to be a hassle. You tip it on its side and use a pressure washer, hose, or brush to remove the worst of the mud and grass. With gas mowers, be careful how you tip your mower. Make sure the air filter is facing up so that you don't clog it with oil or gas.

5. Don't forget to maintain your mower before you store it

You should also keep on top of your mower maintenance as you use it. It's much more efficient to do a little maintenance at a time than to save it all up for when the mower breaks.

When storing a mower, see if it needs lubrication or sharpening, and in gas models, check the gas and oil levels. This will help to prevent issues further down the line and ensure you mower starts straight away every time.

Incorrect mower storage can cause a host of problems. If you've stored your mower on its side, you may need to learn how to troubleshoot a smoking lawnmower or a stuck mower pull cord to bring your mower back to its best.

Mowing the lawn seems like one of the simplest jobs in the yard. You just fire up the mower and push it over the yard, as simple as vacuuming a rug.

However, grass is a living thing, and mistreating it can lead to huge problems. Whether you cut your grass too short or forget to sharpen your lawn mower blades, these lawn care mistakes can damage or even destroy your grass.

I spoke to a lawn care expert about the common lawn mower mistakes, how to avoid them, and how to improve your lawn health.

1. Sharpening too little - or too much

Poor mower blade maintenance is a common lawn mower mistake. Many people don't bother to sharpen their lawn mower blades. This is a big mistake, because dull, chipped, or burred lawn mower blades won't mow currently. Rather than slice through the grass, they tear at it, making for a ragged cut that can cause disease. It's simple to sharpen lawn mower blades. You just need to flip it over, remove the blades, and sharpen them with a file. A pocket sharpener like this from Amazon will do the trick, but you can use a simple feather file like this from Walmart.

However, you mustn't fall into another common lawn mower mistake - sharpening the blades too much. Over-sharpened lawn mower blades are much more likely to chip or burr when they hit rocks or twigs, which makes for much more frequent sharpening and maintenance. Instead, aim to get the mower blade roughly knife-sharp, not razor-sharp. Blades sharpened this way will give a good cut for a few months rather than an exceptional cut once.

2. Using the wrong mower for the job

Sometimes you can get everything right but you simply have the wrong machine for the job. It might be that you've bought a cheap mower second-hand that isn't quite right for your yard, or you've upsized and your old electric mower can't handle a larger lawn. Either way, the wrong mower can undo even the best lawn care regime.

If, like most people, you have a lot of around half an acre or less, all you need is a push mower. Many people are tricked by clever marketing into buying a huge tractor mower that's too big for their yard and hard to maneuver in the space. A push mower takes a little longer, but the small size makes it much nimbler in smaller yards and helps to give a more precise cut.

Above half an acre, especially when you have a couple of acres or more, you need a ride-on mower. A tractor mower is usually the best option unless you have a lot of trees and other obstacles out in your yard; in which case a zero-turn mower is needed, but it's more expensive.

3. Mowing from the middle

Another common mistake is to start the mower in the middle of the lawn and mow outwards, or to mow into the middle of the lawn from wherever you started your mower.

This is a mistake because it makes it harder to see where you've mown and where you haven't. Mowing in from the edges makes it much easier to see where you've cut, so you aren't rolling the mower over the same places over and over and crushing the grass plants under your mower wheels.

If you have a side-discharging mulching plug, it also makes it easier to direct the mulch onto the lawn and not into flowerbeds and onto paths.

4. Mowing in the same direction

But while you should mow from the edges into the center of the lawn, mowing in the same direction every time is a mistake that can harm your grass plants.

Lawn expert Ryan Farley explains 'Mowing in the same direction every time is another pretty common mistake. Most people just don’t think about changing it up, but mowing in the same direction can result in grass that leans over, since it’s accustomed to being pushed over the same way each time you mow.

'You can also end up damaging your soil this way since repeatedly mowing the same areas in the same direction will compact your soil and create ruts from your mower tires.'

5. Mowing slopes vertically

Never mow a slope vertically, or up and down. If you have slopes in your yard, one of the worst lawn mower mistakes is to mow uphill and downhill. It's hard to control a mower when pushing it up or down a slope, and this makes it much more likely that the mower will tip over, or run away from you and crash into a flowerbed or other garden feature.

Instead, mow horizontally across any slopes in your yard. This is much safer. It makes for a steadier, easier mow, and that also means a much more level and even cut. If you try to mow along the slope and it still feels unsteady, you need to use a grass trimmer instead - it's much safer.

Mowing is only the start of proper lawn care. It's also crucial to aerate your lawn so that your grass plants can access air and water, as well as scarify your lawn to remove dead thatch and give new grass room to grow. On top of that, fertilizing your lawn ensures healthy, thick grass.

Remote-controlled lawnmowers seem like a no-brainer. Usually found in commercial contexts, these mowers let you control a machine from up to 200 yards away, saving you from working out in the hot sun, and they can get to spots other mowers can't reach.

However, this sort of tech is very costly, and with remote-controlled mower prices starting in the thousands, it's smart to consider whether or not it's really worth it.

I spoke to lawn experts about these niche mowers to find out if they deserve a spot among the best lawnmowers - and whether or not you should buy one.

What is a remote-controlled lawn mower?

Remote-controlled lawn mowers are - as their name clearly states - mowers controlled by remotes. Unlike almost every other type of mower, these machines run on caterpillar tracks to help them navigate bumpy and hilly terrain. They tend to be used in commercial and municipal contexts, not domestic gardens.

Lawn expert Ryan Farley explains: 'A remote-controlled lawn mower is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a mower that is operated via a remote control. So, you essentially drive it around remotely rather than needing to push it over your property.

'They are battery-operated and are usually used, in my experience, for yards and properties with lots of hills and difficult spots that might be tough for a human to navigate.'

What are the benefits of a remote-controlled lawn mower?

Remote-controlled lawnmowers are usually used in commercial and municipal contexts. They help contractors cut tough, long grass along slopes and swales too steep for standard mowers. This is a more efficient way of cutting all this grass than using a grass trimmer. Ryan Farley says 'I personally love these mowers for managing tough yards, since they really do make it easier.'

Remote-controlled mowers are also a great way to mow in tricky spots. If you have trees with low-lying limbs, a remote-controlled mower can mow the spots a standard mower can't reach. Because remote-controlled mowers often use caterpillar tracks or zero-turn wheels, they can give a much more precise cut than other types of mowers.

These mowers also save you from the tough job of pushing a machine all over your yard or sitting on a ride-on mower in the sun, and this also hugely reduces the risk of accidents.

What are the drawbacks of a remote-controlled lawn mower?

Remote-controlled mowers have several drawbacks. You need a clear line of sight to operate the mower, so most operators end up walking next to it, which does little to reduce your time out in the sun.

Ryan says: 'One drawback can be that you have to maintain a line of sight to ensure you’re controlling the mower correctly - which can sometimes feel like it defeats the purpose, especially on a larger property.'

Remote-controlled mowers are huge - several times larger than a standard robot mower - and can be much trickier to store. They're also very heavy, so it can be hard to flip them over and maintain them if anything goes wrong.

These mowers specialize in tricky terrain and tough grass, so they're pointless on flat, even lawns. You can get exactly the same - or better - cut with a robot mower for less work, or just do the job with a standard push or ride-on mower.

These mowers are also incredibly expensive. You can pick up standard push and robot mowers for a few hundred dollars, but entry-level remote-controlled mowers cost thousands of dollars.

What's the difference between remote-controlled and robot lawn mowers?

It sounds similar to a robot mower, but a remote-controlled lawn mower is different. Unlike robot mowers, which operate autonomously, remote-controlled mowers must be directed. This means that robot mowers need much less input, but that they are bad at adapting to changes in a surface. If you leave something out on the lawn by accident, a remote-controlled mower will let you drive around it. A robot mower would bump into this obstacle.

Robot mowers tend to run on small wheels, so can struggle to cut grass on hills or deal with bumpy terrain, whereas these are no problem for a remote-controlled mowers, which usually use caterpillar tracks or zero-turn wheels.

Remote-controlled mowers are much larger, and they can tackle taller, thicker grass than robot mowers. Top-line remote-controlled mowers top out at a 5-inch grass-cutting height, but top-line robots tend to max out between 3-4 inches.

It's uncommon, but some top-line remote-controlled robot mowers can collect grass, whereas all robot mowers discharge grass straight onto a lawn.

However, some robot mowers can be used as remote-controlled lawnmowers. Lawn expert Jeremy Yamaguchi says 'Remote control capabilities are often included with robot lawn mowers so that people can move their mowers as needed, like if certain patches of grass are missed.'

Should you buy a remote-controlled lawn mower?

There are a handful of situations where you should buy a remote-controlled lawn mower. If you have lots of rough, hilly land, a remote mower can help you tackle it, and it can be helpful if you need to mow under low branches. However, for most people, these mowers are overkill, and you can achieve the same cut or better with a typical mower.

Robot mowers seem like a better option than remote-controlled mowers, but they have lots of other drawbacks. It's smart to weigh up the pros and cons of robot mowers vs push mowers before you buy to make sure that you buy the right mower for your yard.

We're coming up on the start of the mowing season, and you may be looking to upgrade your mower this year. However, lawnmowers are among the costliest appliances throughout the home and garden, and it can feel daunting to find the right option at the lowest possible price.

The good news is that there are specific times of year when mower prices drop to their lowest. However, there are some drawbacks to each sale date and season.

I've reviewed the best lawnmowers for a variety of magazines, and I've covered sales events for years. Here's exactly when to buy a lawnmower to save a little money.

When are the lowest prices for push mowers?

The best time to buy a push lawn mower is on three sales days: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Black Friday. There are exceptions, but mower prices - whether gas, electric, or cordless - drop on each of the key sales dates throughout the year. You may see some discounts on minor holiday sales like Presidents' Day or Labor Day, but those three dates see the biggest discounts.

Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are close together and therefore tend to see similar prices, but Black Friday sees the biggest drops. Lawnmowers are large and therefore expensive to store, and demand drops in the fall, so retailers drop their prices lowest on Black Friday to sell on stock before new models arrive in spring.

However, while Black Friday sees the cheapest prices, it isn't always the best time to find a lawnmower deal. Because of the time of year, many mower accessories aren't available, and stock is limited, so you need to be fast. If you buy in-store rather than online, you may find that your local hardware store has moved all their mowers into storage, so you may not be able to get a deal at all. It's also a few months before lawn mower manufacturers announce new models for the following year, so you could miss out on the latest lawn tech. That said, prices will be at their absolute lowest on Black Friday.

When is the best time to buy a ride-on mower?

While there are exceptions, zero-turn and tractor mowers tend to have fixed prices and see little price fluctuation throughout the year. Even when they go on sale on the big holidays they're often only discounted a couple hundred dollars. That sounds like a big saving, and it's always nice to have, but when these mowers cost thousands of dollars it's actually only a 5% or 10% discount. As with push mowers, your best option is to buy a ride-on mower during a sale, but the discounts won't be as steep as with push mowers.

However, many ride-on mower retailers try to kick-start sales at the start of the mowing season by offering better financing deals than they offer in the rest of the year. Many large manufacturers like John Deere and Cub Cadet have 0% APR options, and in spring these financing offers often throw in extras. That's just online, too - local retailers often have better offers. As with buying anything on finance, there can be drawbacks, and that 0% APR rate typically runs out after 12-36 months and ramps up to significant rates of interest that can build up to big monthly outlays.

Early spring is the best time to buy a second-hand ride-on mower. Unlike push mowers, dealers tend not to reduce prices in winter because they want as much money as possible while demand is low. In early spring, dealers want to move their stock ahead of new models arriving, and you'll also find that random sellers on eBay and Facebook marketplace want to move on their old models before buying new ones ahead of the mowing season. That means you can find good prices on second-hand riding mowers in early spring.

When is the best time to buy a robot mower?

Like push mowers, the best time to buy a robot mower is during the big sales events. Black Friday and Cyber Monday tend to see the lowest prices. Robot mowers are often grouped under 'tech' rather than 'tools' by big retailers' discount algorithms and therefore see the biggest drops over these sales events rather than in the spring and summer sales.

Should I buy a mower in spring?

Early spring - late February through early March - is a good time to buy a lawnmower. Most manufacturers have launched their latest products and they'll all be in stock. Depending on local conditions, this tends to be just before prices ramp up and before stores figure out which mowers are bestsellers and increase their prices accordingly.

But that means that mower prices increase throughout the spring as the mowing season gets underway. Gardening expert and Content Editor for Homes & Gardens Drew Swainston says 'If you can, buy a mower in early spring before the weather turns, otherwise you could end up overpaying.'

Should I buy a lawn mower in summer?

Summer is the worst time to buy a lawnmower unless you're buying in Memorial Day or July 4th sales. Demand for mowers is highest in summer; grass is growing faster than ever, even the least green-thumbed homeowners are mowing their lawns, and that means more broken mowers needing replacement. That means that prices are at their highest, too.

However, as outlined above, Memorial Day and July 4th sales can see huge discounts. So, while you shouldn't buy a mower on a random weekend in May, you can find big savings during sales.

Should I buy a lawn mower in fall or winter?

Once grass enters dormancy, mower prices start to fall. You can find good deals in September through to Black Friday, but this comes with a big caveat. Stock is much lower and the best models usually sell out, so you have a much smaller pool of machines to pick from. While you can find big discounts, sometimes the only discounts are on inferior machines.

It can also be inconvenient to buy a mower in the fall, especially in late fall. It's harder to maneuver a mower into your yard and set it up during muddy fall weather. It also means that your mower will sit idle for a few months until the mowing season, and dormant gas and oil lines can cause a range of mower problems when you come to mow in the spring.

These problems are especially true in winter, so while the absolute lowest prices are found on Black Friday, you could end up with a poor machine.

Know how to buy a lawn mower and how much to spend is only half the battle. Before you do anything, you should weigh up the benefits and drawbacks to riding mowers vs push mowers to work out which is the best option for your yard.

Often, an 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality applies when it comes to our side yards. They tend to be long and thin, and sometimes shady, which can make things feel daunting when it comes to design.

However, there are ways to turn these unassuming areas into practical, pretty, and even playful zones, that complement the rest of your backyard ideas. A new seating spot, a handy storage space, or even an edible garden could all be a possibility.

For inspiration, I turned to landscaping professionals – all of who have experience in transforming these types of spaces. Below, you'll find plenty of gorgeous ideas, as well as expert insights on planting, materials, and more.

How to make the most of a side yard – beautiful and functional looks

As garden designer Annika Zetterman says, 'Consider any space of your garden as an opportunity, despite size and shape, to bring joy to yourself and to help wildlife.' If you've already perused our small garden ideas, you'll know that there are always stylish options to try.

Create a tranquil seating area

Sacha McCrae, the founder of Living Gardens Landscape Design, notes how side yards are often forgotten and 'relegated to a utility area or pass-through for the maintenance gardeners'. However, she highlights how they can be several feet wide with overlooking windows, and that some simple changes can extend a home's square footage and create great views.

She explains that in the case above, there used to be a boring concrete paved area with raised brick planters, which made the space feel narrow. 'There was nowhere to sit and the overgrown shrubs felt imposing.

'We removed everything existing and created a flagstone path to a small seating area for morning coffee at the start of a busy day,' she says. 'A bubbling birdbath is now opposite the French doors, framed by red leaf Japanese maples. The sound of the water feature can be heard from inside when the doors are open.'

Utilize the narrow space with a putting green

'This side yard reimagines a traditionally overlooked space into an interactive and playful putting green, proving that function and fun can coexist in landscape design,' says the Garden Studio Design team, based in Newport Beach, California. 'The use of artificial turf ensures a pristine, low-maintenance surface year-round, while organic border plantings soften the space and create a natural transition.'

Fancy trying it at home? To maximize the experience, the team suggests layering in ambient lighting for evening play. They also recommend selecting drought-tolerant greenery that complements the vibrant green of the turf without requiring excessive upkeep.

Elevate a pathway

A side yard often acts as an important pathway from A to B, but that doesn't mean it can't be beautifully designed, too. This design by Annika Zetterman is a perfect example, merging plenty of plants with sculptural shapes and interesting textures.

'Columns of Taxus shrubs stand tall, perfect for narrow spaces, whilst a delicate Acer palmatum changes color with the seasons, resonating with the house and walls with its earthy tones,' Annika says. 'The planting provides shelter for small wildlife year round.'

Nature Hills has a range of acers available, if you'd like one for your own space.

A carpet of solid green Pachysandra terminalis accentuates the hard landscaping, and looks as though it would hold the path and carry people across, Annika continues. She also highlights how the wooden path balances the heavy structures with its light appearance. 'Looking deeper, a circular sheet of Corten steel is recessed under the path, as a fictive water well, lit at night.

'All details combined make this narrow garden a rich space, a place to be enjoyed and explored over and over again.'

We love this side yard from Garden Studio Design, too. 'A cobblestone path softens the transition, while layered greenery and climbing roses add life to the space,' they explain.

'The pergola provides structure to the entry while also serving as an architectural accent that elevates the home’s curb appeal. Thoughtful details – like built-in seating, statement planters, and warm wood tones – make this space feel like an extension of the home rather than just a pass-through.'

Get growing with raised beds

If you're interested in an easy-care vegetable garden, a sunny side yard with a little more space could be just the right spot.

'Side yards with ample sunlight offer the perfect opportunity for an edible garden – great for the culinary chef looking for fresh, homegrown ingredients just steps away,' says the Garden Studio Design team.

Commenting on the design shown above, they explain how raised treated pine boxes provide a dedicated space for growing herbs, vegetables, and seasonal produce, while the gravel path keeps the area low-maintenance and accessible.

'If space and sunlight allow, we also recommend planting espaliered fruit trees to add height and dimension to the space, especially when the garden boxes are being seasonally overturned.'

Fast Growing Trees has a wide variety of fruit trees available to buy.

Consider installing an outdoor shower

'Located just off the primary bedroom and bathroom of the residence, this side yard was transformed into a functional and serene retreat through the installation of this bespoke outdoor shower,' says the Garden Design Studio team. 'It is a perfect demonstration of how even narrow spaces can serve a purpose beyond just circulation.

'The light-hued gravel and limestone pavers provide a natural yet refined foundation, ensuring proper drainage from overspray while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. The vertical wood slat fencing adds warmth and privacy (with the same wood stain used as the structure of the shower to create cohesiveness throughout the space), while dense greenery softens the edges and enhances the sense of seclusion.'

Looking to recreate something similar? The team highly recommends layering evergreen plantings for year-round lushness, as demonstrated above. They also suggest integrating materials that weather beautifully over time, like aged brass and natural stone, to 'create a space that feels both intentional and timeless'.

Keep practical items neatly out of sight

Particularly narrow side yards may not be suitable for seating. However, they can still be incredibly useful.

Consider using yours to tuck away some well-organized storage, such as a tall log store or a chest for outdoor games. Alternatively, they can make a perfect spot for a potting bench – along with bags of compost and tools.

Speaking of compost, your side yard could be the ideal place for a wormery. You could also add a rain barrel, attached to the guttering of your house – a great way to garden more sustainably.

FAQs

How should you choose plants for your side yard?

Sacha McCrae says a limited plant palette is essential in a small space to not overwhelm it. 'Keep it simple,' she adds.

Of course, the best options are ones that work with your hardiness zone and the soil type and sunlight available in the space, otherwise you'll risk fighting a losing battle trying to keep them happy and healthy. Our list of plants for shade is a good place to start if your side yard doesn't get much sun.

Always remember to check the eventual sizes of plants, too, which is particularly important where space is at a premium. Vertical gardening ideas, such as utilizing climbing plants, can complement narrow areas well.

How can you make a side yard low-maintenance?

Landscaping with gravel is a good option for easy-care side yards: it helps with drainage, doesn't need mowing like a lawn, looks good, and can enhance garden security, too, due to its crunch underfoot.

Consider combining it with drought-tolerant landscaping ideas for a stress-free space.

Once you've given your side yard a glow-up, don't let your front yard landscaping ideas fall short! Our list of expert ideas has plenty to inspire you.

Mowers are garden essentials, sure, but for half the year they're surplus to requirements. As we are heading out of mowing season, and you may be wondering what to do with your mower.

Aside from finding the right place to store your lawn mower, is there really anything else you could be doing with it in winter?

I spoke to mowing experts about what else you can use a lawn mower for. They gave me 6 unusual ways to put your mower to good use – even in winter.

1. Mulch leaves

One of the best things you can do in the fall is mulch the leaves on your lawn. Rather than the tedious, hard work of raking or blowing fallen leaves off the lawn, you can mulch the leaves right on the lawn, turning them into useful mulch.

Mowing expert Lee Purcell says 'many lawnmowers have a mulching feature, or can be fitted with mulching blades. By running over leaves, the mower chops them into small, nutrient-rich pieces, which can be left on the lawn to decompose and nourish the soil.'

Best of all, you don't need any special attachments to achieve this. Mowing expert Ken Kohlman adds 'Any kind of rotary-action mower will be able to chop up leaves.' The only thing to remember is that you need to mulch on a dry day. Ken says 'Just make sure the mower has sufficient power and sharp enough blades to handle a dense layer of leaves. This typically works best if the leaves are relatively dry, as wet leaves can clog the mower.'

2. Tow equipment

One of the best ways to use a riding mower is to tow tools and other helpful garden equipment. Whether you need to move firewood, transport your homemade compost to a new bed, or cart heavy tools around the yard, a dump cart takes the strain for you.

Mowing expert Lee Purcell says 'For riding mowers and larger lawn tractors, towing is a common secondary use. You can attach small carts, spreaders, or even trailers to transport tools, soil, or other equipment around a property.'

However, make sure your mower is powerful enough to tow. Ken Kohlman warns 'It depends on the mower’s design and the weight of the equipment. Some riding mowers or tractors have hitch attachments that can be used to pull small carts, trailers, or other garden tools. Just be mindful of the mower’s towing capacity, as exceeding it could damage the transmission or engine.'

3. Dethatch

Dethatching is crucial for a healthy lawn. Pulling up dead grass means makes room for young grass and ensures that water and nutrients from mulch and fertilizer can penetrate into the soil.

Lee Purcell says 'While lawnmowers aren’t traditionally built for dethatching, some models can be fitted with a dethatching attachment, which uses spring tines to pull up dead grass, allowing new growth to thrive.'

But Ken Kohlman warns that a dethatching attachment, like this from Lowe's isn't always the best choice. Ken says 'Some mowers have a thatching attachment or a dethatching rake that can be mounted to the back. However, a dedicated dethatching machine is more effective, otherwise, you risk cutting through the thatch without removing it properly.'

However, this isn't an option for all of us. Separate dethatching machines can be pretty expensive, and a tow-behind dethatcher is much cheaper. Lee says that in the end, a tow-behind detacher 'can save you from investing in a separate dethatching machine'.

4. Spread fertilizer

As well as dethatching, riding mowers can spread fertilizer. A fertilizer attachment like this at Amazon is much faster and more efficient than spreading by hand or with a walk-behind mower.

Ken Kohlman says 'Many riding mowers have a spreader attachment on the back that can distribute seeds, fertilizer, or even sand and salt as you drive across a lawn. This is not something you'd typically do with a push mower.'

Mowing expert Lee Purcell agrees. 'With the right attachment, many riding lawnmowers can also spread fertilizer, grass seed, or even ice melt. This is especially useful for large properties, making the process quicker and more efficient.'

5. Aerate

Aeration punches little holes into the soil on your lawn, allowing for air and water to penetrate into the earth and helping to prevent runoff. An aerator attachment like this at Home Depot is much faster than aerating by hand, saving you hours of work.

Lee Purcell says 'Some mowers can pull aerator attachments, although standalone aerators are usually more effective. But for light aeration, especially on larger properties, this setup can help oxygen and water reach deeper into the soil.'

But Ken Kohlman warns that while effective, this method won't work for every yard. He warns that 'However, for serious aeration – particularly in larger lawns and those with heavy clay soil – a dedicated lawn aerator is recommended.'

6. Snow plow

Finally, the most unusual use for a lawn mower is to clear snow from paths.

Lee Purcell says 'While it might surprise some, some riding mowers can double as snow blowers. With a snowblower attachment, a lawnmower becomes a versatile year-round machine. For those in snowy climates, this is an economical way to clear driveways and walkways.'

You have a couple of options here. There are full-blown snowblower attachments, which scoop up and eject snow and snow blades that just push it out of the way. Snow blower attachments are more effective, but snow blades like this at Lowe's are much cheaper.

Now that we're out of the mowing season, it's time to prepare for the winter. Learning how to winterize a lawn will ensure thick, healthy grass for next spring.

Even the best lawnmowers have a glaring drawback. You can spend thousands on a top-line model with all the fanciest features, but you still need to do all the work. A tidy lawn can be tiring and time-consuming to maintain.

Robot lawnmowers aim to resolve this. They mow the lawn automatically, so you don't have to lift a finger. They can save you hours of time and plenty of effort.

However, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is, and there are a lot of drawbacks to robot lawnmowers. I've tested plenty of mowers over the years, and I spoke to our resident gardening expert about what you should bear in mind before you buy a robot lawn mower.

1. Perfomance

A good robot mower can give just as good a cut as a manually operated one. In fact, top-line robot mowers can give an even better cut, because you can program them to put strips and patterns in your lawn. It gives a professional finish with much less effort, and you won't have to spend money employing a landscaper. The very best models will detect how long your grass has grown and adjust their cutting programs for an even cut. Some can even detect rain and adjust their mowing schedule to cope with the moisture level in your grass.

However, the effect diminishes the larger the yard. Robot mowers usually mow in a random pattern, and they mow small areas of the yard often, which can result in a patchy finish that won't be as uniform as a large mower.

There are some technical considerations, too. Gardening expert Drew Swainston told me that: 'Most robots lack grass collectors, so they deposit the clippings straight onto the lawn. This is great for grass health because it recycles nutrients from the grass clippings straight back into the soil. However, it can mean clumps of grass clippings on your lawn, which can look untidy.'

If your kids play out on the lawn you may find that they tread grass back into the house. On top of that, it limits how you can reuse your grass clippings. Cutting grass into a grass bagger means that you can reuse the grass as the green material in your compost or as mulch, which you can't do if left out on the lawn.

2. Easy to use, hard to install

Robot mowers are much easier to use than walk-behind or ride-on mowers. They do all the work for you and let you get on with other tasks.

However, while they're eventually easy, the setup for a robot mower can be demanding. Unlike robot vacuums, which navigate with cameras and lasers, most robot mowers can't detect the edge of a lawn. To stop them from bumping into walls or driving into flower beds, most robot mowers navigate with boundary wires.

Boundary wires are laid around the edge of a lawn to mark out where it ends. The robot uses a magnetic field to detect the wire and this lets it know where to stop. However, that means you have to lay a wire all around the edges of your lawn. Depending on the size of your yard, that can mean laying hundreds of feet of wire.

If you're a keen gardener and go in and out of flowerbeds, or don't like the look of a wire around the edge of your lawn, you need to take the further step of burying the wire. This is a lot of extra work. Some robot lawn mower companies offer an installation service for free, some charge for it, and with others you have to do it yourself. It's not the most difficult chore in the world, but don't expect your robot mower to be ready to use straight out of the box.

3. Price

A robot mower could be worth it if you have the budget for a ride-on mower, but not if you're buying a push-behind mower.

Robot mowers start at $500 and top out at $2500. Most robot lawnmowers cost around $1000. This is a fair price, as it's about what you'd expect to pay for a robot vacuum of the same size. It's also about the same - or slightly less - than you'd expect to pay for a ride-on mower.

However, a ride-on tractor mower can cover a much larger distance, and it's also more versatile because you can use it to tow, aerate, spread, and even as a snowplow. A robot mower can only mow.

If money is tight, you're much better off with a small walk-behind mower. It can save you hundreds of dollars so, while you need to do the work yourself, it's a much cheaper option.

4. Hills and rough terrain

Robot mowers are well worth considering if you have hilly terrain on your lot. Because they're lightweight and low to the ground, robot mowers are surprisingly great at tackling inclines.

Husqvarna's Automower and Worx's Landroid ranges can handle hills of up to 35°, which is more than twice as much as most ride-on and walk-behind mowers. It's a much safer and more effective way to mow hills, but make sure you buy a model rated for steep inclines.

However, while robots are great on hills, they aren't always great on rough terrain. Robots can get stuck on tufts of grass and need to be freed. So, if you have a bumpy lawn, it might not be the best investment.

5. The size of your yard

If you have a large yard, it isn't worth buying a robot lawn mower. Robots tend to top out at two acres. Models that can handle larger areas tend to be commercial models, like the Husqvarna Ceora, which can handle 18 acres but costs more than $30,000.

To be fair, most American homes sit on a half-acre lot. However, if you have the money to consider buying a robot, you likely have a larger lawn. In more rural states, it's much more likely that your plot is a couple of acres. In this case, you need a ride-on mower, either a tractor mower or a zero-turn. These are better equipped to deal with large lawns.

If you have a smaller yard, however, it's worth considering. It's not worth using a ride-on mower on an acre, or half an acre, of grass, but it can take a couple of hours to tackle an acre of grass with a walk-behind. If you don't like mowing, or just want to free up some time in a busy schedule, a robot mower can be more than worth it.

Robot mower FAQ

Can robot mowers avoid obstacles?

Unfortunately, because robot mowers don't navigate with cameras or lasers, they can't detect obstacles like toys or dog messes. Robot mowers work best if there are no potential obstacles.

While there are some big drawbacks to a robot lawnmower, don't rush to pick something else. There are lots to bear in mind when buying a lawn mower, so make sure you have your acreage and budget right before you buy a new mower.

When it comes to ride-on mowers, you usually only have two types to consider. Tractor mowers and zero-turn mowers dominate the market.

But while debate rages about the benefits of zero-turn vs tractor riding mowers, you have another option on offer. If you've ever hired a landscaper, you might have noticed that they use a standing mower rather than one you sit on.

Standing mowers claim to be lighter, faster, and more precise than traditional riding mowers. I spoke to a lawn mowing expert to see if standing mowers really are the best lawnmowers around. While they give the best, fastest cut of any mower, there are some significant drawbacks to know before you buy.

What are the benefits of a standing mower?

Standing mowers are exactly as they sound. You operate a standing mower from a platform rather than sitting on a seat, and there are several benefits to this.

Mowing expert Gene Cabellero told me that 'standing mowers provide great maneuverability and visibility, ideal for landscapes with many obstacles or tight spaces.' Because they have a small body compared to ride-on mowers, they have a much tighter turning circle. It also means that they're lighter, so they tend to be faster than seated mowers.

Altogether, this makes them much better at mowing around trees or along winding paths. Even without the small turning circle, the simple fact that you're standing up means you have a much better view of the lawn, making it easier to mow.

Gene adds that 'Standing mowers also allow for quick transitions between tasks, saving time when frequent stops are needed – especially to pick up trash or debris.' This feature is most useful for professional landscapers who need to hop in and out of the cab. It's why you may have seen these mowers listed as 'commercial' lawnmowers. However, that's helpful in a domestic setting too. If a branch has fallen on the lawn or your kids have left a toy on the grass, you can quickly remove it.

On top of that, standing mowers are often better for tackling inclines. Because you're standing up, you can shift your weight and lean the hill, resulting in a better, easier mow.

What are the drawbacks of a standing mower?

There's one glaring drawback with a standing mower – it's uncomfortable. Mowing expert Gene Caballero says that 'standing mowers can be less comfortable for extended use compared to ride-on mowers, especially on rough terrain.' Not only is it uncomfortable to stand on the mower for long periods, but unlike a ride-on mower, there's little suspension or padding, so you feel every jolt as the mower goes over the ground. If you have back or knee problems, you'll find this type of mower pretty painful.

Unlike tractor ride-on mowers, you can't always bag up the grass with a stand-on mower. Even those that come with grass collectors have small capacities and you need to empty the collector more often than a ride-on mower. Other models mulch straight onto the grass. That's great for the health of your grass, but it means a lot of grass clippings blowing around, and if you kids like to play on your lawn it could mean that grass gets tracked back into your house.

Because standing mowers are often used by landscaping pros, they can be expensive – an extreme example is this Toro GrandStand Revolution 52 at Lawn Barn, listed at an eye-watering $34,000. More realistic models tend to be between $5,000-$10,000, which is still more expensive than the average tractor mower.

What are the benefits of a ride-on mower?

There are two main benefits to more traditional ride-on mowers. The most obvious is comfort. 'Ride-on mowers offer more comfort with better seating and suspension, suitable for larger, smoother areas,' says Gene Caballero. 'Unlike a standing mower, you're always sitting down on a ride-on, which is much more comfortable than standing up. On top of that, comfortable, ergonomic seats and suspension add a further layer of comfort. If you have problems with your back or legs, you'll be much more comfortable on a zero-turn or tractor mower. You even get cup holders in a ride-on mower, making for a much more relaxing job.

While tractor motors are less precise, they're much easier to use. Zero-turn mowers need a little learning curve, but they offer similar precision to a standing mower without the discomfort of standing up.

Tractor mowers can also be fitted with a huge range of different attachments. Most standing mower models don't support attachments, so they can only mow. Tractor mowers can be fitted with snow plows, aerators, lawn sweepers, and spreaders. You get a lot more for your money.

What are the drawbacks of a ride-on mower?

The big drawback with a ride-on mower is that it doesn't give as good a cut as a standing mower. 'The main drawbacks of riding mowers are their size and maneuverability in confined spaces,' says Gene Caballero.

Zero-turn mowers are similar to standing mowers in that both can turn on the spot, but a standing mower has a smaller body and better visibility, so it can cut much more precisely than a sit-on mower.

Lawn tractors are much worse than both types for making a precise cut because they can't turn on the spot. They also tend to have a smaller cutting deck, so it takes longer to mow the same area of lawn. On top of that, both types of ride-on mowers are hard to use on hills and inclines.

Riding mowers also take up more room in storage, so standing mowers are often a better choice for making sure there's room in your garage.

FAQ

Can you put stripes in a lawn with a standing mower?

You can make stripes in a lawn with a standing mower – you just need to buy a tow-behind lawn roller attachment.

The biggest drawback with standing mowers is that they're very expensive. In fact, if you have a small yard, it's not worth considering one of these. Learning the differences between riding mowers vs push mowers could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of storage space. If you have more than two acres, you need a riding mower; if you have fewer than two acres, all you need is a good push-behind.

We're in the middle of a busy sales period, so it's a smart time to save a little money on a quality lawnmower.

However, most mowers are marketed with a lot of jargon, and if you don't know what you're looking for, you can overpay by hundreds of dollars.

I've tested dozens of the best lawnmowers for a variety of different publishers over the years, so I know first-hand how to buy a lawnmower. These are five rules for buying a mower that ensure a high-quality - but fairly priced - lawnmower in the busy period around Amazon Prime Day.

1. Focus on the essentials

Before you dive into the details of headlights and self-propulsion, there are some essential features to look out for.

You need a mower which can cut between 1" and 4". This range of heights will let you adjust your cutting to the changes of the seasons and local conditions, so you mow precisely. Cheap mowers sometimes won't cut as high as 4", but having the option for grass this long is crucial for healthy grass.

Look for a mower that can mulch. Mulching is a key part of mowing, and if your mower can't do this, your grass won't be as healthy. Mulching plugs aren't universal, so if your mower doesn't come with one, you may not be able to buy one. Side discharge can be useful for reusing grass clippings in a flowerbed but for most lawns, all you need is mulch.

If you're buying a gas mower, try to get as large a CC as you can. This doesn't affect the price too much but gives you some extra power when tackling long grass or hills.

If you're buying a cordless mower, aim for the highest Ah battery you can. It's not an exact science, because it's not what Ah (ampere-hours) measure, but it tends to be that the higher the Ah, the longer the runtime.

Almost every walk-behind lawnmower has these safety features, but make sure that your mower has a safe-start button, and turns off automatically when you aren't using it. If you want a gas mower, get a model with a 'blade brake clutch', which means that you can stop the mower blades and remove the grass bag without turning off the whole engine.With cordless battery mowers, aim for a model with a safety key. These mowers won't run without a key, so they're much safer for maintenance

If you're on a budget, this is all you need: a mower that can cut between 1" and 4", mulch, and has good safety features. Everything else is nice to have, but not essential.

2. Go electric

My most controversial opinion is that cordless walk-behind mowers are the best option for most people. If you have a landscaping business, they probably won't cut it. However, if you just need to keep your backyard tidy, they're perfect.

Unlike a corded mower, there's no risk of running over a power cable. Unlike a gas mower, there's no fuss around storing gas, fouled spark plugs, and temperamental starter cables. They're much lighter than gas mowers, much quieter, and there are no exhaust fumes. If you're environmentally conscious, they're also much better for air quality. In fact, pollution from gas mowers is so bad that they're being phased out in California. Many other states are considering a small engine ban, so even if you buy a gas mower, you may not be able to buy replacement parts in a few years.

Costs are starting to come down for cordless mowers, and you can now buy small cordless mowers for cheaper than the equivalent gas mower. There's no discernible difference in the quality of the cut.

There are some bad cordless mowers out there, but there are also some bad gas mowers. When you compare two high-quality gas and cordless mowers, the cut is the same, but one is often cheaper and always easier to use. I'd pick a cordless mower every time.

3. Know your acreage

Before you buy a mower, measure your lawn so that you buy the right-sized mower. It's really easy for a lawnmower dealer to lead you down the garden path and say that you need a huge 50-inch tractor-riding mower for a tiny plot. When you get it home from the store, you'll find you barely have enough room to turn it around.

Conversely, if you have a large yard of several acres, you need a larger mower. I've tested tiny 13" mowers on big yards before and it more than doubles the time you need to spend mowing.

Most lawns in America are between a 1/4 and a 1/2 acre, so a 22" walk-behind mower is all you need. It will save you hundreds of dollars and it's much easier to store. For more than an acre, consider a riding mower up to 42". If you have more than 3 acres, consider a larger riding mower between 42" and 60".

4. Spend less than you think

The most common advice with buying tools or power equipment is to buy the highest quality you can afford, so you don't have to buy a replacement. However, price isn't a guarantee of quality when it comes to lawnmowers, especially electric lawnmowers.

Lawnmowers are incredibly simple machines. The basic mechanism is just spinning blades; mowers are essentially blenders on wheels, so there's no reason to pay thousands of dollars. Some mower prices are incredibly inflated and you don't get more for your money. While I highly recommend avoiding mowers under $200, as these tend to chip and crack, above $400 is too much. $200-$300 is the sweet spot.

However, the opposite is true with gas mowers. When I spoke to other experts about how much to spend on a lawn mower, the experts and I agreed that it pays off to spend around $1000 on a gas mower. With gas mowers, it's smart to pay a little more to buy a high-quality mower that will last. The engine parts in a cheap gas mower are often poorly machined and that can mean a lot of engine trouble.

As gas mowers are phased out, it also makes sense to buy a robust, steel deck mower that will last, because you may not be able to buy a replacement or find replacement parts in the coming years.

5. Get (some) bonus features

Some bonus features can be essential, but it depends on your needs and your garden. If you want a walk-behind mower, it can be incredibly helpful to buy a self-propelled mower. These mowers have motorized wheels to help you push the mower. If you have mobility issues, this can be very helpful, and if you have sloping, rough terrain, it can make it much easier to cut. However, if you don't have mobility problems and have a flat, even lawn, it's a little pointless.

Headlights can be helpful if you have to cut grass underneath hedges or bushes, but if you don't have these features in your garden, they're not particularly helpful. You should never mow in poor light, so there's little point in this feature.

If your budget allows, a mower with a built-in lawn roller will help you to put some nice stripes in your lawn, but this is a nice-to-have, not an essential. Other nice touches are ball-baring wheels, which are a little easier to steer, and hydrostatic transmissions in riding mowers, which are smoother to drive. However, you can get by without them.

Lawnmower FAQs

Should I buy a robot mower?

I don't recommend robot mowers. They're expensive, costly, and time-consuming to install, and don't give a particularly good work. It's less labor, but you get a better, faster cut by doing it yourself.

Should I get a snow attachment for my ride-on mower?

Snowblowers and snowplows can be helpful attachments for a tractor mower. However, if you live somewhere that sees particularly heavy snow, they may not work. The motors on tractor mowers are pretty small, so sometimes they can't handle the weight of heavy snow, so it's an expensive risk.

For more help with lawnmowers, take a look at our guide to riding mowers vs push mowers, or how to sharpen lawnmower blades.

The summer can be a tough time for a lawn. Not only is there a lack of rainfall and increasing temperatures, but families spend more time outdoors on their lawns. From summer garden parties to kids playing in paddling pools or on trampolines, a lawn sees a lot of summer action.

A good annual lawn care regime can help keep a lawn healthy and able to withstand the rigours of the summer season. On top of that, there are some simple seasonal adaptions to how you look after a lawn to keep it in great shape all summer long.

Tweaking your approaches to mowing, watering, and weeding will make a difference. You can also feed a lawn in summer to strengthen it and adapt how your family uses it to keep it green, healthy, and prospering.

6 summer lawn care tips for better grass

Summer lawn care is not tricky and many of the tasks to keep it healthy are simple to understand. Incorporating the following steps into your summer gardening checklist will help keep a lawn looking great.

1. Mow at a higher height

Continue to mow regularly to keep the lawn green and thick. The ambition may still be to mow manicured stripes into the lawn so it is pristine for summer, however, it is beneficial to raise the mower height to protect the grass as the temperature rises.

When the thermometer peaks the grass starts to grow slower and raising the height of the mower when cutting grass in hot weather helps the lawn cope better with the heat. A slightly longer lawn provides shade to the grass, protecting against heat stress, and reducing moisture loss.

2. Use short clippings as mulch

As well as raising the height, increasing how often you mow your lawn also offers advantages in summer. Whereas you may normally mow every 10 days, consider increasing this to every 5 days for the summer months.

Increasing the frequency of mowing means removing shorter clippings each time. These can be left on the lawn as mulch to help retain moisture in the ground and stop it from evaporating from the soil surface during hot summers.

A mulching mower is ideal for this, however, not using a collector on your lawn mower and adding a mulching plug can spread these short clippings around the lawn.

See the range of mulching plugs available at Amazon

3. Water deeply in the morning

A lawn needs water during the hot summer days when there is less rainfall. Monitor the weather forecasts to see if any rain is due when planning when to water a lawn in summer. When you do get the hose or sprinkler out to water, there are optimal times to water your lawn.

It is better to water deeply and infrequently, rather than giving the grass a little drink more often. The moisture wants to penetrate deep into the root zone and not quickly evaporate off the surface. Light watering means a lawn is more susceptible to drought, whereas deep watering will encourage stronger and deeper roots.

Water grass in the morning once a week before the temperature ramps up. It gives ample time for the moisture to soak into the soil. It reduces evaporation, ensures the lawn has water during the hottest hours of the day, and lessens the risks of lawn diseases that occur from evening watering and foliage sitting wet overnight.

4. Apply a summer fertilizer

July can be a prime time to fertilize a lawn to help protect the grass against hot weather and give a boost of nutrients to green it up. A summer lawn fertilizer can strengthen and revitalize any lawn so it holds up to all weather and foot traffic over the months ahead.

A granular summer fertilizer is applied with a spreader to ensure even coverage and needs to be watered afterwards. It is ideal to mow the lawn before using fertilizer and to apply the fertilizer after rain. If there is no rain forecast, use a hose or sprinkler and water the lawn ahead of time - the nutrients will not be absorbed if you add fertilizer to dry ground.

5. Tackle weeds by hand

It may sound laborious, but weeds can prosper in summer and removing them by hand is the best way to kill weeds but not harm your grass. The weeds will compete for water and nutrients with your grass and are best tackled before they go to seed.

A lawn can be under extreme stress from the summer heat and potential drought. Using weed killer is not ideal in hot weather and there is little point in using weed and feed products in summer, as it is a preventative product and the weeds are already present.

Many perennial weeds, including dandelions and plantain, have deep roots and need the entire plant removed to prevent them from returning. Please pay close attention to weeds in the lawn and get rid of them one by one.

Any bare patches in the grass can then be overseeded with fast-growing grass seeds as a quick repair - keep the seed moist to ensure germination.

6. Keep garden toys on the move

A family lawn can see lots of action and footfall over the summer and it will have an impact. Any toys, slides, paddling pools, slip-and-slides, or trampolines are best regularly moved around the garden to reduce impact on one area.

Such items will affect the health of the lawn, from smothering grass and restricting the light that gets down to the lawn to compacting the ground through lots of action. Move such garden toys around at least weekly to give affected areas time to recover.

FAQs

Can I scarify my lawn in July?

It is not advisable to scarify a lawn in the middle of summer. The growth of the grass will slow down when the temperatures increase and scarifying or dethatching in the hottest months of the year can stress the grass and it may struggle to recover during summer. When planning when to scarify a lawn, undertaking the task in spring or fall will achieve the best results.

Should I scalp my lawn in summer?

Scalping a lawn is the process of mowing the lawn extremely short. It can be beneficial, especially for warm-season grasses in spring. It is a task that should be done with caution, as there are risks attached. Scalping in summer can harm a lawn as the hot summer sun can damage the grass and it can also encourage moss.

The summer can be a busy time in any garden. On top of looking after your lawn, there can be plants to fertilize, shrubs and herbaceous perennials to deadhead, and also pruning that needs to be done. No matter how long the to-do list is, always take time and sit back and enjoy the garden.

There are a few things no gardener ever wants to see, and near the top of that list is a smoking lawn mower. Lawnmower smoke is acrid and worst of all, puts a stop to your mowing schedule.

Even the best lawnmowers can be taken out of action by mower smoke, but thankfully it's almost always easy to fix.

I spoke to one of our in-house gardening experts about the four reasons why a mower might produce smoke, as well as the four easy fixes that should get your mower running again.

1. Dirty air filter

The most common cause of a lawn mower smoking is a clogged air filter. A dirty air filter limits airflow, which means too much fuel is getting to the engine and this makes smoke. You can usually tell if this is the problem by the color - black smoke speaks to an incorrect fuel mixture, and this is almost always caused by a dirty air filter.

It's easy to forget to maintain your air filter, but thankfully it's just as easy to fix.

Gardening expert and H&G content editor Drew Swainston told me 'All you need to do is remove the filter cover, remove the filter, and wash it in soapy water. Leave the filter to dry for a few hours and then replace it in the lawn mower. You should find that your mower is running again.'

2. Too much oil

If there's a lot of blue or white smoke coming from your lawn mower, it probably means that there's too much oil in the engine. There are two causes for this issue. The first is that you may have tipped your lawn mower. If you tip a gas mower over or mow on a steep slope, engine oil can spill onto the engine and flood it.

When the engine runs, this oil burns, creating smoke. The second reason is that you could have added too much engine oil. If your oil reservoir is overfilled, oil may have spilled onto the engine.

Thankfully, this also has a relatively easy fix. Just run the mower in place for a few minutes to burn off the excess. After a while, the smoke should stop.

3. Old fuel

Gas evaporates over time, so it doesn't keep. Just as with a dirty air filter, old gas can create a poor ratio of fuel to air in your engine. If you've filled up your mower from an old jerry can you have lying around, you may find your mower starts making smoke.

This is another simple fix, but a little bit of a hassle. If your mower is full of old fuel, you must remove it with a cheap siphon like this from Amazon. It's relatively easy but more involved than troubleshooting the other methods.

You can also dilute your old gas with new gas by adding a 3 to 1 ratio of new gas to old gas. However, it's easy to get this wrong, in which case you'll have the same issue as before.

4. Wrong oil grades

Finally, the issue could be that you've added the wrong grade to your mower. Most gas mowers take SAE 30W oil, but not every mower does, so it's best to check the manual. You may also have grabbed the wrong bottle off the shelf by accident.

The best fix here is to drain the oil. I recommend using an extractor pump like this from Amazon; you could drain the oil by tipping the mower on its side but that could repeat the flooding issue outlined above. Once it's drained, add the correct oil grade.

Lawn mower FAQs

Do electric lawnmowers smoke?

It's much rarer than in gas mowers, but electric lawn mowers can create smoke. This usually happens if the engine overheats from dirt, or if the blades or caught up with debris. In this case, turn the mower off and service the engine - the problem should resolve itself once the engine is clean.

For more help with mowers, take a look at our head-to-head comparisons of robot mower vs push mower and riding mower vs push mower.

As extreme high temperatures set in across parts of the US, you may be concerned about how to keep your yard healthy through the summer months. One of the biggest challenges during extreme heat? Keeping your grass looking green and luscious.

When it comes to maintaining a healthy lawn, it's not only important to know when to water your grass but also in what conditions. You may have already discovered that it isn't necessary to water a lawn after mowing, but the rising temperatures may leave you wondering if watering your grass during extreme hot weather is a good idea.

We asked the lawn care experts whether giving your lawn a drink during a heat wave will cause it to burn. Here's everything you need to know about properly hydrating your grass this summer.

Should you water grass during hot weather?

Knowing how to water your plants correctly can make all the difference in keeping your garden happy this summer. You might be concerned about maintaining the appearance of your lawn in extreme heat, but achieving a green carpet in the hotter months is easier than you may think.

Does watering grass in the sun burn it?

The first thing to know about watering your lawn in extreme heat is that it won't cause your grass to burn. Experts note that in natural habitats, it's normal for grass to experience periods of rainfall shortly followed by heat.

'I don’t know where this myth began, but consider this: it rains every afternoon in Florida for at least a few minutes, followed by plenty of sunshine later in the day,' says Craig Elworthy, founder of Lawnbright. 'If that were true, the entire state would be a wasteland of burned out lawns,' he adds.

While you may think that saturated grass blades sitting under high heat could scorch your lawn, this isn't the case. However, you might notice your lawn discoloring during the summer months as a result of problems like lawn rust or summer patch, as well as dehydration.

In fact, watering your grass is essential during hot periods to keep it looking its best. 'A proper care regime will help your lawn thrive in any season. This involves regular mowing, feeding and watering if there isn't enough rainfall,' notes Craig.

Water your grass at cooler times of the day

It's important to know when to water plants to ensure they don't become dehydrated or oversaturated. For grass, hot weather is exactly when watering is needed most. However, experts say there is a method to ensuring you save water in your yard and water more efficiently.

'Preparing your garden early by watering deeply one to two days before the onset of a heat wave to lower the air and soil temperature around the plants as well as provide much-needed moisture is key,' says Daniel Eginton, garden expert and landscape architect.

Soil health can be a big part of water retention. It's important to have a soil type that holds onto moisture efficiently while also draining well to stop plants suffering from root rot. You can use this soil test kit from Amazon to find out more about your soil health.

You should also identify the coolest parts of the day in your area to water your lawn, as this gives the soil a better chance of absorbing the moisture.

'Watering your lawn at night or in the morning is ideal because the most extreme sun has passed. This means that the water you apply to your grass is more likely to get into the root zone and be accessible to the grass as opposed to evaporating in the hot summer heat,' says Craig.

Water your grass deeply, not frequently

You might also want to leave your sprinkler on for longer during hotter weather to encourage deeper rather than more frequent watering.

'If you water very often the grass doesn't develop a robust root system as it knows water is readily available at the surface,' says Craig. 'Watering less often but more thoroughly and for longer is more natural for the lawn and can encourage the grass to search for water, producing a more robust root system and improving drought tolerance overall,' he adds.

'Installing efficient drip irrigation systems or efficient spray sprinklers on timers can help reduce water usage compared to large rotating type sprinklers,' Daniel suggests. You can purchase watering tools to help you with this online, like this sprinkler timer from Amazon and this drip irrigation system from Amazon.

This is especially important if you have a drought-tolerant grass for lawn or are creating a drought-tolerant landscaping in your yard.

FAQs

How do you revive burned grass?

If you have burned grass, it can be difficult to revive - however, it isn't impossible.

'You will need to give it a lot of water, consistently for several days in a row,' says Craig Elworthy, founder of Lawnbright. 'If there’s still several months of summer left, you’re better off waiting until fall when the temperatures are cooler and your lawn is more likely to recover on its own,' he adds.

It can be easier to revive lawn during cooler months, as extreme heat in the middle of summer will dry out any moisture quicker. If you are struggling to get your lawn to a healthy condition again, it can be a good idea to seek professional lawn care help.

In short, watering grass in the sun won't burn it. However, not keeping on top of lawn watering care during hotter weather can lead to dehydration, discoloring and other issues. To make sure you're fully prepared for summer lawn care, read our expert advice on cutting grass in hot weather.

Not all of us are blessed with a lot of backyard storage. Perhaps you can't afford to build a shed, or your HOA won't allow one, but in the end you're left with a lawnmower and nowhere to keep it. 

This has led many to wonder if they can just leave their mower outside. I've found that you can, but I don't recommend it. 

As a longstanding lawnmower tester and an expert in the best lawnmowers, this is everything you need to know about storing a lawnmower outside.

Can I store my lawnmower outside?

You can store a riding lawnmower outside, but I don't recommend it. Large riding mowers are pretty robust, so you can leave them outside without doing too much damage. It's not that much different from a car being in the rain. However, unlike a car, the seat on your riding mower is exposed. If you store a riding mower outside long-term, the seat will likely be ruined by the weather. Rain will make it soggy and moldy and it will bleach and crack under direct sunlight. However, your mower should still run. 

Push mowers are a different scenario. Gas mowers would probably be fine for a couple of days, but if rainwater gets into the spark plug you'll have a tedious few hours drying out the spark plug before you can mow again. However, electric mowers - both corded and cordless - must not be left outside. Water damage can break these mowers beyond repair. 

Where can I store my lawnmower if I don't have a shed or a garage?

With this in mind, you can store your riding mower outside, if you have the space. It's not rocket science; you just need to find a quiet corner of the yard where kids aren't likely to find interfere with it, and then cover it with a heavy-duty tarp. You don't need to spend much; a cheap heavy-duty tarp like this from Amazon will do the job. You can also find dedicated lawnmower covers like this on Amazon.

However, gardening expert Thom Rutter told me that there are a couple of big drawbacks to this method. 'A big, warm, stationary object like a riding mower is the perfect haven for bugs and rodents. By itself, this is a little gross, and you won't want to clear out an infestation every time you mow. However, if mice nest in the engine, it can gum up your mower and be time-consuming or even costly to fix.' 

Another issue is security. If you live way out in the country, security isn't a problem. For most of us, however, there's the risk that your mower will be stolen. 

Can I store my mower in my basement?

It's probably impossible for a riding mower, but a push mower can be stored in a basement. You can do this with electric and reel mowers without any issues. However, a gas mower can be dangerous, because the gasoline in the tank is a fire issue. It can also leak fumes into your home, which is very bad for your health. 

Are there HOA rules about where I can store my mower?

HOAs can't dictate where you store a mower, but unfortunately, they can dictate whether or not you can build a shed, so check the regulations about the types of structure you can build in your yard. If you aren't allowed to build a full-size shed, it could be buying a small plastic shed instead. 

The other consideration is that some HOAs also have rules about fuel storage, so if your mower runs on gasoline you need to learn the regulations. There can also be local or state laws about fuel storage, so it pays off to learn these, too. 

Lawnmower storage FAQs

Can you store a lawnmower on its side?

You can store electric lawnmowers on their side. However, you cannot store gas lawnmowers on their side. This is because because engine oil and gasoline can leak into the filter and other parts of the engine, causing hydrolocking which will stop your mower from working. 

Where should I store my lawnmower battery?

Store lawnmower batteries indoors; a garage is the best place, but you can store it near any other outlet in the home. 

For more information on mowing, take a look at my deep dive into the debate between zero-turn vs tractor mowers, or our expert advice on how to lay turf, and the best fertilizer for grass in spring. 

If you want to make mowing the lawn a little easier, a riding mower is the perfect way to do it in style. Whether a zero-turn or a tractor mower, these mowers let you put your feet up and mow the lawn in comfort. 

However, if you've ever looked into buying one of these machines, you'll know that the price tag can be a little eye-watering. Moreover, it's not always clear which is between when it comes to zero turn vs tractor mowers.

That's where I come in. I've spent much of my career testing dozens of the best lawnmowers. I know all of the benefits and shortcomings of both models, so I know exactly which is best for every kind of gardener. I also spoke to landscaping industry experts for their insights and recommendations about which type of riding mower comes out on top. 

What's the difference?

The main difference between the two mowers is steering. 'Zero-turn' mowers are so-called because their turning radius is zero degrees. More simply, these mowers can turn around on the spot, like a tank. 

Tractor mowers, on the other hand, are like cars, so they have a much wider turning circle. Zero-turn mowers are operated by levers, whereas a tractor mower has a steering wheel. You can see some more of the differences below:

What are the benefits of zero-turn mowers?

The biggest benefit of a zero-turn mower is the lack of a turning circle. A zero-turn mower is a lot nimbler than a tractor mower, and great for maneuvering in tight spaces. If you have a lot of borders or trees in your yard, a zero-turn mower will easily mow around them. 

Lawn expert Gene Caballero agrees, telling me 'Zero-turn mowers excel in maneuverability and speed, allowing them to navigate easily around obstacles like trees or garden beds.' 

Zero-turn mowers also tend to be bigger than tractor-mowers. They usually have much larger cutting decks, so they're a better option for large yards of more than 3 acres. They're also a lot faster than tractor-mowers, so they can cover a larger area much faster. 

You may also find it easier to cut precisely. Unlike tractor mowers, where the cutting deck is slightly behind you, zero-turn mowers offer a clear line of sight to the lawn. 

Ultimately, they're the type that expert Gene Cabellero prefers. 'I would opt for a zero-turn mower for its efficiency and time-saving capabilities in lawn maintenance, particularly if the primary use is straightforward mowing.'

What are the drawbacks of a zero-turn mower?

The biggest drawback of a zero-turn mower is the price. It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but zero-turns tend to start at around $3000, whereas tractor-mowers start at $2000. If you're mowing on a budget, you should probably stay away from zero-turn mowers. 

There's also something of a learning curve with a zero-turn mower. A tractor-mower is as simple as driving a golf cart, but it takes a little practice to get used to a zero-turn. What's more, because they're so big, they're overkill for small lawns. This also means that they can be difficult to store unless you have a large shed or garage. Despite their speed, they're also surprisingly limited by terrain. 

Lawncare expert Taylor Olberding told me that  'the cons of zero-turn mowers are that they are not very suitable for hills or small gardens.'

Finally, unlike riding mowers, zero-turn mowers are single-task machines. They shouldn't be used for pulling or towing.  Most can't be used as snow plows or lawn sweepers. 

What are the benefits of a tractor mower?

The most obvious benefit is that tractor mowers are cheaper than zero-turn mowers. Again, it's not guaranteed, but most tractor mowers are less expensive than zero-turn mowers. 

Unlike zero-turn mowers, tractor mowers can handle different types of yard work. Most of them can be fitted with blades for moving snow, or even with snow blowers, which can be incredibly useful in winter. Even if you don't live somewhere snowy, you might find it useful to have a tractor-mower, as you can buy large carts for towing yard equipment, logs, or garden waste. 

I've also seen lawn sweepers, brushes, dethatchers, aerators, and fertilizer-spreading attachments. Some are rated for zero-turn mowers, but zero-turn mowers operate with delicate engines which often aren't suitable for hauling. 

Tractor mowers are also much better at dealing with hills than zero-turn mowers, so they're a great choice if your garden slopes. Tractor mowers are also smaller than zero-turn mowers, so they're much easier to store. 

What are the drawbacks of a tractor mower?

The first drawback is that tractor mowers are less precise than zero-turn mowers. You can't turn around on the spot, so if you have a lot of obstacles in your lawn or a tight turn next to a border, you may struggle with a tractor mower. 

Another drawback is that tractor mowers are a lot slower than zero-turn mowers. This is partly because they have a smaller cutting deck, so they cut less grass as they drive, but also because they are literally slower; they tend to be about half as fast as a zero-turn mower. 

Buy a zero-turn mower if...

• You want precise cutting
• You have a large lawn
• You want speed
• Money is no object

Buy a cordless mower if...

• You have a small lawn
• You want to use attachments
• You have a hilly garden
• You're on a tighter budget

However, these riding mowers aren't your only choice. Push mowers are still a great investment, so its worth considering how much you should spend on a lawnmower and the benefits of the different types before you buy. 

If you want to improve your mowing game this spring, there's really only one question you need to ask: when it comes to gas mowers vs cordless mowers, which comes out on top?

As more and more companies shutter their gas mower production - and new gas mowers are banned in California - can new-fangled cordless mowers really compete with old-school gas mowers?

I've tested dozens of lawnmowers in my career, so I know exactly what makes for the best lawnmower. I also spoke to a landscaping expert for his advice on the benefits and drawbacks of both types of mowers. 

What are the benefits of gas mowers?

The biggest benefit is that gas mowers simply give a better cut than cordless mowers. It's a small difference, but in general gas mowers are more powerful and cut through grass more easily. Cordless mowers still do a great job, but gas mowers are more likely to give a clean cut, and they're better at taking on tall, thick grass. 

Mowing expert Bryan Clayton told me that 'These bad boys are powerhouse performers. If you've got a large lawn or you're the type to let the grass get a bit tall between cuts, a gas mower won't let you down.'

Gas mowers don't have any issues with runtime. If you keep the fuel topped up, it will run indefinitely. This also means that gas mowers tend to be better for large lawns. While there's little difference on smaller lawns, gas mowers are better than cordless ones as acreage increases. 

Gas mowers are also easier to DIY. Unlike gas mowers, anyone with a little mechanical knowledge can take a gas mower apart to troubleshoot issues. If your corded mower isn't working, it's much harder to tackle the electrics.

What are the drawbacks of a gas mower?

Gas mowers are pretty antisocial. Unlike cordless mowers, they're incredibly loud and emit foul-smelling gas fumes. 

They also need a lot of maintenance. Storing gas safely takes a little effort, and gas goes bad over time, so you need to run your stocks down in the run-up to winter so that you aren't left with stale gasoline when spring returns the next year. That's before you get to the engine itself, which needs oil and filter changes, and spark plug checks.

Gas mowers are also subject to some political considerations. Many companies are slowly phasing out their gas mowers because gas mowers are more expensive to engineer and manufacture than cordless mowers. Because they're being phased out, you're less likely to find replacement parts when your mower is broken. 

The other political consideration is that gas mowers are being phased out by law in some states. From January 1st 2024, small off-road engines (SOREs) must be 'zero-emission' in California. This essentially means a ban on new gas mowers, leaf blowers, and trimmers. If you live in California, you can't buy one of these mowers in the first place, and this policy may be picked up in other states. 

This ban on gas mowers might even be local. Some HOAs don't allow gas mowers because of the noise and smell, so a big drawback of gas mowers is that you could buy one, move house a couple of years later, and then find that your $500 gas mower isn't allowed in your new neighborhood. 

What are the benefits of a cordless mower?

Cordless mowers are easy to use. Unlike gas mowers, which have the hassle of topping up with gas and pulling on a cord, cordless mowers start as soon as you press a button.

Because they have relatively tiny electric engines, cordless mowers are very lightweight. They're great if you're older or have mobility problems, because they tend to weigh half as much as a gas mower. 

This same small engine means that cordless mowers are very quiet. Unlike gas mowers, which make a lot of noise, a cordless mower can be as quiet as an electric toothbrush. 

Cordless mowers are also increasingly cheap. They used to cost a lot more than gas mowers, but now that lithium batteries are more common and cheaper to produce, they are cheaper than gas mowers because they have fewer metal parts. 

You'll also see claims that cordless mowers are more eco-friendly than gas mowers. This is mostly true, but you should be a little skeptical. The claim is that gas mowers emit fewer greenhouses than gas mowers because they don't use gasoline. This is true, and in this sense, they are far greener than a gas mower. 

However, most cordless mowers are assembled in China and shipped to the US. The lithium in their batteries is produced in Australia, Africa, and South America, often mined in unethical working conditions. Altogether, cordless mowers are much better for the planet than gas mowers, but don't be fooled that they're clean.

What are the drawbacks of a cordless mower?

The big drawback with a cordless mower is that battery technology is far from perfect. Most cordless mowers top out at about 30-45 minutes. Lawn expert Bryan Clayton says that battery power is cordless mowers' biggest drawback. He says 'If you try tackling a jungle because you've skipped a few weeks, you might find yourself out of juice mid-mow.'

What's more, this battery power becomes worse over time. If you have a cordless vacuum, you probably know this effect. Lithium batteries – the most common type for cordless tech – lose capacity over time, so the runtime gets shorter and shorter over the years. 

The other issue with batteries is simply keeping them charged. Not everyone has outlets in their shed or garage, so it's often tricky to remember to top up your mower batteries. Mower batteries become an extra thing to charge, which can be mildly frustrating to keep on top of. 

Buy a gas mower if...

• You want the best possible cut
• You have a large lawn

Buy a cordless mower if...

• You have a small lawn 
• You want a lightweight mower
• You want a simple mower
• You want a mower that won't disturb neighbors

If you're in the market for a new mower, it's worth considering how much you should spend on a lawnmower before you take the plunge.

If you're in the market for a mower, you may be weighing up two seemingly opposite options. That said, the debate between corded mowers vs cordless mowers seems a little obvious. Corded mowers have that annoying cable and cordless mowers offer total freedom. 

However, before you take the plunge, there are still a few benefits to find in a corded mower. Cordless mowers are great, but they aren't the only game in town. 

I've tested dozens of lawnmowers in my career, so I know exactly what makes for the best lawnmower. I also spoke to a landscaping expert for his advice on the benefits and drawbacks of both types of mowers. 

What are the benefits of corded mowers?

The biggest benefit is that corded mowers are cheap. Unlike gas mowers with big engines or cordless mowers that need batteries, a corded mower is incredibly cheap. For example, my go-to corded mower, the Ryobi 13", available at Amazon, is usually only $150, which is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the alternative. 

Because the engine is much smaller, corded mowers tend to be much lighter - and therefore easier to handle - than equivalent gas or cordless mowers. The Ryobi I just mentioned only weighs 22 lbs, whereas a similar gas mower like this Briggs and Stratton Gas Walk Behind Push Mower, available at Home Depot, weighs twice as much. 

Corded mowers are also much easier to maintain than gas mowers, for example. Gas mowers need oil changes, spark plug checks, filter maintenance, and other little bits of DIY. A corded mower plugs into an outlet and is ready to go. 

Though the cord is often the biggest drawback, there is a benefit. According to appliance expert Clint De Boer, corded mowers 'have continuous power, so there’s no need to worry about running out of juice halfway through mowing.' Unlike gas mowers or cordless mowers, a corded mower will run for as long as you have power. 

What are the drawbacks of a corded mower?

The big drawback with a corded mower is - unsurprisingly - the cord. Power cords limit the range of your mower and they can also be a safety issue. Appliance expert Clint De Boer told me that 'A corded mower is powered by a 120VAC wall outlet and requires an extension cord of sufficient size and length to reach all areas of your yard. Confined by the length of the hefty extension cord, these mowers have limited reach and require a nearby outlet.' 

In short, if you have a big yard, a corded mower won't cut it. Alternatively, you can use an outdoor extension cord like this from Walmart. However, my first experience of mowing was tackling my parents' yard with a corded mower. Chasing 100ft of extension cord up and down a long, narrow yard is a pretty tedious chore, and I don't recommend it if you can avoid it. 

What's more, you have to be very careful about where you mow. If you stop paying attention for even a second you can run over the cord. This can blow a fuse and knock out your power or even worse, start a fire. 

Corded mowers are also less powerful than their gas and cordless equivalents. In fairness, it's a small difference, but the other types of mowers are more powerful, which means a cleaner cut and less tearing on the grass. 

What are the benefits of a cordless mower?

As the name suggests, cordless mowers do away with the single biggest issue of corded mowers: that pesky power cord. Cordless mowers run on lithium-ion batteries, which means you can use them all over your yard. There's no range limit and no fears about running over a cord. 

This freedom brings other benefits, too. Clint De Boer told me that cordless mowers are also 'perfect for navigating obstacles, hills, and otherwise uneven lawns. They work well with spaces that are separated by distance and/or flower beds, driveways, or ditches.' 

The technology in lithium batteries is constantly improving, which means cordless mowers are increasingly powerful. A few years ago, cordless mowers were a little feeble. Nowadays, the power has ramped up. 

According to Clint De Boer, 'Perhaps the most astonishing fact is that the flagship cordless mowers now outperform their gas counterparts in terms of raw power. You can also get enough runtime on these mowers to cut lawns up to 3/4 of an acre.' 

While corded mowers tend to be a little lighter than cordless mowers, it's a pretty small difference and not one you'd notice. That cheap Ryobi is 22 lbs; an equivalent Worx cordless mower like this at Amazon is only 7 lbs heavier. 

What are the drawbacks of a cordless mower?

A drawback is that cordless mowers are a little more expensive than corded mowers. It can be a difference of hundreds of dollars, so if you're on a tight budget. you're better off with a cordless mower. 

Cordless mowers also have limited runtimes. The worst will only last about half an hour. and if you have a larger lawn, that isn't enough time to cover all your grass. If your garden has lots of small lawns spread between different areas - separated by paths, decks, pools, or planters, you may find that you mow some areas and then have to wait to mow the others while your mower recharges, which is pretty frustrating. 

Cordless mowers also lose runtime over the years. Even when they're not being used, cordless batteries slowly discharge ions and lose the ability to hold charge. A mower that gives you 45 minutes of runtime out of the box may give you 40 or 35 minutes of runtime after a few years. 

Buy a corded mower if...

• You're on a budget 
• You have a small lawn

Buy a cordless mower if...

• You have a small lawn 
• You want a lightweight mower
• You want a simple mower
• You want a mower that won't disturb neighbors

However, these two mowers aren't the only game in town. It's worth considering how much you should spend on a lawnmower and the benefits of the different types before you buy. 

We're heading towards the thick of the mowing season, so it's time to weigh up drawbacks of two of the most important tools in the garden.

As you tidy up your yard, you may find that your mower isn't cutting it along your borders or around tricky obstacles like trees. However, lawn trimmers can be a little expensive, so it's worth considering if you actually need a trimmer. Conversely, the truly brave my be considering breaking garden orthodoxy and considering getting rid of their mower altogether. 

If money is a little tight and you're wondering which of these tools is truly essential, I've tested dozens of both appliances in the past few years, particularly the best lawnmowers. I've also spoken to fellow gardening experts about the benefits and drawbacks of both tools. 

What are the benefits of a lawnmower?

The benefit of a lawnmower is pretty simple. There's no better tool for cutting grass. It's very straightforward - if you want a neat, tidy lawn, you need a lawn mower. 

Lawnmowers have big decks that cut a lot of grass at the same height. That means that they're efficient and uniform. In an hour or so, you can mow your whole yard and totally transform your garden aesthetics.  

I won't bore you with whys and wherefores, but I once had to fall back on a trimmer to mow a small lawn. It was an ugly cut, and bad for the health of the grass. It was incredibly uneven and looked patchy. It's lucky that it was my own lawn, because you'd never pay for work that bad. It also takes a long time. Even on a tiny lawn - I'm talking no more than 200 square feet (0.005 acres, for those with bigger plots) it took me much longer than a mower.

Modern mowers are also pretty good at cutting along the edges of lawns and under trees. Garden expert and H&G content editor Drew Swainston told me that 'with the invention of lightweight plastic mowers and even big zero-turn riding mowers, it's increasingly the case mowers are nimble enough to maneuver around most obstacles.'

What are the drawbacks of a lawnmower?

The drawback of a lawnmower is that it's a single-task machine. Just think how many things you can tackle with a good trowel. My favorite trowel, the Capability Trowel, available at Amazon, has a depth gauge, hammer, and saw blade. It can hammer in small posts, measure the right depth for seeds, saw through tough roots, as well as all the usual trowelling tasks like digging and transplanting. A lawn mower cuts grass: that's it. Good mowers will also mulch, but it's not exactly a separate function. If you live somewhere snowy and have a tractor ride-on mower, you can convert it to a snow plow, but lots of manufacturers don't recommend this as the small motors can't handle the weight of the snow. 

Mowers also can't handle truly overgrown grass or weeds. Most mowers tap out at around 5 inches, so if you have an unruly lawn to cut back, your mower won't do the job.

What are the benefits of a lawn trimmer?

Trimmers can do several things that mowers can't. The first is that lawn trimmers - also known by the trademark name 'weed whackers' - are great for tackling long grass and weeds. If you've just moved to a new place and are tackling an old garden, a string trimmer is perfect for cutting back long grass. If you've discovered a spot of overgrown weeds behind a shed, for example, a string trimmer is perfect for reaching into tricky, tight spots and cutting down weeds. It doesn't just have to be for removing weeds. 

Drew Swainston told me 'Even if you're rewilding a lawn and have let your grass grow long with wildflowers, these eventually need to be cut back in August. A trimmer is the most efficient way to do this.' 

Trimmers are also crucial for tidying up grass around trees and shrubs. If you have a tree in the middle of your lawn, or grass that comes right up to the trunks of the trees in your border, a trimmer will let you cut the grass right around the tree without damaging it. It's an efficient way to trim neatly. 

Unlike lawnmowers, trimmers excel at cleaning up the edges of a lawn. Mowers can do a fine job at cutting to the edges of a lawn, but you usually end up with some scraggly overgrowth onto your paths or into flowerbeds. A trimmer can create a neat line along the edge of a lawn much faster than if you were to use lawn scissors and does a much better job than a mower. 

What are the drawbacks of a lawn trimmer?

The drawback of a trimmer is that it isn't essential. It makes many jobs far faster and easier on your back, but if you lack money, you can make do with much cheaper tools. 

For example, I've cleared unruly patches of weeds with cheap hedge shears like these from Amazon. If you want to step it up, these hedge shears at Home Depot are my favorites - they're sturdy, incredibly lightweight, and remarkably sharp. 

Gardens expert Thom Rutter told me 'While a trimmer can tackle the job in minutes, you can do the same job with shears - you just need to put in a little effort'. 

This is also true for tidying up along edges and around trees. You can achieve the same thing with long-handle grass shears like these from Amazon, and if you want a precise finish, all you need is these grass scissors from Amazon. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of work. I've clipped a couple of hundred feet of lawn edges before and it was tough on my back and shoulders by the end. However, you don't need to spend a couple of hundred dollars on a good lawn trimmer for similar results. 

Which is most essential?

When it comes down to it, a good mower is much more important than a lawn trimmer. A trimmer is great for perfecting your lawn, but if you don't have a good mower, you won't have much of a lawn to work with. 

For more advice on mowing, take a look at my guide to how much to spend on a lawnmower.